ICYMI - Best of June

June didn't work out exactly as we planned but we delivered most of what we promised (sorry Eleanor Parker -- we'll try to make up for it in July) and it sure ended on a high note with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis.

Here are a dozen of the highlights in case you missed 'em...

• Halfway Mark the best performances and films of the year thus far
• Almost There Emily Blunt - she's a perennial at "almost" snagging an Oscar nod so Cláudio talked The Devil Wears Prada
• Judy Garland @ 100 we covered nine movies from ending with her final film I Could Go On Singing
• Best Shot Fire Island this one was fun to really look at... and not just for thirst reasons
• Ranking International Feature Oscar winners - Juan Carlos has seen them all
• Emma Thompson in Good Luck To You Leo Grande - what a performance!
• Jurassic World Dominion - Chris says the franchise should go extinct now
• Stage Door - we launched a weekly theater column w/ a celebration of Mare Winningham
• "TV" Movie or Just"Movie" - The Emmys are so confusing!
• The 75th Annual Tony Awards - back to basics so it was good musical fun!
• Klute Deep Dive - a tag team miniseries on the seminal thriller.  
• Tom & Dickie - Chris got in the bath with The Talented Mr Ripley

COMING IN JULY 
New films like Marvel's Thor Love and Thunder, Lesley Manville & Isabelle Huppert in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, and Jordan Peele's Nope. Plus plenty on the Emmy nominations (which will be announced July 12th) ...for better and worse. We also hope to do a few reader's requests from the fundraiser. And a celebration of the director Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffanys, Victor/Victoria) for his Centennial.

Finally, at the end of the month, the 1997 Supporting Actress Smackdown so we'll be discussing Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, LA Confidential, Titanic, In & Out, and maybe some other 1997 gems, scattered throughout the month. 

Tweetweek, Rattle and Roll

Fun or thoughtful showbiz tweets curated for you since Social Media is too (understandably) depressing of late given the collapse of Democracy. But on that note, before we begin, two iconic women meeting this exact unsettling evil moment in time.

GET READY, GAYS. YOU’RE NEXT.

— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 24, 2022

pic.twitter.com/Kt4wYKanUG

— Lee Grant (@TheLeeGrant) June 24, 2022

More after the jump including Evan Rachel Wood, My Best Friend's Wedding, Barbie, Crimes of the Future, and Baz-driven Elvis Mania...

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TV Review: "Only Murders in the Building" Comes Back With a Vengeance

By: Christopher James

Our favorite podcasting trio return in the second season of Hulu's hit show, "Only Murders in the Building."We should’ve expected Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building to be a huge hit. The Hulu streamer became a four quadrant hit last fall, likely because it smashed together elements from all four quadrants. Older audiences tuned in for the classic pairing of Father of the Bride stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. Selena Gomez helped bring in a younger crowd as the third member of the mystery solving crew. A genuinely compelling mystery ties them together. On paper, it might read like it was made by a committee to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Yet, the series brings it all together through the shared fad for true crime stories and the culture of podcast listeners devoted to the genre.

Season Two of Only Murders in the Building recaptures the magic of the first season while upping the ante...

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Off to see "Thor: Love and Thunder"

TAIKA WAITITI AT THE THOR LOVE AND THUNDER AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL EVENT SCREENING SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 27TH JUNE 2022. © Scott Ehler for Getty ImagesWish us luck!  Kidding. The buzz is strong with this one...

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Doc Corner: Rebecca Huntt’s 'Beba'

By Glenn Dunks

That Beba is the work of a first-time filmmaker is both immediately impressive and also quickly apparent. There’s a maturity here that belies Rebecca Huntt’s autobiographical documentary portrait. It’s something that leaps out from its opening moments as flickering 16mm photography plays over poignant narration. “Violence is in my D.N.A.”, she says. “I carry an ancient pain that I struggle to understand.” It’s powerful stuff, but as it progresses, Huntt’s film finds itself swaying in the wind despite the really great stuff at its core.

That maturity is often balanced by selfishness that renders itself with a film that is unfocused almost as if by design. Huntt is a messy, complicated person; something that this movie impresses upon the viewer frequently. Whether it’s as a result of her family or society—most likely a strong dash of both—is something that the movie attempts to grapple with.

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