#9: The Saturday 411 ☎️

La Chimera, Pen15, Bridgerton, The Veil, Baby Reindeer, and new releases coming out in June!

Men love to explain the world to us. If we’ve already explained it to ourselves through reading, then they will feel superfluous and unmanned.

Lady Featherington, Bridgerton, Season 3, Episode 4

It’s Saturday morning! And Tory and I are here to bring you the quick takes on what’s new and hot on screen, at the theaters and at home.

Well, Tory is, as usual, more on top of the new releases than I am. Which is why I’ve enlisted her help here in this monthly round-up. She always manages to add to my watchlist, but I’ve got a few gems to share with you, too!

Without further ado, here’s what we’ve been watching and what we’re looking forward to seeing.

What We’ve Been Watching

Heather

Bridgerton (Netflix): As my delightful quote at the opening of this newsletter demonstrates, the new season of Bridgerton (part 1) lacks no shortage of quippy and poignant dialogue. That’s what I love about the show — on the surface, it’s a frivolous, ridiculous period romance dressed up in bright colors and absurd wigs. But underneath, the protagonists (of which, there are many!) have a lot of heart and plenty of interesting things to say about life, love, death, grief and, not least, the gender expectations that still somewhat extend to our contemporary culture today. This season has the least sex scenes to skip through. It’s also a story near to my heart. Will Penelope, the wallflower, always the loyal friend, finally experience the passion and desire of a man?

Lady Featherington, Penelope, and an eligible bachelor in Bridgerton

Pen15 (Hulu): It’s an oldie (2019!), and it’s a bestie. This is one of my all-time favorite television shows, and over the past month I’ve shared it with my husband. I’m happy to report Ben loved it. Any evening we had free, he asked to watch it.

Pen15 is the story of two best friends in middle school in the year 2000, Anna and Maya, played by adult Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine. The catch is that all the kids around them are played by kids. The reason it works so well is that Anna and Maya have no qualms about completely embodying their middle school selves. They wear braces and a retainer, sport friendship necklaces and bad haircuts, and make some of the funniest (and ugliest) faces on screen.

It’s a memoir of those painful and confusing years when boys are mean, you get your period for the first time (and your sexual awakening), and the only way you can navigate the confusing social waters is with your best friend unwaveringly by your side. Watching Pen15 is cathartic, and also has the funniest scene in a TV show that I have ever seen. I laugh so hard I cry every time I see it. There are only two seasons; Anna and Maya gave us their 13 year old selves and then closed that book. Note that, even though this is about middle school, it is a show for adults.

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle in Pen15

La Chimera (Limited Theatrical Release/Prime): This Italian film starring Josh O’Connor (The Crown, EMMA., Challengers) is my movie of the month and the year so far. It caught my eye in

Thomas Johnson

’s newsletter Salty Popcorn. He gave it a 4.5 out of 5, calling it “a dreamy folktale about love and loss… this surrealist slow burn makes for a wonderful story that could only be told on screen.” I knew I needed to see it. The theaters near me don’t show limited releases, so I watched it at home. But if it’s playing in a cinema near you, grab a ticket A S A P! The big screen will draw you more deeply into the experience of this film, which deserves your full attention and immersion.

La Chimera reminded me how I much I love Italy and how much I want to go back (it’s been 15 years). It also reminded me that different cultures spawn different kinds of stories. This Italian film about robbing graves for Etruscan treasures that are almost 3,000 years old can only come from a storyteller that grew up in a place with that much history. But it’s not just about robbing graves; it’s about a man chasing a love who has gone to a place he can’t reach, like Orpheus chasing Eurydice, another old and timeless love story from that part of the world. I wasn’t sure how Alice Rohrwacher (director) could wrap up this sprawling tale, but the ending was surprising, touching, perfect.

Tory

The Veil (Hulu): International spy thrillers are normally not my thing, but I will follow Elisabeth Moss anywhere. In this role, she plays a British MI6 agent, transporting a woman suspected to be a member of ISIS across Europe. Moss said mastering the accent and the physical training is the most challenging preparation she’s ever had for a job. Her character prides herself on being a shapeshifter, and she’s keeping everyone on their toes. I don’t know who to trust but I can’t wait to see how this story resolves. 

The Fall Guy (Theaters): This is a somewhat forgettable, but extremely fun summer popcorn flick. It delivers on all the action, comedy, romance, and pyrotechnics that it promised. It also stars two of the most likable people in Hollywood: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Yes, the bad guy could’ve been better, but this movie is an exciting ride. Hollywood is making movies fun again, and I am here for it. 

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)- This show created a cultural moment for us all. This seven-part series tells the semi-autobiographical story of its creator Richard Gadd, a man who uses the show almost like therapy to process his relationship with a stalker and experiencing a sexual assault. It’s funny, it’s raw, and it’ll make you think twice about how we tell stories about ourselves.

Challengers (Theaters): This movie was … fine. Yes, the sex appeal was at full throttle, and honestly, the story was beautifully structured. But the characters were utterly unlikable, some of the shots were overly indulgent (taking on the POV of the tennis ball, really?!), and the film ultimately left me asking myself “so what?”

Looking forward to

Tory

Babes 5/17(Theaters): I know two things about the star of this film, Ilana Glazer: she’s hilarious and she’s controversial. I’m excited to see her take on a single millennial trying to come to terms with her unexpected and bumpy transition into motherhood. The commentary will be raw, unfiltered, and I hope very, very funny. 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 5/24 (Theaters): I don’t want to jinx it, but this might be the biggest action movie of the summer. Furiosa is the prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This prequel stars Anja Taylor-Joy — seriously, is there anything she can’t do — in the titular role, arguably her grittiest yet. Let’s go!

Inside Out 2 6/14 (Theaters): Riley, the human featured in 2015’s animated feature Inside Out is growing up, and that means she has more feelings! Amy Poehler is back providing her voice as the character Joy, alongside Phyllis Smith as Sadness and Lewis Black as Anger. This time, they’re joined by some more mature emotions — Anxiety and Envy — voiced by it girls Maya Hawke and Eyo Edibiri. Inside Out is nearly perfect, and this sequel feels natural and unforced, so my hopes are high. 

Treasure 6/14 (Theaters): Lena Dunham is back on the big screen bringing us a story that feels more raw and earnest than anything we’ve seen from her in a while. She plays Ruth, a New York journalist who travels to 1990s Poland with her father Edek (played by Stephen Fry) to see the place where he grew up. Edek is a Holocaust survivor reluctant to engage with his past, which thwarts his daughter’s plans for connection. Can they bridge the divide? I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Heather

Thanks to Tory, Babes and Treasure are on now on my radar. I’m probably most excited for Treasure. But I also have

Alissa Wilkinson

to thank for bringing Hit Man to my attention! Glenn Powell first caught my eye in his supporting roles in Hidden Figures and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. While I skipped over Anyone But You, it sounds like he’s hit his leading man stride in Hit Man and Alissa’s review has me convinced that this is my next theater excursion when it’s released on June 7. (Confession: did I have a little bit of a crush on Glen Powell while he was in his supporting man roles? Yes, but I was still single! Sorry, Ben!!)

After rewatching Pen15, I’ve been telling everyone that Maya Erskine is, in my opinion, the funniest woman on television. Because of this, I’ve been told I must watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime). Here’s the storyline, according to IMBd: “Two strangers land jobs with a spy agency that offers them a life of espionage, wealth, and travel. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage.” As long as my husband is amenable, I would love to keep getting my Maya Erskine fix by making this our next television project.

And of course, I’m looking forward to Part 2 of Bridgerton Season 3 (6/13). It seems the town gossip, Lady Whistledown may finally meet her downfall, but what will that mean for sweet Penelope and her upcoming marriage?

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Don’t forget: Places in the Heart is our Film Club movie of the month! We’ll be dropping a podcast episode about it next week, so be sure to watch it this long memorial weekend!