Summer Favorites
I know summer isn't technically over yet, but once back to school season hits, no matter your age, it feels like the freedom of endless summer days disappears too. Before we say goodbye to warm weather, the smell of chlorine and 8:45 sunsets, I'm here to share my favorite new releases of the season!
Harry's House: Harry Styles' new album has been the unquestionable soundtrack of my summer. Every day I wonder if I'll get tired of these songs. And every day I put Daylight or Satellite or As It Was on, spin around, think about how perfect this album is and wish concert tickets didn't cost 900 dollars.
The Summer I Turned Pretty: A love triangle with a messy female protagonist featuring an aggressively Taylor Swift-heavy soundtrack? Yes, please. Based on the novels by Jenny Han (author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before!), The Summer I Turned Pretty tells the story of two families who meet up every year for a summer at the beach. But this year things are changing! Belly Conklin is about to turn 16 and is tired of being seen as the youngest of the bunch. Conrad Fisher, her childhood crush, is being broody and no one knows why. There are secrets! Competitive brothers! A volleyball tournament! A debutant ball! Did I mention how aggressive the Taylor Swift soundtrack is?!
Stranger Things (season four): If you're looking for a darker watch to round out your summer viewing, the newest season of Stranger Things will take you there. Say goodbye to the fun-loving, kids on bikes, E.T. vibes! Season four leans into the horror genre, which means I spent a good portion of my watch with my head facing away from the TV. At first I thought the season felt a little lost with too much time rehashing old topics, but I should have known the Stranger Things showrunners had a clear vision. By the time the season wraps (with two mega-sized episodes), all the pieces come together in a thrilling way. MVPs? Sadie Sink (she really should have gotten an Emmy nom). Caleb McLaughlin (especially in that one scene). Newbie Edie Munson (in literally every scene). And Steve Harrington (always).
Never Have I Ever (season three): In the newest season of this Netflix series, our girl Devi is really growing up! Sure she's still dealing with bouts of insecurity (who isn't!) but instead of making wild decisions, like secretly dating two guys at once, she's facing her challenges head on! Mostly. There are still some ethically questionable choices. It is Devi after all! Season three does a great job of taking the challenges Devi has faced over the last few years and weaving them into her journey in new and interesting ways, while highlighting her growth and shifts in her relationships. Get excited for some intriguing and really successful new character pairings that help all the members of the Sherman Oaks crew grow as they head into the end of their high school journeys.
The Bachelorette (season whatever): The Bachelor franchise took a big gamble this season. They said we almost ruined feminism when we had two Bachelorettes that other time.. what if this time, we don't have the men CAST A BALLOT to decide who they want to date and instead we go in with no plan whatsoever? The ultimate show of empowerment - make the women figure it out themselves! Despite the questionable lack of planning, somehow I'm really enjoying myself?? Not the parts where they edit Gabby and Rachel to make it seem like they're constantly comparing their respective journeys. The parts where Gabby and Rachel are checking in with each other and talking and sharing their experiences and confronting manipulative men! It weirdly grounds the whole experiences, as if they're two friends debriefing after a date. It also makes the episodes go by way faster. The old seasons spent two hours on three dates and a lot of ... not intellectually stimulating conversation. Now we've got two hours to cover six dates. We hit the highlights. We get in and out of those stilted conversations. We minimize fake drama. It's hard to complain about that!
The Lost City (I know this technically came out in March... but it feels like a summer movie!): If you've been sleeping on this Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum adventure romance, I'm going to need you to fix that right now. Sandra Bullock plays Loretta, a romance novelist mourning the loss of her husband and struggling to find the importance in her work, who gets kidnapped to help oddball villain Abigail (Daniel Radcliffe) find treasure in a lost city. Alan (Channing Tatum), the cover model for Loretta's books, decides to stage a rescue mission. The movie also features Patti Harrison, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brad Pitt and Oscar Nuñez in really spectacular supporting roles. It's a truly funny, compelling story that feels like it was written specifically for each of these acting talents.
