There’s also a mischievous unpredictability to the humor here, before jokes became formulaic in the sequels, and Myers added at least one too many supporting characters to his repertoire. Furthermore, despite the clear affection Myers has for the Bond films, with the star also writing the screenplay for austin powers—his mockery of the early Sean Connery and Roger Moore 007 movies was so ruthless it could be argued that it sent the Bond producers fleeing camp for good after the turn of the century. That has to be some kind of achievement. It also acts as a time capsule for both the nostalgia that ’90s people had for the ’60s and the ’90s itself. Honestly, honey, trust us, it’s still great.
Clueless (1995)
September 1
Some Monet haters you know might tell you that there are better comedies on Netflix right now. Like! The most effervescent teen comedy from writer-director Amy Heckerling, clueless, remains a timeless classic of its genre. While it’s certainly old-fashioned in ’90s trends and fads, the genius of Heckerling’s screenplay, which is a sly adaptation of Jane Austen’s script Emma novel, is that he actually invented most of his own adolescent style and vocabulary. The filmmaker did this so the movie would be undated when it was released in ’95, a year after it was shot. But he also allowed her to make an all-time movie that is fueled by the affection she has for her characters and the bubbly cast that brings them to life.
At the center of that is Alicia Silverstone as Cher, a Beverly Hills princess so charming and well-intentioned that even her vanities and entitlements seem innocuous. But everyone around her, including Stacey Dash, a baby-faced Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, and the late, great Brittany Murphy, is equally keen to build a teenage world that is both recognizable and enhanced. That’s why she always feels so good to visit them again and go riding with friends.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
September 1
Writer/director Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of James Baldwin’s seminal novel didn’t garner the same kind of praise as Moonlight (2016) enjoyed, but there are those of us who consider If Beale Street Could Talk the stronger of the two films. The image is an adaptation of Baldwin’s story, which by its very title speaks of a certain universality in the African-American experience. After all, Beale Street is an iconic thoroughfare in Memphis, but If Beale Street Could Talk it is set in New York. Against this mid-20th century backdrop, we see the connective tissue between Beale Street and Broadway as the young romantic lives of Fonny (Stephan James) and Tish (KiKi Layne) are left devastated after Fonny is wrongly accused of a murder in 1960s Manhattan by a racist cop.