Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One; Theater Camp.With the release of the new Mission: Impossible, we have truly begun the peak summer-movie season. Barbenheimer isn’t until next weekend, but in the meantime we’ve got plenty of stuff to watch. There’s Tom Cruise’s latest cinematic death wish, an indie comedy, the return of everybody’s favorite vampires, some surprisingly quick-turnaround VOD releases, and more. It’s too hot out, anyway, let’s get to watching. (This list will self-destruct in five seconds.) —James Grebey
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Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
You might want to see Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One on the largest screen you can find, preferably Imax, before Oppenheimer boots it out of the premium formats in less than a week’s time. Say what you will about Tom Cruise (and there’s a lot to be said), but he’s literally jumping off cliffs for our entertainment and for the sake of cinema. —J.G.
In theaters now fandango➽ Can anything top Ghost Protocol’s climbing scene, though? Maybe Dead Reckoning Part Two.
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Theater Camp
Nothing says summer like a sleepaway camp, and in Theater Camp, the nostalgia is high. Directed by Nick Lieberman and Claire bear Molly Gordon, this offbeat comedy follows the staff of a down-on-its-luck camp as they try to put together the best show of their lives to keep the business afloat. Comedies are back, baby! —Savannah Salazar
In theaters now Fandango➽ I’m still mad at Netflix for canceling American Vandal, but I’m glad Jimmy Tatro is thriving.
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What We Do in the Shadows season five
The new season of the best bloodsucker comedy on TV begins with Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), the familiar to Nandor (Kayvan Novak), revealing he may have been turned into a vamp, which could drive a wedge in their pseudofamily. And that would be a shame, considering how close they all are. (Note: Some of them still call Guillermo “Gizmo.”) —J.C.
Streaming on Hulu Hulu.
Bird Box Barcelona
Regardless of whether or not this sort-of sequel to the Sandra Bullock–led Netflix movie Bird Box (“If you look at the monsters, you go insane!”) is any good, I think just slapping some European city on to the title of existing horror movies is a great strategy. Halloween Dubrovnik. Paranormal Activity Copenhagen. I Know What You Did Last Summer Bucharest. Sure! Why not!? —J.G.
Streaming on Netflix Netflix.
The Afterparty season two
In this return of the murder-mystery series that experiments with genre tropes, Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Zoë (Zoë Chao) travel to a destination wedding. You won’t believe what happens shortly after they arrive. —Jen Chaney
Streaming on Apple TV+ Apple TV+.
Full Circle
The duo behind the 2018 HBO limited series Mosaic — writer Ed Solomon and director Steven Soderbergh — have reteamed for this limited series about an attempt to kidnap the grandson of a celebrity chef (Dennis Quaid) that goes awry, affecting an array of characters. It’s hard to ask for a better cast than the one assembled here, which includes Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Zazie Beetz, Jharrel Jerome, and CCH Pounder. —J.C.
Streaming on Max Max.
The League
To quote another great movie: How can you not be romantic about baseball? This documentary about the Negro League premiered at Tribeca to acclaim ahead of its theatrical release this weekend. That America’s pastime was segregated is an indictment of America, of course, but the story of Black ballplayers in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s is worth celebrating. —J.G.
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Amazon➽ This is very much not the fantasy football show.
Reality Bites
Real Housewives of New York City season 14
On Sunday, we’ll be introduced to a brand-new crop of New York Housewives, after the previous cast was summarily fired for being too boring/disjointed/racist/Ramona Singer–y. It was a drastic move from the Bravo overlords, but one that will hopefully pay off. We’ve already got some chef’s-kiss taglines — like the gloriously deranged “Make me mad and I’ll date your dad” — and at the premiere event, one of the new ’wives, Jessel Taank, had to leave. It’s all shaping up to be a breath of fresh air (once Jessel has a few Altoids). —Emily Palmer Heller
Airing on Bravo, next-day streaming on Peacock peacockGenre Corner
Foundation season two
Sure, the original Isaac Asimov books are essentially unadaptable, and, yes, as a result, the TV series has to jump around in time and become a primarily vibes-based space journey. But it’s so pretty to look at! The colors! Lee Pace! —Kathryn VanArendonk
Streaming on Apple TV+ Apple TV+By Popular (on) Demand
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Asteroid City
Just three weeks after it premiered widely, Wes Anderson’s absolutely lovely Asteroid City, which is a movie about a TV show about a play, is now a movie you can hit “play” on your TV. Sure, the theater industry might be collapsing, but think of the meta layers it adds! —J.G.
Available on VOD Vudu➽ What do Asteroid City and Transformers: Rise of Beasts have in common? Both feature aliens and both are available as VOD already. Other than that … not much?
Coming Attractions
Wonka
At least Hugh Grant seems like he’s having fun! —J.G.
Godzilla Minus One
Two weeks ago, I shouted out Pluto’s new 24-hour Godzilla movie channel. Today, I present you with a teaser for the newest Japanese Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, an oddly named flick that comes out (in Japan) this December. Hell yeah. —J.G.
Web Ephemera
“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish
If Billie’s new music video is any indication, we’ll all need to bring a box of tissues for the mass amount of tears we’ll be shedding during Barbie next week. —S.S.
Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman Go Off the Cuff
Watching Emilia Clarke turn Daenerys Targaryen into a valley girl is a great way to spend your morning, in my opinion. —S.S.
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie and Puppies
A.k.a. Ryan Gosling acting like the teacher who constantly has to break up fights — this time between two beefing puppies. —S.S.
This Week on TikTok
@ameliadimzFound my Ken x @Warner Bros. UK #BarbieTheMovie #RyanGosling
♬ original sound - ameliadimzGosling gives tips on how to find a Ken, Timothée’s Wonka is giving Alyssa Edwards, and yeah, this security guard is all of us at a Paramore show.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of July 7.
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