Here's what our staff loves and recommends

I'm recommending The Invite, which had my entire theater giggling throughout its runtime and left no stone unturned with so many satisfying set ups and payoffs. Sharp writing, laser-focused performances, and an attention to framing and blocking that feels all too rare in movies these days. My favorite so far this year. -- Ephraim

The story + animation + music work wonders together, I saw it twice in theaters (unprecedented for me) and am more than pleased that it's now on Streaming. -- Emily

This is a beautifully observed debut feature from writer-director David Fortune. The story follows a grieving father learning to navigate single parenthood with his son who has Down syndrome, all unfolding over a single day trip across Atlanta to a baseball game. Powered by magnetic father-son chemistry between William Catlett and young Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, the movie draws on documentary-style photography to find profound beauty in everyday human moments. It is a quietly powerful and special viewing experience, which will stay with me for a long time. -- Col

I just finished "Rooster," starring Steve Carrell, who was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series). As someone who set out in life to be a professor, I really loved the small, college-town vibe. The ensemble cast is great, including Phil Dunster as a Russian Lit professor.

The show has some very nuanced explorations of family dynamics and shows how relationships are complicated. And it's really funny too. And without giving away any spoilers, Connie Britton joins the show mid-season and will have a much bigger role in Season 2. For people who enjoy shows like "Shrinking," "Ted Lasso," even "Gilmore Girls." -- Jess

Based on Dolly Alderton's bestselling memoir, this follows four young women who have just graduated from university and moved into a London house-share together, trying to figure out adulthood, relationships, careers, and everything in between. It is set in 2012 and is a real time capsule, think indie musicians, the dating apps boom, nights out that feel exactly like that era. I couldn't help but feel close to Maggie, Birdy, Nell, and Amara: their friendship dynamics, their mistakes, the way they lean on each other while everything around them is shifting. It's funny and messy and heartfelt and it just nails what it's like to be in your twenties when nothing is figured out yet. Seven episodes, perfect binge. -- Maiwenn

A top recommendation for me is Train Dreams, an adaptation of the 2011 novella by Denis Johnson. Some films tell a story and others feel like a memory you've somehow carried your whole life ... this film is the latter. It's a quiet and achingly beautiful portrait of an ordinary life that intimately explores love, grief, solitude, and the landscapes that shape us as much as the people we lose. For those who love folklore, lyrical prose, and stories where atmosphere carries as much weight as action, this film offers something rare. I finished it with the feeling that I'd been entrusted with someone's soul, and I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon. -- Michelle J.

I was quite taken with The Long Walk, which I watched from home in three separate chunks because it was too intense for my heart and my feet to take in one sitting. The themes of loyalty, endurance, and rebellion have notched a place in my brain I never want to go away. David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman make for one of the more underrated pairings from last year, and I'm enthused by the reception the movie is getting now that it's on streaming. It's a tough watch throughout but the friendships that develop between this group of doomed young men will haunt me in a myriad of welcome ways. -- Arno

Noir isn't a genre we see much of these days: stories that lean into the classic tropes like voice-over narration, a lone private detective protagonist, moody atmosphere, betrayal. But what I didn't realize was how much of a fan I was of this modern twist on the genre. There's something Zen about listening to John Sugar wax poetic on the nature of things as he drives through the streets of LA in a vintage Stingray convertible. Even with a story revolving around a missing girl, murder, and some pretty dark characters, something about Sugar's ever-calm demeanor makes the entire thing kind of relaxing. It's also a meditation on the beauty of LA and a love letter to '40s and '50s cinema, as elements of what Sugar witnesses harken back to famous noir movies of the past. This story is best enjoyed going in knowing as little as possible about it. It's more than you expect. I promise it won't disappoint. -- Vanessa

It's a real shame Magnolia didn't give Adam Rehmeier's latest film a wider theatrical release. The simple story of outlaws in love was everything film lovers keep begging for with its well-written script, clever editing, and wonderfully rich lighting (thank you, Jean-Philippe Bernier!). Kyle Galiner and Samara Weaving can't help but be compelling in the lead roles, thanks to their 1,000-watt chemistry, and Weaving in particular deserves a standing ovation for her wonderful portrayal of a woman falling in love with all the wrong things as she struggles to get to South Carolina to meet her mother for the first time. Speaking of which, get ready for Kyra Sedgwick, whose single-scene performance is truly showstopping. Don't expect Badlands when you sit down for a screening of this romantic crime drama, but do expect a journey crafted with the kind of care we all crave to see on screen. -- Adrienne

What makes “Cape Fear” so good is its commitment to camp. Like the Martin Scorsese version before it, Apple TV's new adaptation of the 1957 novel “The Executioners” is utterly insane in the best ways. This time around, both Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson are targeted by the criminal Max Cady, who blames the couple for his imprisonment. You see, Javier Bardem's version of the ex-con claims to have been wrongfully imprisoned thanks in no small part to the affair between his lawyer and the prosecutor (Adams and Wison, respectively) who now are living their affluent lives in fear of increasingly ludicrous assaults they just can't seem to pin on Cady. Accidental acid trips, insane car crashes, nonsensical plot complications, and the most iconic zoom focus on a phone inside a snake aquarium you'll ever see are just some of the wonderfully whimsical choices Nick Antosca and team have made with this show. And it's no wonder I'm in love. Antosca is the writer behind some of incredible TV, including “Channel Zero,” “The Act,” “Candy,” and “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” just to name a few. -- Adrienne

I spent 49 days rationing episodes of "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," and reaching the end of Season 2 still left me a little sad there wouldn't be a day 50. (Not until Oct. 2027 at least!) Even if anime isn't your thing, if you're feeling somewhat stressed, this is for you. The vibe of "Frieren" is cozy and contemplative. Like a really pleasant day, or a much-needed nap, or thinking about a good friend you haven't seen in a while. Even the life-and-death encounters are intense, but stressful? Not so much. They come and go, a lesson is learned, and then the fellowship is off hunting for a hot spring with a beautiful view, or searching for a particular flower to plant beneath a statue of an old friend. The journey matters more than the destination in this one. — Vanessa

I didn't know if I needed a second season of this of this fake-out workplace documentary series, but I would up loving “Company Retreat” even more than “Jury Duty” S1. The setting, the stakes, and the Best in Show-ness of it all made for a better-paced, funnier, and way more relatable watch as a fictional independent hot sauce company and its naïve intern faced off against a private equity firm. -- Arno

Did you visit Widow's Bay? The series  is one of the year's most delightful surprises, effortlessly blending folk horror, small town mystery, and deadpan comedy into something that feels wholly its own. Set on a seemingly quaint New England island where old superstitions begin creeping back to life, the series finds the perfect anchor in https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722629/?ref_=fn_i_1 (Matthew Rhys)' wonderfully understated performance as a well meaning mayor trying to save his town while everything around him slowly unravels. Under https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2033604/?ref_=ttfc_fcr_1_1 (Hiro Murai)'s direction, the show balances genuine unease with sharp humor, creating an atmosphere that's as cozy as it is unsettling. It's the kind of series that keeps revealing new layers with every episode, and one I'll be recommending to just about everyone. - Xiaoyu

I've heard the criticisms of the third season, but the hyper dramatic world Sam Levinson has crafted here is like Cinderella's slipper for my brain. It just fits. As always, Alexa Demie's Maddy is the standout for me, and her character's no-nonsense attitude has turned out to be perfect for not only the cutthroat world of Hollywood but also its seedier underside. Cassie is literally going to be in her debt forever, and that feels valid and true and good after everything they've been through. But it's not just what happens this season that I loved, it's how it looked. Production designer François Audouy, cinematographer Marcell Rev, and Levinson have created some of the most beautiful images you can see on TV. In a world of dull, gray streaming nonsense, shots of the wedding scene or the environmental portraiture of Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Alamo (giving an incredible performance, I might add) are a revelation. Shout out to Zendaya for her effortless performance and the way she reads those voiceovers so they stick in my brain the rest of the week. I really love that. I hope Ru gets to find the peace she's been searching for all this time. -- Adrienne

I haven't been this down bad for a show since I watched “The Vampire Diaries” for the first time. Millennials who miss the days of arguing over which Scott brother you would rather date, before ultimately deciding on “both,” this is for you. Also the soundtrack slaps. -- Hil

Hil is right. -- Tori

I've been devouring horror movies for decades and I can safely say I've never seen anything like Kane Parsons' liminal horror film about an unknowable dimension beyond our own. Parsons' skills as a director can't be overstated. His confidence with both the camera and his subject matter are obvious in every frame, which is a good thing because this is a movie unburdened by film's more rigid expectations. There is a story here, but its characters are revealed to be nothing more than pawns gripping at the edges of something much larger than themselves. Structurally, the story is both linear and almost vignette-like. Much like the backrooms themselves, the bones of its history as a YouTube series can still be seen peeking through the seams, and in a world where every movie is crammed full of references to the same set of classic pictures, that is a refreshing change of pace. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are wonderful in their performances as regular people facing down a horror of cosmic proportions, as are the endless sets, beautiful in their bizarre banality. Parsons has alluded to this film just being part of the larger story he's been telling for years and that he would like to tell more of it in a limited series. So go out and see this in the theater, folks. That way we can all keep exploring the backrooms. -- Adrienne

Writer-director Curry Barker puts his own spin on the classic “monkey's paw“ trope for a high concept horror thriller that absolutely deserves all the attention it's getting. Obsession hits that sweet spot of being fun and familiar, while taking the story to disturbing and unpredictable places. As the obsessed “girlfriend” (who's really the victim here), Inde Navarrette has become an overnight sensation for her layered performance, tapping into the existential horror lying under the surface of the story that a lesser filmmaker would have glossed over. -- James

I'm not exactly watching “Hacks” as appointment television anymore, but I'm still lol'ing at every goofy little joke Paul W. Downs lobs my way. This fifth season has been a fun swan song as Deborah and Ava face a final set of hurdles to get Deb back on top after losing her late night show in a comedic echo to the much darker real-life layoffs of Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, and briefly Jimmy Kimmel. Still, this is a comedy, and it was never going to end in anything but success for its stars, which I'm glad for. Three cheers for the whole cast for keeping up that playful energy for so many seasons. And a standing ovation to Jean Smart for the kind of brilliant performance we won't soon forget. -- Adrienne

I caught this movie right at the end of its theatrical run and I'm so happy I didn't miss seeing it on the big screen. Seriously have no idea how writer-director Aleshea Harris first staged this revenge tale as a play, but I do know she's made the finest movie of the year to date. It's incredibly challenging to watch at times. The telepathic exchanges between Kara Young and Mallori Johnson's characters, twin sisters who were burned alive by their father during early childhood, are both beautifully rendered and incredibly funny. It was emotional to welcome back Vivica A. Fox to a role fitting of her talent, after years of career setbacks and controversies. And, man, Sterling K. Brown proved yet again he can play evil incarnate and completely overwrite his good-guy status. -- Arno

I rewatched Seasons 1 and 2 of “HOTD” to prepare for the upcoming third season, and was once again blown away by the production value that HBO is able to maintain while taking fans to Westeros. This show is stunning, and Emma D'Arcy's artistry in portraying the ups and downs of Rhaenyra Targaryen battle for the throne -- and her birthright -- is unmatched. #TeamBlack -- Hil

Now I'm bummed I missed Splitsville in theaters on its first run. It still played well at home; I just had no idea it was such a wildly inventive and dark romantic comedy. If you saw The Climb, it's from the same guys: director Michael Angelo Covino and his co-writer and co-star, Kyle Marvin. What Adria Arjona and Marvin's household turns into after they open up their marriage, I've not seen anything like it before. The movie lives in the same universe as Spike Jones and Charlie Kaufman's works. It's a perfect companion to Dakota Johnson's Materialists, which was her next film after Splitsville. And let's hear it for lots of full frontal male nudity. -- Arno