Happy AUGUST!! Wow, we’re practically a month away from Fall, where has Summer gone?? It was definitely a good month for the movie theater industry as the entire world was gripped by Barbenheimer fever! Glad I got to see both on the big screen, but I probably won’t rewatch them again until both hit streaming. For me, it’s actually a mellow month for movie watching as I caught up with a bunch of series (TV reviews in a separate post).
Well, here’s what I watched last month:
NEW MOVIES
(films indicated with * are directed by women)
The Perfect Find*
I usually avoid Netflix rom-coms as they’re mostly sh**t but I was intrigued by the casting of Gina Torres and Gabrielle Union, set in a world of fashion. Union plays Jenna who’s seeking a fashion career comeback after she was fired from her last job. She got another chance from her former rival Darcy (Torres) who’s now a cutthroat mogul.
It looked promising initially and I quite like the pairing of Union and Keith Powers who’s decidedly much younger. The two have pretty good chemistry though the whole secret affair thing gets tiresome fast. It certainly doesn’t have the likability factor of Always Be My Maybe which can infuse delightful humor into the romance. I love Torres, but her character is portrayed as a one-dimensional, out-of-touch diva. Overall it’s more style than substance that’ll go out of fashion fast.
Oppenheimer
The Miracle Club
Rescued by Ruby*
After seeing Oppenheimer earlier that week, my hubby and I were looking for a far less intense movie on streaming. I’ve got this one on my queue for some time as I’ve always been fascinated by the K-9 unit. While watching this, I kept thinking WHY can’t Grant Gustin be cast in The Flash instead of problematic Ezra Miller??! He’s charismatic and immediately likable without any hint of pretense, I hope he gets more leading roles. I actually watched the first couple of seasons of the Flash series on CW and LOVED Gustin as the character.
This one is a charming, heartwarming movie about two underdogs, featuring the most adorable border collie/Australian shepherd mix! I enjoyed this one quite a bit and despite some predictable plotlines, it manages to throw a sweet surprise in the end that really tugs my heartstrings. It has a genuinely positive message about second chances and animal rescue. If you love dog movies, I highly recommend this one.
Lakota Nation vs. United States*
Barbie*
Shortcomings
review upcoming
The Deepest Breath*
review upcoming
TV SERIES
I managed to watch an entire season of three series (from three different streaming services!) Secret Invasion is by far the most disappointing that I feel compelled to write a review of it (so stay tuned for that). I tried to watch Netflix’s FUBAR but lost interest after the first episode, I also started watching the second season of FOUNDATION on AppleTV but decided to binge The Night Agent instead (glad I did!)
Jack Ryan (S4) – Amazon Prime
Secret Invasion – Disney+
Quarterback (Kirk Cousins segments only) – Netflix
The Night Agent (S1) – Netflix
check out Ted’s review of season 1
So I’m continuing the 52 Films By Women challenge I started on International Women’s Day a few years ago. Per Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within the course of one year and share what you watched on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word, and get more people talking about the women filmmakers that don’t always get attention.
Another strong month in July as I got to see five movies #directedbywomen The Perfect Find, Rescued by Ruby, Lakota Nation vs. United States, Barbie, and The Deepest Breath. I’ll be doing a half-year tally of this challenge later this month but I’m feeling optimistic I will complete all 52 movies by the end of the year!
JULY 2023 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
I know many people are completely enchanted by Barbie, but for me, Oppenheimer is the one that’s harder to shake. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how masterful it was. I’m not sure if it’s Christopher Nolan‘s magnum opus so far, but certainly one of his strongest works. Cillian Murphy‘s phenomenal lead performance absolutely deserves all the kudos come award season!
So what did you see in JULY and which one(s) are your favorites?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I’m going to watch Oppenheimer hopefully on Saturday while Barbie is my pick for the best film of July. As far as my own 52 Films by Women challenge, I’m 9 films away from reaching the goal as it is likely that it will be 8 films away this week as I have the final and most recent short of the Miu Miu Women’s Tales series to watch plus 2 Blind Spots and whatever else I can find. So it’s likely I’ll surpass the goal by the end of the year.
Oppenheimer is well worth your time, esp if you can find an IMAX theater. At this point, I don’t think Barbie would even make my top 10 of the year. Past Lives is a far, far more accomplished film and it’s a debut feature from a female director!
Good for you on 52 Films By Women tally! I think I’ll meet my goal by EOY if I keep up the pace with at least 4 films by women a month.
I feel like I’ve been left out of the whole Barbenheimer craze and I”m okay with that. Lol! I somehow don’t have desire to see either of them in theater. I’ll for sure see Oppenheimer when it’s available in 4k streaming.
I’ve watched a lot of stuff this past month. I saw two new movies in theater, Indy 5 and Mission 7, I never thought I’d enjoyed the former more than the latter but I did. I also watched the Quarterback doc on Netflix, loved it! Rented Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. Then rewatch a few movies in 3D including Pacific Rim, Dune, SpiderMan: Far From Home and Gravity.
I started watching episode 1 of Foundation season 2, not sure if I’ll continue with that series. I also started the first 2 episodes of season 3 of The Witch and I’m done with that series. Netflix has been cutting back on the budget and the show look very cheap now.
Ahah, that’s totally ok that you missed out on Barbenheimer craze, though I still recommend seeking out Oppenheimer in IMAX, it’s absolutely stunning on the big screen and the score is fantastic too!
Oh, did you like The Covenant? I’d love it if you’re willing to review that for me, Ted.
Yeah, Foundation is kinda lackluster. I think I’ll just start on The Diplomat, that’s one of the series some blogs recommend if I like The Night Agent, ahah.
If we still have the real IMAX here, I would’ve gone and saw Oppenheimer. I’m not paying to see it at the fake IMAX theaters that we have here in MN. I thought of seeing it at Dolby Cinema but they have like 30-40 minutes of previews and I would be sitting in the theater for almost 4 hours! No thanks. Lol! I’m fine with watching it on my mini home theater.
The Covenant was decent. Let me know when you want the review of it.
I have The Diplomat on my watch list too. I think I’m going to start watching Hijack on Apple TV+ this weekend.
Oppenheimer is definitely my favorite thing I watched in July, followed by Past Lives. I can only hope August is just as fulfilling.
Glad we’re in agreement about OPPENHEIMER. Past Lives was my fave movie of JUNE!! I don’t even know what movie I’m looking forward to seeing this month, maybe GOLDA? JULES with Ben Kingsley looks funny but I can wait til it arrives on streaming.