Wonder Watchlist

July was bursting with new movie experiences for me, primarily films I’ve collected on physical media over the past few months. My selections spanned a wide range of genres, from coming-of-age dramas and intense thrillers to post-apocalyptic survival epics and thought-provoking short films encouraging us to reconnect with our roots. This month introduced me to several new favorites to give recommendations to friends, along with fresh releases to elevate the status of my top picks for the year. Let’s dive deeper into a few of these unforgettable films from July.

5. Safe dir. Todd Haynes

Synopsis: “Environmental illness sends a California wife (Julianne Moore) to a New Age guru’s (Peter Friedman) clinic in New Mexico.”

My Rating: 4.5/5

This was a film I purchased from July’s Criterion sale as a blind buy, and having no clue about what it was really about, I was blown away not only by the subject matter but Julianne Moore’s performance. Haynes tells the story through Carol, who is a young woman that finds herself falling ill due to an unknown invisible cause. As the film progresses, her symptoms worsen, as does her treatment from others. She seeks out help from wellness groups, trying any means to get help.

Safe hits on the culture surrounding the AIDS crisis as the film takes place in 1987, and how your socioeconomic standing impacts how you are viewed as a sick person. What kind of treatment you are given access to, and even though you can have all the money in the world, an invisible illness is still seen as fake to most people. As someone with an invisible illness myself, being a prisoner in your own body is an unexplainable feeling, but Safe manages to explore it well. Haynes manages to delve into the health implications of never being believed, being gossiped about, and constant testing that weighs heavily on a person.

4. Personal Shopper dir. Olivier Assayas

Synopsis: “A personal shopper in Paris refuses to leave the city until she makes contact with her twin brother who previously died there. Her life becomes more complicated when a mysterious person contacts her via text message.”

My Rating: 4/5

I have been a Kristen Stewart fan since the time I saw Speak for the first time in middle school, so anytime I get to cross off a film from her filmopgraghy is a great day. Personal Shopper has been on my list to catch for sometime, and July was the time for me to finally bite the bullet on it. Kristen Stewart plays Maureen a personal shopper and medium in Paris who is awaiting a sign from her dead twin brother from the afterlife. Biding her time as long as she can, but she hates her job, and she hates the people she is forced to interact with.

Personal Shopper is much more than a ghost story, it’s a beautiful story about grief and how we choose to hold our grief with us. Maureen goes through a journey in the film where she seeks out her brother wishing to know that he is okay, something that we all wonder about those we love once they pass. Who doesn’t want that one last sign from their loved ones telling us that they are okay? That is is okay for us to move on without them. Stewart gives yet another career best performance in Personal Shopper with Maureen.

3. To Die For dir. Gus Van Sant

Synopsis: “Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.”

My Rating: 4.5/5

Another film that was a blind buy from the July Criterion sale this year is To Die For from Gus Van Sant starring Nicole Kidman as Suzanne Stone. What made me grab this was the cover; it captivated me with Kidman’s face, and after reading the back, I was hooked. Centering around Suzanne and her newlywed life with Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon) as she seeks stardom in her career while he wants her to stay home and focus on their family. Suzanne stops at nothing to make a name for herself in broadcast news, as she is determined, no matter the size of the screen, to be in the homes of the families each night.

To Die For might be the most fun film I watched in all of July solely based on the performances from Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix alone. Kidman plays a woman sure of herself, with a confidence that plays to the downfall of Suzanne perfectly. She’s alluring and beautiful, yet she’s cunning and devious, all wrapped into one stylish gift of a woman. Phoenix plays her much too young and impressionable lover Jimmy Emmett, and in true Phoenix fashion, he is unsettling and unique in his work. To Die For works extremely well when you view it with next to no clue about what it is and reminded me of other great works like Gone Girl and I, Tonya.

2. The Road dir. John Hillcoat

Synopsis: “America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.”

My Rating: 4/5

Another film that has been on my watchlist for such a long time that seemed way too grim to watch is The Road, and July was my month to catch it. Based on the novel from 2006 of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, this was at times hard for me to finish. Survival is a genre I tend to avoid because it tends to get gruesome quickly, and The Road is no different. Viggo Mortensen plays Man, who is fighting to survive with his son played by Kodi Smit-McPhee in the harshest of conditions. The film shows their journey as they travel, covered in grim, across a desolate America, avoiding gangs of human hunting gangs of humans.

Mortensen and Smit-McPhee are a stunning pair in The Road, and their best moments come when they are battling their past connection with Charlize Theron’s character, Woman. They both have incredible chemistry on screen that makes emotional highs and lows hit incredibly hard. As the film comes to a close, and after chatting with others who’ve watched it and say it left them on a happy note, the film still left me worried for Son, and with an unshakable unease.

1. Longlegs dir. Osgood Perkins

Synopsis: “FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.”

My Rating: 4.5/5

One of the best films of the year for me so year is Longlegs by Osgood Perkins that released in early July. I was hooked and locked into this film from the moment the opening started to roll until the credits ended. Before the film released the narrative surrounding it was extremely hyperbolic, but Longlegs impressed me in numerous ways. From the sound design, script, performances, and visuals everything about it just worked for me. Maika Monroe was FBI Agent Lee Harker paired with Nicolas Cage as a washed up satanic uncanny killer Longlegs was a pair made in the pits of hell.

My full review of Longlegs can be found here.

Short Film Shout-Out

Shouting At The Sea dir. Benjamin Verrall

Synopsis: “Reconnecting after years apart, two friends revisit their teenage haunts in the seaside town where they grew up. Together, they confront the past, share who they’ve become, and conclude the conversation that tore them apart. Witness to this, the sea narrates a tale of memory, belonging, and vulnerability.”

My Rating: 4/5

I had the chance to screen Benjamin Verrall short Shouting At The Sea starring Harry Michell as Joe, Maddie Rice as Katherine, and Daisy Haggard as The Sea. The film centers around the life of Katherine who is back in town for a wedding, and reconnecting with a friend.

Shouting At The Sea is captivating, and explores the depths of human emotions and our complex relationships. Director Benjamin Verrall delivers a moving narrative that unfolds against the mesmerizing backdrop of the sea, with calming narration from Haggard. The performances by Michell and Rice breathe life into the characters, drawing viewers into their poignant journey of reconciliation and rediscovery. The film delicately navigates themes of nostalgia, forgiveness, and growth. Shouting At The Sea is a testament to the power of introspection and the enduring beauty of human connection. A truly remarkable piece of cinema that leaves a lasting impact.