As well as a few re-watches, there’s a flurry of new movies that jumped out to me this month, including Luca Guadagnino’s romance drama Queer, which is a brand new addition to Mubi , and one of my favorite new movies from this year so far. Out of the 17 titles I entered into Letterboxd , which is the most entries I’ve recorded in a single month, these are the nine titles I enjoyed the most – and I encourage you to stream them while you can.
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Daniel Craig has never grabbed my attention like other actors out there only because, to me, he became heavily associated with his role as James Bond and thus hyper-masculine action figures. I admit, I didn’t think he was capable of range, until I saw him in one of the best Netflix movies Knives Ou t (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022). So when the first trailer for Queer dropped, I was very excited to see Daniel Craig step into another role that was a departure from his previous contributions to action flicks.
William S. Burroughs’ novel comes to life with Craig as William Lee, an American immigrant traveling through Mexico often finding himself in his own company. When young student and former soldier Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) arrives in the same area, Lee becomes infatuated with the young man and see potential for a meaningful relationship to blossom.
Trainspotting (1996)
Trainspotting (1996) Official Trailer – Ewan McGregor Movie HD – YouTube
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Director: Danny Boyle
It’s crazy to think that before I sat down to watch it this month, I was a British person who had never seen Trainspotting and to put a long story short, it lived up to its hype and more. Surrealist yet gritty with a killer soundtrack, I could watch this movie again and again – it’s a new obsession of mine for sure.
Trainspotting takes you on a hallucinatory journey told through the perspective of Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a heroin addict who can never seem to grasp onto sobriety due to his group of influential friends and his desperate longing for euphoria. On top of his crippling addiction, the weight of the economically disadvantaged area of Edinburgh in which he lives rests heavy on his shoulders, catalysing his move to London to leave behind a troubled life – but this catches up with him rapidly.
High Potential
High Potential (ABC) Trailer HD – Kaitlin Olson series – YouTube
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Creator: Drew Goddard
Kaitlin Olson made a remarkable impression as Dee in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia , one of the best Hulu shows that follows a group of sociopathic and co-dependent friends who spend their free time plotting cons against each other and those they know for personal gain. But Hulu’s brand new crime drama High Potential is a bug departure from what we’ve come to associate Olson with, and it’s proven itself to be an easy-going watch that doesn’t drag, even if the writing and acting can come across as a little unpolished in parts.
Single mother of three Morgan (Olson) works as a cleaner at a police department, who happens to have an IQ of 160 and an exceptional mind. When she rearranges evidence during one of her shifts she’s brought on as a consultant to help solve murder cases across the city with her intellect. Each episode sees the police department cover a new case, with an underlying plotline Morgan’s own personal investigation to uncover what happened to her ex-husband who’s been missing for 15 years.
Whiplash (2014)
Whiplash TRAILER 1 (2014) – J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller Movie HD – YouTube
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Director: Damien Chazelle
When I first watched Whiplash it impressed me so much that I put it straight into my Letterboxd top four movies and it’s remained there ever since. It’s a movie about power dynamics, student-teacher relationships, obsession, and ambition, packing incredible tension that’s anxiety-inducing to the point where I had no choice but to watch it between the gaps in my fingers. It’s truly unsettling.
Miles Teller plays a young music student Andrew Neiman and aspiring drummer with a dream of becoming not only the best in his music conservatory but an overall music legend. His knack for drumming is discovered by renowned musician and instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) who transfers him to one of the school’s top competing jazz bands. Known for us psychologically challenging and abusive teaching methods, Fletcher shows no mercy when uncovering his student’s full potential, but this sends Andrew into an obsessive frenzy that tests his sanity as well as his drumming abilities.
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse | Official Trailer HD | A24 – YouTube
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Director: Robert Eggers
While we’re on the topic of unsettling movies, The Lighthouse is another one with a dynamic duo at its forefront that centers around another incredibly tense relationship that escalates to a crazily unsettling climax – and it’s all credited to its acting performances. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson went full-throttle in their dedication to their roles, which transformed them into completely different people respectively.
In the late 1890s a young lighthouse keeper Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson) begins a four-week shift at a lighthouse on the New England coast with former sailor Thomas Wake (Dafoe). Their time on the remote island is extended indefinitely when a brutal storm approaches, putting them through the ultimate psychological test which leads to the deterioration of their sanity.
Blue Velvet (1986)
BLUE VELVET (1986) | Official Trailer | MGM – YouTube
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Director: David Lynch
David Lynch’s death was a huge shock to fans and movie lovers everywhere, so this ignited a drive within me to visit the best David Lynch movies and familiarize myself with his legacy as a filmmaker. For as long as I’ve had access to the best streaming services , Blue Velvet (1986) has always varied in availability, being there one day and then disappearing the next. When I saw it on Prime Video – here are four other David Lynch movies and shows currently streaming – I jumped at the chance to watch it.
Blending psychological horror with the stylistic elements of 1940s noir cinema, Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a consistent dream-like state with trippy interjections and out-of-pocket character interactions. College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns to his hometown, finding a severed ear in a field which leads him to believe that his hometown isn’t as peaceful and safe as it presents itself. Determined to uncover the mystery behind his discovery he enlists the help of town sheriff’s daughter Sandy (Laura Dern) who believes that the case may be connected to a local nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini).
Moonstruck (1987)
Moonstruck Official Trailer #1 – Nicolas Cage Movie (1987) HD – YouTube
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Director: Norman Jewison
“Snap out of it!”. So this is where the iconic line comes from. If there’s one I consider one of my guilty pleasures, it’s a good rom-com, but it can’t be just any old rom-com. For me, it has to have a bold story, a little bit of slapstick humor, and most importantly a believable romantic chemistry that makes you want to get to know the characters – think When Harry Met Sally (1989).
Moonstruck (1987) succeeds in all those areas, earning Cher an Academy Award for her role as a whimsical Italian-American. When widow Loretta (Cher) agrees to marry her boyfriend Johnny (Danny Aiello) she’s tasked with convincing his brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage), with whom he doesn’t speak, to attend the wedding. Loretta finds herself in an unexpected predicament when she starts to fall for Ronny, but as the two develop a deeper romantic connection, she discovers that here are other members in her family who are hiding their own secret relationships.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube
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Directors: Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson
Guillermo del Toro’s reinterpretation of the classic tale of Pinocchio shows the patience and meticulous attention to detail that’s required to pull off a great stop-motion animation feature, so it’s no wonder why his 2022 Netflix original won the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Set in the wake of the interwar period, Pinocchio is both heart-breaking in parts but also warming in its parent-child relationship portrayal.
After the passing of his son during a bomb raid, distraught father Geppetto (David Bradley) carves a wooden puppet, Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), during a vulnerable grieving episode. Magically he comes to life, giving Geppetto another chance at parenthood. Behind the voices of these beloved characters is a cast of Hollywood veterans from Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, and Cate Blanchett.
How To Have Sex (2023)
HOW TO HAVE SEX | Official Trailer | MUBI – YouTube
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Director: Molly Manning Walker
You should note that before you go into watching How To Have Sex (2023), this movie doesn’t hold back when discussing sensitive sub topics of sex so it may be difficult to watch for some – but that’s precisely why Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut landed so well.
This drama depicts a quintessential time for any young British person – the first summer party holiday. Following three friends who are also awaiting their GCSE results, they vow to have the best holiday of their lives before each of them branch off in different directions. For Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), more pressure rests on her shoulders compared to her two other friends given that she’s never been sexual with anyone before. As they settle into their holiday of partying and hooking up, the sexual pressures grow stronger for Tara.
