Best First Watches: April 2022
Who would’ve thought that I’d actually keep up this annoying project. That’s right, folks. I have made it another month without rewatching a movie I’ve already seen. Has it been difficult? Yes. Have I replaced rewatching movies with season 5 of Selling Sunset? Also yes.
You can find my best first watches for January, February, and March here.
Crush
hulu/american high
Look. I’m a simple lesbian. You put some queer women staring longingly at each other in neon lighting, I simply must give it five stars. Sight unseen. That being said, Crush means a lot to me for four reasons. First, in my burgeoning career as a critic, it was exciting to get a screener of the movie. While Crush wasn’t the first screener I’ve gotten, it’s the first one I desperately wanted. Second, I got to be insufferable for a week and say things like “embargo.” Third, I got to interview the writers! Casey Rackham and Kirsten King were an absolute delight and told me they made star charts for every single character in the movie. That’s gayer than actually writing a gay movie.
Last, the movie is a pure delight and I am so happy it exists in the world. It falls into the category of movies I wish I could have seen as a teenager. I grew up on rom coms and Bruce Springsteen songs, so I am a romantic first and a human being second. Crush is warm and wonderful, funny and sweet. A rom com in all the best ways.
Cha Cha Real Smooth
apple tv+
Dedicated readers of this blog (my mother) will remember that I just watched writer/director Cooper Raiff’s debut, Shithouse, last month. My ex once told me that, spiritually, I am a pouty, sensitive white boy. This may sound like an insult to you, but it’s Very accurate. Knowing this about myself, it’s not really a surprise that I loved Cha Cha Real Smooth. Raiff’s filmography so far can be boiled down to “boys DO cry.” I can relate because I, too, cry often. Anyway, this is also a pro-Dakota Johnson blog because she’s a stupid-talented actor who lied about loving limes. A hilarious, nonsensical thing to lie about, which is why I’m obsessed.
Sweetheart
Peccadillo Films
As I said before, I am a simple lesbian. You put some gays in the summertime and have them fall in love and you’re getting five stars from me. Look, I grew up with the majority of LGBT movies being like Boys Don’t Cry and Brokeback Mountain. We’ve already established that I am a sappy, romantic fool, so forgive me for relishing all of these happy gay films.
The Night House
Searchlight Pictures
My favorite horror movies are slow and atmospheric, where the ghosts or demons are manifestations of grief and trauma. It should come as no surprise that Mike Flanagan is one of my favorite horror directors. But Mikey Mike and the Spooky Bunch (as I call Mike Flanagan) did not direct this. It just has that same essence, y’know? It’s about a woman (Rebecca Hall) and her grief surrounding her husband’s sudden death. That’s all you need to know.
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