After a relaxing summer spent watching some great media and entertainment, here are five of my favorite movies and TV shows that I saw:
Alien: Romulus
Written by Rodo Sayagues and directed by Fede Álvarez, “Alien: Romulus” (2024) is the newest installment in the critically acclaimed and financially successful “Alien” franchise. The film takes place after the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 groundbreaking “Alien” and before James Cameron’s spectacular 1986 sequel, “Aliens.” Starring up-and-comers Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Isabela Merced, who all give career-best performances, “Romulus” is a horrifying and anxiety-inducing film, worthy of its status as a sequel to one of the greatest films ever made.
The Boys (Season 4)
Streaming on Prime Video, “The Boys,” created by Eric Kripke and based on Garth Ennis’ graphic novel of the same name, is an action-packed and emotional superhero show that has some of the best social commentary on current American politics that I have seen in a long time. Season four brings powerhouse performances from the entire cast, especially Antony Starr and Karl Urban, and continues to show why “The Boys” is one of the best television shows of our generation.
Quiz Show
Not everything I watched this summer was released in 2024. What may have been the best movie I watched all summer was Robert Redford’s 1994 masterpiece “Quiz Show,” starring John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow. The film tells the real-life story of lawyer Dick Goodwin (Morrow), who investigates a potentially fixed popular game show. Fiennes and Turturro play two contestants and are significant pieces of the investigation. Every movie should be a little more like “Quiz Show.” It’s smart, funny and tense. It’s well-acted, written and directed. Most importantly, it’s extraordinarily poignant and topical. It looks at how media and television take over our lives and turn the purest of men evil. It reveals how the truth can be twisted in multiple ways to achieve numerous other goals and how doing the right thing can sometimes mean making the most complicated choices.
Dìdi
Written and directed by Sean Wang, “Dìdi” (2024) is a hilarious and extremely heartfelt coming-of-age story set in the 2000s. The film follows Chris (Izaac Wang) during the summer of 2008 as he navigates pre-teen drama and relationships while finding his own passions and interests. The film also focuses on the importance of mothers and sisters, mainly Chris’, played beautifully by Joan Chen and Shirley Chen, respectively. Chris’ ever-changing relationship with the two of them will surely make any viewer cry.
Deadpool and Wolverine
The third installment in the “Deadpool” trilogy and his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Disney bought Fox, “Deadpool and Wolverine” (2024) is a laugh-out-loud, bloody action movie with a heart. Ryan Reynolds is superb, as always, as Deadpool and bringing Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine worked much better than I thought it would. I will be rewatching this film for a long time.
