Wonder Watchlist

This time of year always reminds me of how fast time actually passes. It’s beyond the midpoint of the year, it’s scorching hot, and although it stays light out for longer, time is speeding by. It’s one of my favorite months, not for any real reason other than July being the month where I spend entirely way too much money on movies, thanks to the Criterion sale. But it also helps me seek films out of my comfort zone, or the usual stuff I gravitate toward. It’s where I take risks more often with what media I’m consuming; it’s exciting to snag a stack of well-regarded films that were deemed worthy enough of preserving. Even if I’m more of a winter girl, July reminds me of how many amazing films are out there if you are willing to be open to them.

This month I made it a point to watch more movies than the month prior, since my movie watching was slacking compared to the number of movies I was purchasing. But who can’t relate to that? Anyhow, there are so many films I wish I could put on this list, but I fear I would be writing all weekend.

Honorable mentions: The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Eddington, Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story, Oh, Hi!, and Aeon Flux. All films I had a great time with, and I would even recommend them depending on my mood. If my top picks weren’t so solid, I have no doubt a few of these would have been easily interchangeable.

5. She Rides Shotgun (2025), Dir. Nick Rowland

Synopsis: “A girl marked for death, must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father. An adaptation of Jordan Harper’s award winning novel.”

I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting from this one, but I am a sucker for a father-daughter duo movie, so when the opportunity arose to check She Rides Shotgun out for review, I jumped on it. And I’m really, really, really glad I did; it’s more than just an average crime thriller; it’s got a touching story at its core about the impacts violence and incarceration have on families, mainly children. An ex-con finds his way out of jail and has to protect his estranged daughter, who now has a hit out on her because of information her father is withholding from powerful people.

Interestingly enough, the grittier aspects of the film, like car chases and shootouts, aren’t what makes this film worthy of being on this list. It’s the performances from Taron Egerton as Nate and Ana Sophia Heger as Polly. Egerton is, more often than not, unrecognizable in this film, with a shaved head and an absolutely ripped body that is littered with tattoos. He is intense in this role, playing a man who carries guilt with him at all times. But this film would be lost without Heger and her courageous and intelligent portrayal of a young girl trying to reconnect with her father. If anything, watch this one for her performance—a spectacular talent with a bright future.

How I watched: My couch and a screener for review purposes.

4. Cloud (2024), Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Synopsis: “Ryosuke Yoshii is an ordinary man who supports himself by selling things on the internet. Little by little, he attracts the resentment of the people around him and has to fight for his life.”

I could literally talk about how great the movie is for several hours straight, and if you follow me on any of my social media accounts, then you know I haven’t stopped talking about this one since I watched it. Cloud was the first film I watched this month, and it’s probably the one film on this list I was waiting to watch for the longest time! I went to TIFF last year, Toronto International Film Festival, where this premiered and missed it every single time it screened, not for a lack of trying. So when this reselling action crime thriller popped up in my email for possible coverage opportunities, you bet your butt I jumped on it.

I won’t lie to you, this is my first Kiyoshi Kurosawa movie, please don’t yell at me! But it completely has me hooked on checking out the rest of his work. What is so effective in Cloud is how well-paced it is, letting each detail linger in the background there for you to catch it if you are paying attention. Revolving around a young reseller who takes any chance to screw someone over, its commentary on internet culture and the perks of being anonymous is impactful.

Where I watched: My couch and a screener for review purposes.

3. The Vanishing (1988), Dir. Spoorloos

Synopsis: “Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.”

We can all thank my cooler-than-cool boyfriend for showing me this one; as much as I want to take credit for being the one to choose this on movie night, it was him. Being completely honest, I’m still wrapping my head around this one; it evokes so many intense emotions out of me just thinking about that gas station scene. About a young couple on vacation who are deeply in love with one another, their relationship doesn’t seem to be one I would envy necessarily, but the passion is there. Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) is abducted while on a stop off the road during their travels. The Vanishing is one of the best examples of a film that creates an atmosphere that is so effective it haunts you long after the film is over.

I am not a knowledgeable when it comes to the films of Dutch cinema, but I would go out on a limb and say that this is the best one I’ve ever seen. Spoorloos has a way of making the viewer as desperate for the answers to Saskia’s disappearance as her boyfriend Rex (Gene Bervoets). Showing a frantic man searching for any little detail he can come across often left me reminding myself to breathe at times. My favorite bits are Saskia’s dreams, and how it all connects together so well. It is one of the most terrifying and real films about disappearances I’ve seen in a long time.

Where I watched: My couch and a Criterion Collection Blu-ray.

2. The Beast (2023), Dir. Bertrand Bonello

Synopsis: “In the near future artificial intelligence is in control of everyone’s lives and human emotions are perceived as a threat.”

The last two films on this list left the biggest mark on me all month long, and The Beast is another one where even weeks beyond my first watch I’m working out my exact feelings. It’s one of those movies that I almost dread to watch only because I don’t feel like I’m intelligent enough to truly appreciate it. But wow, what a striking stance about Artificial Intelligence from Bonello. A.I. is becoming more and more of an annoyance in our lives, with the constant push from companies with their generated ads, or chatbots; real human work and interactions are getting pushed out for fake garbage. Bonello’s film seems like a natural progression on how we got to where we are with technology; it’s surprisingly romantic and strange.

No secret here, but I don’t totally understand this film but I’ve worked out some kind of than my own interpretation, but it can be stated that Léa Seydoux’s performance is something rarely seen before. Her ability to play the distinctly different versions of her character while making them feel like they are the same is a trait not many actors possess. Her character Gabrielle has a deep connection to Louis (George McKay), and throughout the time span of the film, their characters always find one another, a cycle that seemingly goes on forever for better or worse. Tremendous set and costuming designs, and even more tremendous performances from Seydoux and McKay.

Where I watched: My couch with a Janus Contemporaries Blu-ray.

1. Perfect Days (2023), Dir. Wim Wenders

Synopsis: “Hirayama feels content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, reads books and takes photos. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.”

When I tell you that Perfect Days knocked me on my butt for several days, I mean it; I’m pretty sure it rewired some part of my brain I didn’t know was there before. There are points while watching this film when I wanted to pause it just so I could go outside and take in a deep breath of fresh air. Wenders slows us down, grounds us in the life of Hirayama (Koji Yakusho), who cleans bathrooms around Tokyo, a job that most people would reject. Rather, he lives a quiet life surrounding himself with the beauty he finds in the world. A man who has a routine to keep his life together, filled with cassette tapes and snapshots of towering trees.

It reminded me of seeing my father wake up each morning and get ready to go to work. Similar to Hirayama, he would grab his coffee and commute, drowning out the world with his favorite music on the way to the time clock. How he never really veered off from his daily routine for over 30 years. It’s a reminder to appreciate life’s small moments and not get so worked up on missing the big ones. It made me want to lay on the floor and get lost in the quiet calm that the world rarely affords us.

How I watched: On my couch with a Criterion Collection Blu-ray.

Well, that is it for my favorite movies I caught in July; it’s a lot of more recent films, which I told myself I need to branch off from, but I couldn’t help myself! Blame the Criterion sale; I know my wallet surely does. If you want more in-depth reviews of some of these listed films, my full reviews are linked. See ya next month!