#Audrey Hepburn in Paris

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MAY 24

Who cares what the calendar says? Ryan Gosling has declared summer is officially here! 

Between longevity of the “Beavis and Butt-Head” Saturday Night Live sketch I shared last month, his extremely fun red carpet appearances, and the wonderfully fun The Fall Guy,  he’s been everywhere, and I have no complaints about it. 

But The Fall Guy and the other new releases in this Round Up aren’t the last summer movies to look forward to. I stopped by KMOV to preview some of the movies I’m most excited for this summer, including a star-studded rom-com set in the ‘60s, a legacy sequel action spectacular, a mystery starring a recent Best Actress nominee, and a prequel for a genre I rarely like. Let’s take on the summer as Ryan Gosling commands in The Fall Guy: “Jean-Claude, attaqué!” 

May Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Fall Guy (2024)

Most movies go to great pains to hide their seams, but not The Fall Guy. And who needs to when a behind-the-seams look can be so fun? Summer 2024 is starting off with a bang because it’s a blast both as an action-adventure and as a romantic comedy, making it one of the easiest movies to recommend to just about anyone. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch out my review for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA (2024)

It’s not hyperbole to say I adored this weird and wonderful talk show experiment. Experts on palm trees and coyotes did most of the talking, Bill Hader and Pete Davidson couldn’t stop giggling, and John Mulaney kept asking about what kinds of cars people drive. Only a handful of clips have been added online from this live six-episode series…

"The Map of Los Angeles"

"Reverse Borat"

"Oh, Hello Manson Tour"

"Nepo Babies"

…but if Mulaney ever decides to resurrect his late night format of taking calls, discussing non-urgent topics, and creating sketch comedy with his friends and seismologists, I’d watch it every night.

3. IF (2024)

Not everything about the logic of IF hangs together, but one of the beauties of an original world is not being encumbered by mythology and continuity. IF is about dreaming big, and it’s for kids and families who want to be dazzled by a story imaginative in every sense of the word. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. SNL Round Up

That’s a wrap on season 49! These sketches will be holding me over till the Saturday Night Live’s golden jubilee begins in the fall: 

“Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (4618 with Dua Lipa)

“OBGYN” (4618)

“Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2” (4619 with Maya Rudolph)

“Weekend Update: A Woman Who Insists She's Not Mad” (4619)

“Monologue” (4620 with Jake Gyllenhaal)

“Dad Has a Cookie” (4620)

“Fast Fashion Ad” (4620)

“NYPD Press Conference” (4620)

And if you're still laughing at "Beavis and Butt-Head" from Ryan Gosling's episode last month, don't miss these behind-the-scenes articles about the viral fave:

“Heidi Gardner Couldn’t Prepare for What She Saw,” Vulture.com (2024)

“Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making,” gizmodo.com (2024)

5. Zillow Gone Wild (2024-)

@ZillowGoneWild has been one of my best Instagram follows for years, so you know I’m all in on the HGTV series. Can you live inside a former missile silo? Did you know a real-life house inspired the dwarfs’ cottage in Snow White? How would you renovate a 17,000 square-foot church to make it a home? Host Jack McBrayer is stopping by the craziest Zillow listings (and more than once in my hometown of St. Louis), which you can imagine inspires hilarious commentary along the way.

MORE MAY CROWD-PLEASERS // Olivia Rodrigo’s bonus tracks on GUTS (spilled) (2024) are five more album-worthy pop-punk bangers and folksy bops // Even though I find puppets unsettling, the Prime rom-com Música (2024) is proof Camila Mendes has the “it” factor and writer/actor/director/musician Rudy Mancuso should direct a full-blown musical // Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) is the least successful of the modern Apes franchise, but I’m still in on this dystopian adventure world // It’s a shame Rutherford Falls (2021-22) was cancelled just as it was finding its groove in Mike Schur’s canon with its big ideas like The Good Place, its small town cast of characters like Parks and Recreation, and its problematic lead like The Office // Angela Lansbury time travels to the Antebellum South in a mystery with thorny issues still relevant today in Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)

May Critic Picks

1. The Way We Were (1973)

After a longer-than-planned hiatus, SO IT’S A SHOW? has returned! We’re breaking our typical mold in our seventh and final season (much like the seventh season of Gilmore Girls—IYKYK), and after a quick catch up in ep. 137 (though not without plenty of discussion of what the Palladinos are working on right now and a new Gilmore children’s book), we dig into our newest pop culture reference. In ep. 138, we’re discussing the the ‘70s weepy The Way We Were, which features a Palladino-esque heroine, Robert Redford in a cable knit sweater, heartache, laugher, and Communism all in one neat package! We discuss the cultural changes in parenting since then, why the Gilmores reference this movie several times in the series, and yes, Robert Redford in that cable knit sweater. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Jane Austen—you ever heard of her? She’s pretty good! Though it always takes me a minute to get into the rhythm of her writing, her characters and plotting never disappoint. This romantic comedy focuses on lovers separated by society reuniting almost a decade later, and as always, their story is funny and swoon-worthy.

3. Audrey Hepburn in Paris by Meghan Friedlander (2024)

I have admired Audrey Hepburn as a performer, fashion icon, work-life balance enthusiast, and humanitarian since I was 15, and the creator of Rare Audrey Hepburn has captured the beauty of each of those roles in her first book. With a journalistic attention to detail, Meghan Friedlander reports on the sets, theaters, and fashion houses Hepburn graced during her frequent visits to France. This book is both a unique biography and a gorgeous coffee table book that fans of Hepburn, fashion, and film history won’t want to miss.

4. Thelma & Louise (1991)

Kyla and I also chatted about the crime classic Thelma & Louise on SO IT’S A SHOW?. What does this movie have to say about female friendships? What did we think of THAT ending? And is Rory totally a Thelma? We discuss that and more in ep. 139. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Good Reads

Recently I’ve been reading and thinking about…

The movies…

“Ryan Gosling’s Best Co-stars Are His Jackets,” Vulture.com (2024)

"The Power of the Planet of the Apes,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“‘Mum Knew What Was Going On’: Brigitte Höss on Living at Auschwitz, in the Zone of Interest Family,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

Men and women…

"Trying to Decipher a Man’s Mind? Now There’s a Name for That,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

“Why Your Big Sister Resents You,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Executive Women Are Wearing Sequins to Work. ‘I Made the Decision to Be Seen,’ WSJ.com (2024) 

“The Menstrual Mood Disorder You’ve Never Heard About,” TIME.com (2024)

“Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Australian State Appoints Official for ‘Men’s Behavior Change’ as Outcry Over Violence Against Women Grows,” CNN.com (2024)

America…

“How America Got Mean,” TheAtlantic.com (2023)

“Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave,” AtlasObscura.com (2024)

“How to Be Less Busy and More Happy,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“America’s Best Decade, According to Data,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

Asia…

“China’s Age of Malaise,” NewYorker.com (2023)

“How China Miscalculated Its Way to a Baby Bust,” WSJ.com (2024)

“China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No,” WSJ.com (2024) 

“Overworked South Koreans Unwind With Pet Rocks—‘Like Talking to Your Dog,’” WSJ.com (2024)

“The Land That Doesn’t Need Ozempic,” TIME.com (2024) 

The Internet…

“Our Entire Society Is Becoming Addicted to Sports Gambling,” NewRepublic.com (2024)

“Hold Your Clapbacks,” ChristianityToday.com (2024)

“Stop Filming Yourself at the Gym Already,” WSJ.com (2024)

“Is Uber Strangling the Restaurant Business?,” insights.som.yale.edu (2024) 

MORE MAY CRITIC PICKS // The Moulin Rouge! National Tour finds new ways to update my beloved musical // Like all Douglas Sirk films, Magnificent Obsession (1954) looks incredible // Sofia Coppola and Celine Song chatted on the A24 podcast, and they spoke to my soul // Amy (2015) is making everyone wonder why Back to Black was ever made (keep reading for more on that new biopic) // Born to Kill (1947) is an underrated film noir // Caroline Polachek’s album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (2024) is scratching the Imogen Heap itch I’ve had for awhile now // The scandals Ryan Gosling and George Clooney are caught up in The Ides of March (2011) already feel quaint, but I’m still thinking about days later

Also in May…

Young Woman and the Sea is a little choppy, but it’s good pick for family movie night. Read my full review for ZekeFilm.

I watched my worst movie of the year so far, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV.

Photo credits: Zillow Gone Wild, Persuasion, Audrey Hepburn, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.

[stars-bean]

Paris When It Sizzles (1964) dir. Richard Quine

[federer7]

Dutch actress Audrey Hepburn. Paris. 1956.

Photo: David Seymour

[elssbethtascioni]

FILMS WATCHED IN 2024 Paris When It Sizzles (1964) dir. Richard Quine

[pinkfairies]

♡ @pinkfairies

[ladybegood]

Audrey Hepburn photographed by Bob Willoughby on the set of Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

[audreyhepburninblackandwhite]

Audrey Hepburn during the production of Paris When It Sizzles, as she waits for a crew member to finish up while shooting photographs for French Vogue, in 1962 Photography by Bob Willoughby

[peggybundys]

"Last month I worked for Roger Roussin the young New Wave director. You´ve never heard of him of course."

"No I´m more of an Old Wave man, myself."

Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

directed by Richard Quine.

[aciels]

PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES | 1964

[barbietrice]

Blair Waldorf 💄🥂

[bebx]

Audrey Hepburn and her then husband, Mel Ferrer, photographed by Ed Feingersh on a country road outside Paris (circa 1956)

[adoreaudrey]

Audrey Hepburn and Richard Quine photographed by Bob Willoughby on the set of Paris When It Sizzles, 1962

[poppingmary]

Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy dress and hat while she was filming “Paris When it Sizzles” - August 1962

A collection of photos on the set and from the movie, with Audrey in this unique outfit. ❤️

[luciasarchive]

Audrey hepburn photographed in 1953 during the production of Sabrina

[voguefashion]

Audrey Hepburn Vogue Covers

Vogue Paris, May 1963, by Bert Stern American Vogue, November 1, 1964, by Bert Stern Vogue Paris, March 1971, by Henry Clarke British Vogue, April 1971, by Henry Clarke

[ladybegood]

Audrey Hepburn photographed by Bob Willoughby on the set of Paris When It Sizzles (1964)