Happy July, everyone! Right smack dab in the middle of summer, and the weather has been as erratic as ever, the wind is especially nasty lately. Minnesota even made news for all the floods all over the state thanks to all the rain we’ve been having. There’s a 90+% chance of thunderstorms on the Fourth of July as well, which might impact the fireworks festivities.
Anyway, here’s what I watched last month:
NEW MOVIES
(films indicated with * are directed by women)
Godzilla Minus One
The Elephant Whisperers* (documentary short)
Anyone who loves animals, especially elephants, has to watch this delightful short film set in South India. Director Kartiki Gonsalves spent five years with the Kattunayakan tribe to make this documentary. It chronicles the real-life couple, Bomman and Bellie, who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu since he was only 3 months old. It’s only 40 minutes long but packs such an emotional punch. It deservedly won Best Documentary Short at the 2023 Oscars.
E-Team* (documentary)
review upcoming
Inside Out 2
Ultraman: Rising
I wasn’t planning to watch this, but my husband was watching this animated feature on Netflix, as he used to read the Ultraman comics. I don’t know much about Ultraman, someone with the superheroic ability to grow into a monster-sized being and battle kaijus. The twist is that the Ultraman ends up protecting a kaiju baby from the Kaiju Defense Force while also dealing with his estranged father who’s the original Ultraman. The visuals are stunning, and the story has more depth and emotional resonance than I expected.
Brats (documentary)
Laapataa Ladies*
review upcoming
A Quiet Place: Day One
Janet Planet*
review upcoming
Unfrosted
This Kellog’s Pop-Tart origin story (that I don’t know anyone is ever clamoring for) is Jerry Seinfeld‘s feature directorial debut. He’s had some directing experience with his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but this one is quite an ambitious one to tackle, and despite the all-star cast, I don’t think he succeeds. The bright, 60s retro aesthetics are fun to look at, and the snappy interactions seem promising at first, but the movie is largely uninspired. The jokes aren’t funny, and the cartoonish characters are mostly annoying. It feels like extended Seinfeld bits or SNL skits that don’t quite land.
It’s embarrassingly bad and a total waste of the talented cast. Hugh Grant seems to be rehashing his role in Paddington 2 without much charm or humor, while Jon Hamm + John Slattery are reprising their Mad Men roles. The two kids are much more memorable than any of the big-name actors. This aimless and lame movie will leave you emptier than any toaster pastry on your grocery store shelves. I know it’s still summer, but it’s likely going to end up being the worst movie of the year for me.
A Family Affair
review upcoming
TV SERIES
TOKYO VICE – Season 2
My Lady Jane
review upcoming
Welcome to Wrexham – Season 2
If you’re a football (soccer) fan, I highly recommend this one. But even if you aren’t into sports like me, this one will have your heart as the focus is on the small town in Wales, not just the team.
GUEST POST
The Damned
Icelandic folk horror – reviewed by Laura S.
I watched another 4 movies #directedbywomen (the same amount as last month), which brings the tally of the year so far to 37. I was hoping to watch I Am Celine Dion documentary and the Rebecca Miller-directed rom-com She Came To Me last month but didn’t get around to them, so those are on my to-watch list in July. I’ll do a half-year recap later this month, but I’m confident I’ll surpass my goal of 52 by the end of the year.
Per the Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules of 52 Films By Women are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within 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.
June 2024 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
It’s an easy pick as this is the best movie I saw in June. Kudos to Takashi Yamazaki & his team for crafting a compelling human story with genuine empathy, while delivering a gargantuan Oscar-worthy spectacle. Godzilla vs. Kong is now available on streaming so I might give that one a shot though I doubt it’d be nearly as good as this Japanese film.
So what did you see in June, and which one(s) are your favorites?
…
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Great posts as always. I didn’t get a chance to watch many movies this month but the ones that I did watch stood out. My favorite film I saw in June was easily “Inside Out 2”. I thought it was a spectacular sequel that managed to improve on the first film. I loved the way it introduced new emotions into Riley’s life such as a feeling of anxiety. Being a person with severe anxiety, I deeply related to the movie. The scene where Riley faces a panic attack reminded me of my own personal experiences with nervous breakdowns in school. It’s not quite a great as the first film which was a masterpiece in my eyes. That being said, it did impact me on an emotional level I wasn’t expecting.
Here’s why I loved “Inside Out 2”:
I do love Inside Out 2 and I could’ve easily made that my movie of the month, but I was just so impressed with Godzilla Minus One given the relatively small budget (a fraction of a Pixar movie budget!) and what they could accomplish with it.
That said, I think Inside Out 2 is a phenomenal movie and you’re right, the feeling of anxiety is captured in such a clever way here. The design of Anxiety character is so perfect!
My favorite film last month is Inside Out 2 as I got really into it as it made me laugh but also made me cry. It was way better than I thought it would be. I am so for a third film.
I heard about that film Unfrosted and I don’t understand what is so funny about Jerry Seinfeld. I tried to watch Seinfeld and I don’t get it. I was more interested in Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her antics including her hilarious dancing. He’s not funny at all and fuck his pro-Zionist views.
Well I didn’t care for Unfrosted because it was badly written and directed, nothing to do with Seinfeld’s personal views which he is entitled to. I didn’t watch Seinfeld as much as I watched Friends or Frasier (this one is my fave sit-com!) but some of the episodes I did watch is funny, I guess more amusing than hilarious.
I can’t believe 2024 is halfway over. I can’t complain about our weather here though. There are heatwave all over the country and many parts of the world, so for us to have cool summer, I’m fine with that. Also, some parts of the world are running out of water, so the more rain we get here the better. I feel bad for the people who lives in the part of the world that’s suffering the drought, though.
The only new movie I saw in June was Bad Boys 4. I just watched a bunch of TV series and finished The Sympathizer and I thought it’s very good. I thought of watching the new Ultraman on Netflix, I used to watch the old TV shows back when I was living in Asia. It’s been a long time so I don’t know if I’ll enjoy it now as an adult.
Yeah I agree Ted, we have nothing to complain about the weather. What I said is more of a commentary than a complaint, I was actually talking to someone on Sunday how blessed we were to get a sunny day with temps only in the 70s in the Summer time while others in so many states are dealing with heatwave!
Somehow I’ve never heard of Ultraman though Ivan used to read the comics. I did watch a few episodes of Voltes V back in the day, though I barely remember much about it now, ahah.
I’m just happy to see others still talking about Tokyo Vice. I hope it’s not left out during the Emmy nominations. I’m planning on watching A Family Affair today, but with low expectations.
Hey, glad you are a fan of Tokyo Vice as well. It’s such an amazing series!! I sure hope it will at least nab some Emmy and also Golden Globes nominations!
I actually enjoyed A Family Affair despite its flaws, definitely more entertaining than Unfrosted, ugh!
Pingback: FlixChatter Review: A Family Affair (2024)–this Netflix age-gap rom-com is in dire need of a facelift – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Gee, I missed this post, although I did read many of the individual reviews.
I wonder what your last women’s films will be. I know you have watched more since this review… are you down to 3?
OMG- UNFROSTED – YUCK It’s not a horror film, just a horror!