- adamdfarkas
What's New: Summertime Edition
It's summer. At least if you're a meteorologist and not an astronomer. Go outside and move around. Then watch people who are in much better shape than you move around in the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, French Open and the Women's World Cup. Or watch baseball. When you've done all that, here are some recommendations from what's new on the Big 4 streaming platforms.
Fans of Fosse/Verdon still wishing the show added one or two episodes to bring the characters' arcs to a more satisfying conclusion can watch Cabaret to look for Gwen Verdon's creative influence on her husband's classic of smoky decadence and jazzy dancing in Weimar Germany. Paddy Chayefsky also played a recurring role in the series, though it only made a passing mention to his most famous Oscar-winning screenplay: Network. Shockingly, the 1970's are not only more relevant than ever for social and political issues but somehow still ahead of the times.
Take a break from bombastic summer movies and televised athletic glory with two quiet character dramas from offbeat directors... that also feature Fosse/Verdon stars Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams. Tom McCarthy may have directed a recent Best Picture winner, but before that he showcased Peter Dinklage's talents in The Station Agent. The film's story about a train-loving dwarf starting over in a small town is exactly as charming as it sounds. David Gordon Green will probably surprise audiences with a Best Picture winner when he's done rebooting Halloween (which you can also watch if you don't care about seasonal holidays). Snow Angels is the kind of thoughtful multi-character story that we now mostly get in limited series.
Quentin Tarantino has perhaps the most anticipated movie of the summer, so what better time to revisit his origin story with Reservoir Dogs. Arguably, the film's casual racism and homophobia might be more offensive to contemporary audiences than the notorious ear chopping scene. Of course, Tarantino doesn't have the only Charles Manson movie out this year. Director Mary Harron reteamed with screenwriter Guinevere Turner for a movie that most people missed in theaters... but you're probably better off with their first charismatic white guy serial killer, American Psycho.
Yes, there are some new movies to watch, but the best new additions to Jeff Bezos' media empire are the excellent second season of Fleabag and the long awaited adaptation of Good Omens.
