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Saturday people! Delighted to see you as always. And welcome to the many new folks who’ve subscribed over the past week. I promise not to clog your inbox with nonsense.
It is totally mind-boggling to me that July is coming in a few days. Didn’t school just get out? Have I eaten enough drippy watermelon slices and scampered joyfully through the sprinklers? Have I discovered the song of the summer? (I have actually, and it’s this.) Hopefully, there’s still time to emerge from the darkness of the movie theater and indulge in such frivolity.
‘Til then, here’s what we reviewed this week on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast. We are here to keep you cool in the sweltering heat.
SUPERGIRL. We really enjoyed last year’s “Superman,” and Milly Alcock’s brief appearance at the end suggested a fun and flippant follow-up. And while she has a likable presence here, the rest of the movie from director Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya,” “Cruella”) is a mess. The script is terrible and the action sequences are incomprehensible. But Jason Momoa is fun as the imposing Lobo. Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley and David Corenswet co-star. In theaters.
JACKASS: BEST AND LAST. More than a quarter century later, Johnny Knoxville and his rowdy, masochistic friends are still putting their bodies in danger for their own entertainment, and ours. This is a hilarious greatest-hits collection, but there are plenty of insane, new stunts, as well. This final “Jackass” movie is also surprisingly poignant. We loved it. In theaters.
THE INVITE. A fantastic cast has a lot of fun with juicy, deliciously awkward material. Olivia Wilde directs and co-stars as one half of a San Francisco couple (along with Seth Rogen) who invite the upstairs neighbors (Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) over for a dinner party. Wilde uses the single location in inspired ways, and everyone is great in this. Playing now in New York and Los Angeles before opening wider in upcoming weeks.
MOVIE NEWS LIVE! We’ve been on a roll lately, and there’s been so much to discuss: “The Odyssey,” “Boyhood,” Eddie Murphy’s “Donkey” movie, Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields concert, the late Clive Davis and more. Join us on Fridays at Noon Pacific.
Also this week, because we’re at the halfway point of 2026, Alonso and I took a moment to highlight some of our favorite movies of the year so far. We had a bit of overlap, like writer-director Aleshea Harris’ thrilling revenge quest “Is God Is” (pictured above). But for the most part, we made different choices, and hopefully gave you some ideas of cool movies to catch up on that aren’t blockbusters this time of year.
I like to keep a running Notes file in my phone of the best (and worst) movies I’ve seen, so when it comes time to do year-end lists, I’m ready. It’s the Virgo in me. But we never tell each other ahead of time what we’re choosing when we record this kind of video, so it’s fun to be surprised. I’ve included links in the description to our full reviews of these films (if we’ve done them, that is — Alonso went rogue on a couple). Let me know which of these you’ve seen, and what you’d put on your own list.
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Over at our Patreon, we’ve begun recapping the fifth and final season of “The Bear.” As is their wont, they have dropped the whole season on Hulu. But we like to savor these things, so we take them two at a time. Everything is going wrong at once as we begin this season, which picks up the morning after the end of season 4. No spoilers, please, but we suspect that this whole thing takes place over a single day, and that day is chaotic in classic “Bear” fashion.
Former Vanity Fair film critic Richard Lawson has a brilliant takedown of “The Bear” at his newsletter (which, like mine, is on beehiiv). I don’t agree with him — I enjoy this show for its artsy histrionics, not in spite of them — but he’s always such an entertaining writer and he makes some excellent points.
If you’d like to catch up on our recaps of previous seasons, they’re all here. And if you’re not a member of our Patreon, that’s OK — they’re available for individual purchase, or you can buy the whole collection. But why not join us? We’ve always got so much going on — lately, “Cape Fear” recaps. And next week, we’re starting the “Legally Blonde” prequel series “Elle.” Plus, our members get to vote on and enjoy our monthly Off the Menu polls, where you pick what we review. Next week, we’re doing Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” in honor of Pride Month. And next month, our poll will focus on early Christopher Nolan films, timed to “The Odyssey.” Hope to see you!
That’ll do it for me for this week. But a quick scheduling note before I go: If you’re a member of our Patreon at the Lunch Date level, our monthly meet-up is on Monday at Noon Pacific. You should have received the link in your inbox. We love seeing and catching up with our Lunch Date folks, who have become good friends. If you’re interested in joining us for these intimate chats, find out more here.
Thanks so much for spending some of your weekend with me. If someone passed my newsletter along to you, I’d be honored if you shared it. And if someone passed it along to you, I’d be honored if you’d subscribe. Saturday Matinee is always free. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.
