Summer 2022 is in full swing and so far, movies and TV fans have been given plenty of entertainment. And the best part? It’s still not over.
Netflix released its summer blockbuster The Gray Man this week, starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, and more, which will hit theaters first before it arrives on the streamer next week. The Russo Brother’s spy movie and others like Thor will have had their time to shine before the movie event of the summer Jordan Peele’s Nope arrives next week, undoubtedly owning the rest of the summer.
On TV this week, What We Do in the Shadows is back on FX with Season 4, while Kevin Hart is getting his talk show host on with Season 2 of Hart to Heart. The nominations for this year’s Emmys were announced this week, we shared our thoughts here, and it made us think which shows we’re watching now that will be in the running next year. Better Call Saul’s final season might get some more love, but will the Television Academy ignore other fan-favorite shows like Ms. Marvel? We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, check out our choices for the best TV and movies that you should be watching this weekend, both in theaters and at home.
'The Gray Man'
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When: Friday, July 15
Where: In Theaters
Ryan Gosling? Chris Evans? Ana De Armas? The Russo Brothers seemed to have been on a mission to cast some of the most visually appealing people in Hollywood for their latest action blockbuster, The Gray Man. The Netflix film hits theaters with a limited release this weekend, arriving on the streamer next Friday, and it tells the story of a former CIA agent, who goes by the mysterious name Sierra Six (Gosling), who is on the run. After being one of the CIA’s top assets, he discovers some dark agency secrets that make him a threat and a target to those who are intent on silencing him. Evans plays the bad guy in this film, taking him away from the superhero roles we’ve seen him in the past—and he and his mustache are pretty damn fun to watch. If you’re looking to be entertained by explosive fights, plenty of action, and a dash of humor, head to a theater near you. —Karla Rodriguez
'What We Do in the Shadows' Season 4
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When: Tuesday, July 12
Where: FX
Now in a staggering fourth season (with two more on the way), FX’s What We Do in the Shadows took flight this week like a bat out of hell with a wonderful two-part premiere. After a surprising cliff-hanger from last season, Shadows pulls another twist and picks up long after as Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) return to a now rundown estate where Laszlo (Matt Berry) is living alongside the reborn Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch). Upon re-establishing the dynamic between each character in the wake of these new changes, Shadows re-makes itself by establishing this season as more serialized than before by bringing in overarching narratives for every character involved.
After three seasons of (mostly) episodic tales, it’s nice to see Shadows play with more long-form storytelling while remaining as clever and funny as ever. That’s a delicate balance to strike but the series makes it look effortless—and we’re eager to see how it all unfolds as the laughs continue throughout what looks to be another great season of one of TV’s best comedies. —William Goodman
'Hart to Heart' Season 2
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When: Thursday, July 14
Where: Peacock
Kevin Hart is intent on taking over every avenue he quite possibly can, it seems. Last year, he continued his journey as a TV host with his Peacock talk show Hart to Heart. No one can get a celebrity to open up quite like another celebrity. It’s much easier to land candid, intimate interviews with Hollywood’s biggest names if you are also a Hollywood star, and Season 2 of the Peacock show started off with two episodes with none other than Jay-Z and Pete Davidson, two people that very rarely do sit-down interviews. ·(The Saturday Night Live alum revealed his plans for marriage and fatherhood on the show!) Hart’s experiences and his journey allow a space for people who are just as successful as him to be vulnerable and open, all while sipping a glass of wine, making it for some pretty thoughtful, engaging, and open conversations. If you haven’t check it out yet, catch up now. This might really be the comedian at his best. —Karla Rodriguez.
'Ms. Marvel' Finale
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When: Wednesday, July 13
Where: Disney+
MAJOR spoilers for Ms. Marvel below—you’ve been warned!
My biggest concern with any Marvel project—especially their Disney+ series—is the ability (or lack thereof) to land the plane accordingly. So many of these stories often end in muddled CGI slugfests before teasing various strands of what’s to come. While both MCU hallmarks occur in the finale for Ms. Marvel, they’re executed in a way that’s inherently integral to the character of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), working to strengthen the series’ thesis.
The last few installments—namely the excellent combination of episodes 4 and 5—had gone deep on what I’d hoped the series would do when we first covered it: Expanding on the overall lineage and legacy of the Khan family. Episode 5 best embodied this, exploring the hidden history of Kamala’s grandmother and great-grandmother in equal measure while positing Kamala (in a bit of bangle-related time-travel shenanigans) as a critical part of their history. These decisions by creator Bisha K. Ali and her writing staff never come at the expense of Kamala’s overall character arc, further strengthening her.
That same character-based approach makes the finale, “New Normal,” so thrilling. As Kamala works to protect Kamran (Rish Shah) from Damage Control by partnering with Bruno (Matt Lintz), Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), Zoe (Laurel Marsden), and Aamir (Saager Shaikh) for some Home Alone-inspired antics, the finale never loses sight of the small-scale focus it started with. Ms. Marvel isn’t about saving the world; it’s about saving one person and how that makes all the difference in the world.
Equally as compelling are the two significant changes the series makes in its final moments. Instead of drawing her namesake from Carol Danvers, Kamala learns from her father (Mohan Kapur) that her name approximates to “our little Ms. Marvel” in English. It’s a brilliant choice that strengthens those familial ties and lets Kamala stand out on her own even more. But Marvel saved the biggest twist for all, establishing Kamala as the first mutant (yes, as in the X-Men kind of mutants) in the MCU. It’s a radical shift from her comic book origins and establishes her as the face of a bold new era in the MCU. Yet even still, these reveals don’t come at the expense of Kamala’s character and ultimately result in a deeply satisfying conclusion.
One moment in the finale that’s stuck with me in the days after watching it: Kamala, clad in the costume her mother (Zenobia Shroff) made for her, gazes upon her reflection in a mirror. A confident smirk washes across her face as she stands tall and takes in her newfound superhero status. It’s a micro reflection (no pun intended) of the show’s macro status—and an excellent summation of how the show never lost sight of the confidence it needed to be itself. As such, Ms. Marvel firmly establishes itself as the pinnacle of the MCU’s television tenure thus far. —William Goodman
'Better Call Saul' Season 6, Episode 8
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When: Monday, July 11
Where: AMC+
MAJOR spoilers for Better Call Saul below—you’ve been warned!
So much of the tension of Better Call Saul comes from not knowing what befalls a handful of characters introduced throughout the Breaking Bad prequel. As the series inches towards its inevitable ending, more and more of the players who aren’t present in Bad are getting taken off the board in a dramatic fashion. After the sudden departure of Howard (Patrick Fabian) in the first part of Season 6, it’s now Lalo’s (Tony Dalton) time to go—but not before Saul delivers its most tension-filled episode yet.
As directed by Vince Gilligan, “Point and Shoot” becomes a nail-bitter of an episode as a dangerous game of cat and mouse unfolds between Lalo and Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) with Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk), Mike (Jonathan Banks), and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) all caught in the middle. Full of crosses and double-crosses, the episode seemingly brings about the end of the major cartel conflict—Gus’ dispensing of Lalo includes a near literal Chekov’s Gun—and opens up the rest of the series to all kinds of possibilities.
As the two halves of Better Call Saul—the legal world and the cartel world—lie entombed together, the focus shifts to another pairing, one that’s been the heart and soul of this show for a while now: Kim and Jimmy. With Lalo gone, the odds of Kim dying just dropped, but a death at the hands of Lalo felt too easy in some ways. The major tragedy will be what I anticipate is going to happen: Some sort of situation that forces her to leave the ABQ and Jimmy behind. Whether that’s a guilty conscience over Howard’s death or something else entirely remains to be seen.
Either way, even with Lalo out of the way, it feels as if the worst is yet to come for Kim and Jimmy. That’s one hell of a feat for Better Call Saul to pull off as we near its final five hours. Whatever is next, we anticipate it will remain as gripping and electric as the events of “Point and Shoot.” —William Goodman
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