Q Wave’s Watchlist: July 2021
"There's nothing to watch" is not a phrase that should exist in a world drowning in content. Join us every month to get curated content - from the latest and greatest to revisiting oldies - we'll help you avoid the dreaded “Netflix Block” and find something to watch!
The Fear Street Trilogy (Netflix)
While we are a few months out from scary movie season, Netflix isn’t making us wait for its newest inventive offering; the Fear Street trilogy. Based on a series of novels of the same name from the early 90’s, Netflix is premiering one movie per week starting on July 2nd, with the subsequent installments the following two Friday’s. The release strategy is the first of its kind for Netflix, who have dubbed this a ‘film trilogy event’.
The trilogy spans hundreds of years with the fist film taking place in 1994, the second in 1978, and the third in 1666, and centers around a teen and her friends who, after a series of brutal murders, confront an evil force that has haunted their town for centuries. The cast features an array of faces you’ll recognize from various TV shows, including Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Gillian Jacobs (Community) and more.
The books were written by R.L. Stine, and served as a more teenage-focused precursor to his massively successful series Goosebumps. While the original Fear Street books were family-friendly, newbie director, Leigh Janiak, who helmed all three installments gunned for a much bloodier telling of the story with a heavy influence from previous slasher movies like Scream, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Given the trilogy sports an R rating, it sounds like Janiak’s goal of nailing the gore of the classic horror genre has been achieved.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Scream, Stranger Things, It
Runtime: 3 parts, 106-120 mins each
Genre: Horror
Physical (Apple TV+)
Rose Byrne has one of the most interesting filmographies of any working actress you’ll find onscreen today. With dramatic turns in movies like Insidious and The Place Beyond the Pines, to superhero flicks like the X-Men franchise, to comedies like Get Him to the Greek and Neighbors, there really isn’t anything the Aussie can’t do. That versatility is what makes her pitch perfect as the lead in Apple’s newest dark comedy, Physical.
Set in aesthetically pleasing 80’s San Diego, Byrne plays Sheila, a depressed, tortured housewife to a skeevy former-professor-turned-wannabe-politician played by Rory Scovel (I Feel Pretty). As Sheila tries to keep up appearances as the picture perfect housewife, she battles her own inner demons in the form of an eating disorder and crippling insecurity about her physical appearance. It’s not until Sheila finds enlightenment in the form of an aerobics studio in a shopping mall that she sets off on her own path to success, producing workout tapes as a physical fitness and lifestyle guru.
While the show does tackle some serious and tough-to-digest topics, it does so with a razor sharp edge that pushes the series into ‘dark comedy’ territory, which is what allows Rose Byrne to really shine with the material she is given. With a lead that is totally adept at playing both dramatic and comedic roles, Physical wisely puts Byrne in a position to do both and the show is all the better for it.
Disclaimer: This series contains material regarding eating disorders and mental health issues that may be upsetting to some viewers. If you, or someone you know, needs help, please contact the National Eating Disorder Information Centre by chat online at nedic.ca or by calling 1-866-NEDIC-20.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: I, Tonya, Flack
Runtime: 10 episodes, 27-34 minutes
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Luca (Disney)
If there is one thing you can continuously count on in this life, it’s that Pixar movies are bound to hit you in the feels, and Luca stays true to form.
Built on themes of friendship and not quite fitting in, Luca is about a boy named, you guessed it, Luca. Voiced by Jacob Tremblay (Room), Luca is a sea monster who lives amongst other fish folk underwater right off the coast of a small Italian town, and with shades of The Little Mermaid, dreams of living life on land. When he meets another sea creature boy named Alberto, who has figured out how to transition from sea to land, a friendship is formed and Alberto sets off showing Luca the ropes to living out of the water.
With a sprinkling of other plot elements, such as Luca’s parents’ quest to find their son, who are voiced by the delightful Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) and Jim Gaffigan (Bob's Burgers) the plot can get a little bogged down at times, but when the film shifts focus to its central theme and the backbone of the story in the relationship between Luca and Alberto, it shines. Focusing on the bond between the boys and how it may be one that isn’t meant to last forever, be sure to have the tissues handy.
Directed by Enrico Casarosa whose Pixar short film La Luna was nominated for an Oscar in 2011, and being from the Italian Riviera where the film is set, he is able to craft a story that has a deeply personal touch, and the movie benefits from it. As always, Pixar sent artists working on the project to Italy to study the scenery and get a feel for what would become the fictional seaside town of Porto Rosso.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Finding Nemo, Onward
Runtime: 95 minutes
Genre: Animated, fantasy
The Tomorrow War (Amazon Prime)
Summer months mean summer movies, and with that the return of the Hollywood blockbuster. The Tomorrow War is Amazon Prime’s newest offering as they try to bring the blockbuster experience to your living room.
If you’re digging Loki on Disney Plus and are looking for more time hopping shenanigans, you’re in luck because Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), who seems to be angling for the mantle of Hollywood's go-to action hero, stars in this sci-fi flick set in two different timelines. He’s visited by people from the future, who explain that there is a war going on in their time against some alien baddies, and they need him to gather and train soldiers to send into the future to help them fight.
With hints of The Terminator-esque time travel, save the future plot line, Amazon is hoping this movie can stand alongside those other blockbusters, and become its next big franchise. The rights to this movie were acquired from Paramount Pictures for around $200 million in April when the studio decided to forego a theatrical release in the wake of the pandemic.
Even though viewers will be able to watch the movie from the comfort of their own home, Pratt recently urged everybody tuning in to the film to take a lesson from the multiplexes and turn their phones off when they decide to settle in for The Tomorrow War. The movie hits Prime on July 2nd.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Edge of Tomorrow, Independence Day
Runtime: 140 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi, action
Starstruck (Crave)
Sometimes after a long day you’re just looking for something light and breezy to put on and smile to, and Crave’s newest rom-com fits that bill to a tee.
New Zealander, Rose Matafeo, who hadn’t appeared in anything particularly noteworthy previously, created, wrote, and stars in the show as Jessie, a kiwi living in London working multiple jobs, as a nanny and as a movie theatre attendant to get by. After meeting a gentleman in a bar on New Years Eve and having a one night stand, she realizes the following morning that he is a famous movie star. From there, the two venture down the path of exploring how they feel about each other and attempting to connect on the same level.
The show provides a lot of laughs that usually come at the expense of Jessie, a woman who just barely, but maybe doesn’t quite, have it all together. The comedy comes naturally, and the chemistry between all the actors results in every character having likable qualities in their own ways. This makes sense seeing as newcomer Emma Sidi, who plays Rose’s roommate and best friend, takes on a role she filled in real life when the two lived together as up and coming comedians. The plot may sound like it was inspired by Notting Hill, and while the two definitely share some of the same DNA, it’s also ripped from Rose’s real life as well. At a London pub one night Rose spotted an unnamed Hollywood A-lister drinking alone, and along with her friends proceeded to hang out with them all night, which gave her the idea for the show.
Starstruck has caught on with audiences, with a second season being given the green light by HBO Max.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Broad City, Fleabag
Runtime: 6 episodes, 20-22 mins each
Genre: Comedy, romance
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