Weekend Watch: June 23, 2023
Secret invasions, foodie rebirths and May-December summer rom-coms with a twist...
We’re cruising into the weekend with another awesome list of movie releases, series drops, and tv shows, as seen on this week’s TueDo List — we’ve got a lot to unpack, LET’S GO!
Here are this week’s picks:
The Perfect Find (Netflix): After a high-profile firing, Jenna (Gabrielle Union) takes on a new gig but her fashion career comeback hits a snag when she falls for a charming, much younger coworker (Keith Powers) — who happens to be her boss’s son. As sparks fly, Jenna must decide if she’ll risk it all on a secret romance.
With its fab outfits and references to Hollywood classics such as Roman Holiday, Carmen Jones, and Mahogany, the rom-com builds on its vintage legacy with a fresh take. But get ready: the chemistry between 50-year-old Union and 30-year-old Powers should come with a warning label.
Secret Invasion: In Marvel Studios’ new series set in the present-day MCU, Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury, the Avengers mastermind, attempts to thwart an invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting aliens (first introduced in 2019's Captain Marvel) and infiltrated the highest spheres of the Marvel Universe. The six-episode limited series also stars Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, and TueNight fave Olivia Colman.
Critics consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: A well-deserved showcase for Samuel L. Jackson, Secret Invasion steadies itself after a somewhat slow start by taking the MCU in a darker, more mature direction.
The Bear | Season 2 (Hulu): The critically acclaimed original series, follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), and Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot.
Of course, turns out the only thing harder than running a restaurant is opening a new one, and the team must juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning.
And Just Like That | Season 2 (HBO Max): Love it, hate it, the women of "Sex and the City" are back, transitioning from the friendship they had in their 30s to a more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.
In a nutshell: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) returns after burying her husband’s ashes in Paris and unexpectedly finds herself in a romance with her podcast producer. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) jets off to Los Angeles to be with her new partner (Che Diaz). And Charlotte (Kristin Davis) throws herself a bar mitzvah – something she never had the chance to experience as a convert to the Jewish faith.
Asteroid City (Netflix): The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events in an American desert town circa 1955.
The film features a star-studded cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Jeff Goldblum and more.
No Hard Feelings (Theaters): Jennifer Lawrence produces and stars about a woman who thinks she’s found the answer to her financial troubles when she discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to "date" their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, and bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college.
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do: But awkward Percy proves to be more of a challenge than she expected, time is running out, and hilarity ensues.
The new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is here!! First episode hit all the ST sweet spots. This show is going to rival Discovery in excellence, I feel, which is so colorful & fresh I love it, but SNW hearkens to the OG ST and TNG which were my first loves of the franchise.