Melissah Yang and Patricia Karounos share their picks of can’t-miss TV shows and movies that have them texting up a storm. Trust, you will be, too.
There comes a point every summer — when it’s been hot and sticky for weeks, and you’ve given into your laziest urges, unable to bear the thought of toiling away at your desk when it’s sunny out — where it might feel like there’s nothing to watch. Even in our streaming-first world, where the content never stops, things seem to hit a bit of a lull. Well, we’re here to tell you that’s not entirely true. There is plenty in the world of TV and movies to keep you busy all season long. You just have to know what to look out for.
July includes two of the year’s most intriguing movies so far: MaXXXine, the third film in Mia Goth’s X slasher-horror series, and Twisters, the standalone sequel to the 1996 disaster flick Twister about storm chasers that stars Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell. There’s also a prelude to the summer’s actual main event, the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ahead of the Games, Netflix is dropping the docuseries, Simone Biles Rising, which chronicles the history-making gymnast’s life and career as she prepares to return to the international stage in Paris. How’s all that to keep you entertained?
MaXXXine
Get ready to scream: The acclaimed slasher X trilogy finally comes to a close with the highly anticipated MaXXXine. Set in 1985 Los Angeles directly after the events of X, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) is looking for her big break. But when a serial killer called the Night Stalker starts to target Hollywood starlets, the secrets of her dark past surface.
Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine in the grisly horror pieces from director/writer Ti West (long-time partner of DJ-producer Alison Wonderland) that deftly explores how sex and violence are so intertwined. The retro film is also rounded out with a stacked cast: Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, Halsey, Bobby Carnavale, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.
Where to watch: Theaters
When: July 5
Watch if you like: X, Pearl
Simone Biles Rising
There are few athletes who transcend to become synonymous with their life’s work — Michael Phelps and swimming, Serena Williams and tennis, Michael Jordan and basketball. Simone Biles is that for gymnastics. As the most decorated gymnast of all time, she is arguably the GOAT of her sport. But Biles became the target of some critics after she withdrew from competition in the middle of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. For most though, her decision helped cement her status as a cultural force for igniting a much needed conversation about the mental toll that the pursuit of peak physical form and high-stakes competition can take on a person’s wellbeing.
In Netflix’s two-part documentary, we get to see the now 27-year-old’s path back to the Olympic stage that’ll get you feeling both inspired and ready to cheer for gold as we approach the summer games in Paris. Like one person in the trailer says, “She’s the greatest in the world but she’s also human.” Which is a good reminder for all of us.
Where to watch: Netflix
When: July 17
Watch if you like: Athlete A, Cheer
Twisters
I do not live in an area that is prone to tornadoes, yet I am still deeply terrified of them. That said, there are fewer things I find more enjoyable than a big, loud, kind of dumb (in a good way), purely entertaining summer blockbuster. This month, that’s Twisters, a stand-alone sequel to the hit 1996 film Twister set to evoke the natural disaster movie trend of that era. Like the OG, this one follows a group of daredevil, often reckless storm chasers as they try to capture the biggest twisters during an intense tornado season.
Even better, the flick is directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the filmmaker behind the lovely and moving award-winning 2020 drama Minari. It also stars Anthony Ramos, Sasha Lane, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Glen Powell — who, thanks to his run from Top Gun: Maverick to Anyone But You and Hit Man, is an actor who has proven he has the talent and charisma to make just about anything work. So, fear or not, you will find me seated at a movie theater for this one.
Where to watch: Theaters
When: July 19
Watch if you like:Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon
Lady in the Lake
I strongly believe that there should always be an addictive murder-mystery on TV (or streaming). Done right, they’re fun to talk about, keep you guessing, and require enough attention that actually makes you want to put your phone down while watching. Lady in the Lake, which stars Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit), is looking to fill that slot this summer.
Adapted from the Laura Lippman novel of the same name, the limited series is set in 1960s Baltimore and chronicles the lives of two women whose paths unexpectedly converge: Maddie (Portman), a housewife who leaves her home/family to pursue a career in journalism, and Cleo (Ingram), a politically involved woman trying to improve affairs for the city’s Black community while struggling to make ends meet to care for her children. As she tries to figure out her plans, Maddie becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of two separate murders: that of an 11-year-old Jewish girl, and Cleo’s.
The book received acclaim for its deft, unflinching exploration of women’s ambition, sexism, classism, and racism of the era (especially in terms of how each disappearance/murder case is covered by the media because of these factors), and the show is clearly interested in the same themes. The result is a tense and compelling mystery that also aims to deliver so much more than what you may expect from the genre.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
When: July 19
Watch if you like: Gone Girl, The Wire, Boston Strangler
The Decameron
The heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes that’s a show that is so silly you can’t help breaking out into giggles every episode. Considering that it takes place during the era of the Black Death, that might seem like an odd way to The Decameron, but that’s exactly what the dark comedy series is.
Loosely inspired by a well regarded collection of 14th-century short stories, the quirky series is set in Italy in 1348 and follows a group of nobles who flee to a luxe villa, servants in tow, to try and stay healthy. It’s not long before they completely forget the outside world, and the house descends into a chaotic flurry of backstabbing, lies, food, and sex — so, you know, a very normal pandemic isolation period.
The Decameron may not be a perfect show, but it’s outrageous and daring and delightfully soapy. And the talent behind the series — including Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds, Girls star Zosia Mamet, Veep’s Tony Hale, and Derry Girls’ Saoirse-Monica Jackson — are bringing their A-game. It’s a wonderful way to pass some time on a lazy summer day.
Where to watch: Netflix
When: July 25
Watch if you like: Teenage Bounty Hunters, My Lady Jane
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