Summer Snapshot
updates + what I've been watching + my top 10 movies of the 21st century
The image above is from a scene in one of my top 10 movies of the 21st Century, The Place Beyond the Pines. It’s an excellent film, written and directed by one of my favourite screenwriters of all time, Derek Cianfrance. Despite the warm natural light in some outdoor scenes, the carnival setting at points in the story, and Ryan Gosling’s sunny blonde hair, it isn’t what I would call a summer movie. What I would call it is riveting, emotional, raw, poignant, and painfully beautiful. [Unfortunately, it’s not streaming anywhere in Canada right now, but you can rent it from Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, and I suggest you do.]
I’M BACK!
I didn’t plan to be away so long, but I’m glad you’re still here, and I’m very happy to welcome some new subscribers! This week’s post will be a bit of potpourri, as the late great Alex Trebek might have said. A bit of a summer snapshot, if you will, with updates, recommendations, and because everyone loves one — a list!
Scrolling through the Substack Notes feed the other day, I noticed many fellow film lovers had shared their responses to a recent New York Times feature, The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. Readers were invited to go through the list and select how many of these 100 films they had seen, and to rank and share their Top 10.
Here's what I’ve seen out of the 100, and my top 10 favourite movies from the past 25 years:
It was nearly impossible to choose only 10 films from the past 25 years when creating my ballot. What I ended up with is a mix of movies that are either sad, poetic, romantic, traumatic, intense, suspenseful, beautiful, or thought-provoking. If you’ve been reading watch this: feel that for a while, and/or you know me personally, you likely know my taste in movies, so none of this should be much of a surprise. For new readers, never fear, I do like happy, optimistic stories, too!
What are your top 10 favourite movies from the past 25 years? I’d love to know!
Share with me in the comments:
For more lists, join me on Letterboxd, as some of my reviews tend to end up there too, and check out my 2024 wrapped post to see what I loved watching last year:
UPDATES
Now that watch this: feel that is officially past the one-year mark, I’m planning to have even more fun with it, change things up a bit, and share different types of posts with you.
My aim remains to connect with you weekly, and in doing so, I want to offer you more of a variety of posts and newsletter entries—some long, some short, some in-depth, and some on the lighter side. Also, I want to write more reviews, so I’m going to aim for one review a month, even if it’s not as in-depth as this one:
All of this will be done with the same overall goal of sharing my passion for film and TV with you and (hopefully) connecting it to the mood you’re in, or how you want to feel.
DID YOU KNOW…
If you’re new here, or if you’ve only read my posts in your email inbox, I’m here to let you know that you can also use my Substack newsletter/blog as a search engine when you’re trying to decide what to watch.
Simply visit watch this: feel that in the web browser of your choice, click the search icon at the top right, and type any keyword that comes to mind into the search bar that appears. For example: drama, comedy, sci-fi, cry, laugh, detective, etc. As you search, posts from the past year will appear, chock-full of a variety of recommendations for you to choose from. You can also search by actor, director, or writer, as I tag each post with names behind the scenes to make it easier for you to find them.
Have fun exploring the archives!
WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING
In between episodes of Below Deck and re-watching Girls (again) this summer, I’ve been devouring documentaries and dramatic series that have left me feeling moved, impressed, puzzled, enlightened, and entertained. Here’s what I’ve been watching:
My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay
A deeply moving, artfully directed documentary that reveals the complex, emotional, and fascinating life of legendary actress (and Mariska Hargitay’s mother), Jayne Mansfield. Try not to learn too much about this one before pressing play. (Crave w/HBO).
Pee-wee as Himself
A fascinating portrait of one of the most unique artists I’ve ever seen on screen, who I grew up watching and loving: the late, great Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman). Especially if you have fond memories or you have a strong opinion about who you think Paul Reubens was, you should watch. (Crave w/HBO).
The Rehearsal, Season Two
Nathan Fielder stuns yet again with his genius storytelling, one-of-a-kind comedy, and extremely weird ideas. I am still thinking about this one, months after watching. (Crave w/HBO).
Chef’s Table: Legends
It’s never just about the food. Chef’s Table is known for making food look even more beautiful than it already is, and artfully capturing the stories of the culinary artists who prepare it. This season, named “Legends,” is no exception. I connected the most to the Jamie Oliver episode, as well as the
episode, as each told beautiful stories about soulful chefs who are doing their part to change the world. Food might be their primary medium, but they are each making a greater impact far beyond the ingredients they know how to expertly cook. (Netflix).Dept. Q.
I went into this series cold, and I recommend you do the same for maximum impact. Actor Matthew Goode stars in this Nordic-style, British crime drama series. It’s highly bingeable and features a talented ensemble of actors. (Netflix).
The Bear, Season Four
The Bear is back for a fourth season (and was just renewed for a fifth). There’s too much for me to say about this series, let alone this season, but I’ll start by saying that it’s not a comedy, even though awards shows insist on putting it in that category. There is great comedic writing throughout; however, there was phenomenal comedic writing throughout Succession, which was considered a drama, to prove my point.
The Bear will make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions, especially if you’ve worked in the restaurant industry and/or have experienced any sort of family trauma. Many trigger warnings apply.
That said, it’s an exceptional TV series starring a talented ensemble of actors, with amazing culinary experts behind the scenes, great writing, and a killer soundtrack. (Disney+)
I appreciate you, and I’d love to hear from you. ❤️
Drop me a line, click the little heart at the bottom, post a comment, and consider sharing this post with a friend.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the movies and TV series!
~Heather
Streaming and rental sources listed are limited to the services and websites I subscribe to and/or have access to (in Canada) at the time of publishing. Feel free to search your streaming and cable services for these titles.