Has anybody else felt the vibe shift for the summer movie season? Sure, it’s obviously way better than 2020–21, but other than Top Gun: Maverick and (LOL) Minions: The Rise of Gru, what’s there to talk about? Okay, you’re right, Austin Butler’s accent in Elvis. Maybe I’m greedy or maybe I’m just really excited for Nope, Jordan Peele’s new film, to be the fun, new raucous blockbuster to revive the summer season. No pressure though. But if you want to stay in, there’s always some new television and movies to park it to. Here’s this week’s picks:
Nope
Yup! After months of tantalizing questions like what the hell is Jordan Peele’s new film exactly about?, Nope is hitting the big screen with a pretty fun summer blockbuster. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as O.J. and Emerald Hayward, a brother and sister who try to get to the bottom of the strange alien occurrences happening outside their Hollywood horse ranch. It’s tense, hilarious, and bolstered by great performances by Kaluuya, Palmer ,and Steven Yeun. Even though the trailer is above, I’d highly recommend you go into Nope with a blank slate.
Hairspray
It’s been 15 years since Hairspray, which is wild. The vibrant musical remake had such a hold on me that my mom must be sick. But it’s fun! It has wonderful dancing! And the cast is stacked with High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow, Nikki Blonsky, and John Travolta as Tracy Turnblad’s mother. We also cannot forget the perfection of James Marsden as Corny Collins.
American Horror Stories Season 2
Honestly it’s hard to tell how popular the American Horror Story franchise still is, but it must be enough to warrant a second season of this spinoff series. While Story has a reputation of rarely landing the ending, American Horror Stories avoids that issue by being a weekly anthology show. So, if you don’t like one week’s story, no worries! The next episode will be something totally different.
Rap Sh!t
If Issa Rae makes it, there’s a good chance I’m going to watch it. Rap Sh!t is the latest comedy from Rae about two estranged friends coming together to become a rap duo. “My art is not for the male gaze,” Shawna (played by Aida Osman) says in the trailer. “I want to make something relevant to females’ lives.” Well, I’m in.
The Last Movie Stars
There’s something about the past that we just can’t shake, huh. Ethan Hawke returns to the director’s chair to put together a fascinating six-part docuseries on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s love story. Made at the peak of the pandemic, The Last Movie Stars features Hawke’s calls and conversations with other celebs like his daughter Maya Hawke and Newman and Woodward’s kids along with recreations of Newman’s transcribed tapes with stars like George Clooney and Laura Linney. Like most stories of Old Hollywood, it’ll more than likely draw you in.
Blown Away Season 3
I’ve been stressed over reality television with cakes falling, chefs’ dishes not having the right ingredient, and whether a house will be ready to view in time, but Blown Away deals with the most delicate art of all: glass blowing. The series, now in its third season, invites glass artists to compete to win a cash prize. Pretty standard reality-competition rules, but wow, is it intense and fun to watch.
Also! Read our streaming recommendations from the weekend of July 15. Vulture’s next list of weekend streaming picks goes online on Friday, July 29.
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