The Week in Culture (July 24th)
MOVIES
Hot Ticket: The Fantastic Four: First Steps By all accounts, Marvel has finally regained its mojo with this 60s-set reboot that finds its most famous family doing battle with Galactus and the Silver Surfer. The summer’s last blockbuster thrill ride. Opens today in theaters.
Pamphleteers’s Pick: Shoshana Set against the backdrop of 1930s Tel Aviv, Michael Winterbottom’s epic political thriller navigates the shifting dynamics of the Holy Land through the torrid romance between a British police officer and a young Jewish woman. Though based on true events, it’s got a lot more in common with 70s greats like The Parallax View than stodgy Oscar Bait. Opens today at Regal Hollywood 27.
For a complete list of upcoming titles, check out the 2025 Film Guide.
STREAMING
Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount+) The now-classic Miami-set drama about a bloodspatter expert moonlighting as a serial killer went south with the exit of John Lithgow. But, the sequel series has managed to somehow right the ship where its two previous spinoffs failed. Thanks to Michael C. Hall’s commanding screen presence and stints by Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage, Dexter’s jaunt to New York City takes the mantle of the season’s best series.
Gator (Prime) Burt Reynolds made his directorial debut in 1976 with this rollicking morality tale about a moonshiner facing off against a corrupt smalltown politician. Come for the Southern machismo, stay for the Jimmy Carter sendups.
BOOKS
2024: How Trump Retook The White House and The Democrats Lost America Seasoned political reporters Josh Dawsey, Isaac Arnsdorf, and Tyler Pager cut to the heart of the most off-the-wall election in our lifetimes and provide clear-eyed warnings that the minority party has already begun ignoring. From Biden’s cognitive decline cover-up to Vance’s backroom coronation, it’s political theater at its most engaging.
MUSIC
moisturizer Wet Leg The British alt-pop band that shook us out of the pandemic with 2021’s gleeful single “Chaise Lounge” returns with a snarkily sincere record that recalls Veruca Salt’s spunk and Paramore’s less whiny days. From opening track “CPR” to the peppy “don’t speak,” it’s the perfect album for a late summer drive that also proves Gen Z will be just fine.