Before he saved contemporary American theater with Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda won his first round of Tonys for a musical ode to his Washington Heights neighborhood in New York. Although beloved in its own right, and successful enough to warrant interest from Hollywood, the stratospheric response to Miranda’s follow-up musical accelerated the urgency of a theatrical adaptation of In the Heights, and the John M. Chu-directed film hits theaters and HBO Max on June 11. As cinemas begin to re-open, audiences are celebrating how its uplifting ebullience correlates with the joy of returning to cinema-going itself. As IndieWire’s chief film critic David Ehrlich, a prolific Letterboxd member, says in his review: “Watching this would’ve made me feel like the movies were back even if they hadn’t actually gone anywhere.” Or as Miyasinger puts it: “I’m back at the movies and this is how???” We cannot, at this time, rule out the possibility of dancing in the aisles.

Among the many writers credited for Cruella, Disney’s newest take on one of the mouse house’s best villains, is Aline Brosh McKenna, who adapted The Devil Wears Prada for the screen, so it’s no surprise that all Rochaag thinks we need to know about the film is “the fashion, the acting, the writing, the fashion!” Cruella stars Emma Stone as Ms de Vil, and Paul Walter Hauser (also great in the recent, odd Eat Wheaties!) is getting a lot of love for his turn, while “Emma Thompson also gives us an Emma Thompson-level brilliant performance,” writes Brett. We expect nothing less.

Marilyn Agrelo’s Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street is in theaters and inspiring deep waves of nostalgia for arguably the greatest children’s TV show of all time, which stands as a bastion of free-thinking creativity. Overmayor writes that the documentary is “worth the viewing time for the bloopers alone”. Professional puppeteer Sarah Thomson explored how Street Gang stirred up her love for Jim Henson in this delightful feature, and she also curated this list of twenty more excellent films for puppet lovers.

Zack Snyder’s big year continues with Army of the Dead, now on Netflix following a week-long run in theaters. While the filmmaker continues to inspire, erm… passion… online, the idea of him delivering a zombie-action epic set in Las Vegas is a slam dunk from those of us still riding on the goodwill generated by his first film, the energetic and still somewhat underappreciated 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake. Reaction to Army has generally leaned slightly more positive than the divisiveness that usually greets Snyder’s films: “An innovative spin on the zombie genre that reconnects him with his roots delivering an explosive, gnarly, action-packed thrill ride,” writes Griffin. Still, even though Stephen concedes the film is “Snyder’s best output in a good long while,” he thinks it is nevertheless “mired by the stuff that drives you crazy about Snyder”.

Also on Netflix is Joe Wright’s long-delayed, Amy Adams-starrer The Woman In The Window, originally intended for theaters. Although it is compulsory viewing for anyone who enjoys a certain kind of thriller known as the Yuppies In Peril movie, there isn’t a lot of love being articulated for the new film. “I sincerely believe Joe Wright is a good director but even Hitchcock on a ketamine comedown couldn’t make this trash up,” is a representative take from Ella. “Both overdone and too little,” writes Jaime. Like it or not, The Woman in the Window is undeniably a movie movie. The adaptation of AJ Finn’s novel leans in to (or leans on) the Rear Window of it all (you could say that what De Palma was to Hitchock, this is to De Palma’s filtering of Hitchcock) and Fabian has collected this list of films (bangers, all) referenced in the book, where Adams’ character is even more of a film-noir obsessive than she is in the film.

Another long-delayed film finally seeing release is John Krasinki’s A Quiet Place Part II, one of the first 2020 releases cancelled when the seriousness of the pandemic really became apparent. The conceptual horror sequel is in theaters now. Reaction? Mostly positive. “Krasinski is a genius. He really did the damn thing” writes Dani. “A tense, gripping, white knuckle flick. Millicent Simmonds, promoted to lead, is MVP” offers Andrew. It’s on track to not only becoming one of the great horror sequels but perhaps even joining the ranks of those considered better than the original.

Prano Bailey-Bond’s horror nerdgasm Censor centers itself in the moral panic over “video-nasty” horror films in Britain in the early 1980s (here’s a list of the films that were deemed as such and banned). Intriguing new screen talent Niamh Algar (also on screens in Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man) plays a ratings-board censor who begins to suspect a banned movie holds answers to her sister’s childhood disappearance. Bailey-Bond demonstrates a true horror fan’s proclivity for grimy gore (in the fictional movies-within-the-movie) that will shock the generation who grew up thinking the Saw and Hostel movies are as far as it goes. Reactions out of Sundance were mixed, but fans of old-(ish)-school horror will find much to enjoy here. “Dripping in 80s horror aesthetic, deeply uncomfortable, great concept, and a great lead performance but doesn’t quite come together as well as I hoped,” writes Amanda.

Hannah Montana graduate Moisés Arias, a standout presence in films such as The King of Staten Island, The Kings of Summer and other non-king-related movies (like Monos) stars alongside his real-life brother Mateo Arias in Blast Beat, an indie coming-of-age drama about teenage Colombian siblings adjusting to life in 1999 America. Sarita writes that Blast Beat is “an authentic and different immigration story… it represents the bright and talented Latinos that move to the US on academic visas, like my mom”. In theaters now.

We’d be remiss not to mention the fantastically nuts-looking Endangered Species, a new entry in the glorious nature-fights-back tradition from British director MJ Bassett (Wilderness, Solomon Kane), written with her daughter Isabel Bassett. It’s Bassett’s second Africa-set film in a row, following 2020’s Megan Fox-vs-insurgents-and-a lioness movie, Rogue. The new one has real-life couple Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell (Vern!), as well as some other people, squaring off against an angry rhino, a lithe leopard and a pack of hyenas while on safari in Kenya. Tell us you’re not interested after watching this trailer. Thank you for your service to action, MJ.

We’re big fans of the great Charles Grodin, who passed away at the age of 86 last week. There’s been an online outpouring of love for the actor and his hilariously understated performances in beloved films such as The Heartbreak Kid, The Great Muppet Caper, Midnight Run and yes, even Beethoven. Delving a bit further, there was his chilling turn as a seemingly empathetic doctor in Rosemary’s Baby, his key role in Albert Brooks’ evergreen reality TV satire, Real Life (more pertinent now than in 1979), and the way he turned exasperation into an art form in the bonkers cult comedy Clifford. RIP Mr Grodin. As Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas would say: see you in the next life.

TCM, that stalwart bastion of classic cinema, held its Classic Film Festival early in May (here’s the list of films). To mark the occasion, film historian Mark Harris (author of must-read titles Pictures at a Revolution, Five Came Back and his new Mike Nichols biography) and TCM host (and Letterboxd member) Alicia Malone—herself the author of Backwards & In Heels and The Female Gaze—spoke to Jack Moulton about their lives in film for this lively feature containing heaps of great recommendations.

Some of us are still traumatized by the awkwardness of experiencing movie nudity with our parents and refuse to engage with any sort of intergenerational film discourse. Other people, like Bella, have a more functional film relationship with their parents. She has been chronicling her mother and father’s reaction to films she has recommended to them, which will make you want to call your folks.

Currently available on VOD platforms, Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground exists in the tradition of the meat-pie Western, which refers to a film with Western tropes that takes place in Australia, at any point in that nation’s history. Here’s a comprehensive list. High Ground brings some long overdue story sovereignty to the sub-genre, which Johnson discusses our Indigenous correspondent Leo Koziol. Go further with this list of Australian Aboriginal films.

No medium romanticizes the danger of the night like cinema, where darkness is sexy and dawn rarely arrives. Caterina has collected a bunch of movies that embody this romanticization into a list of cool-as-heck movies she has titled ‘Nightlands: long weird neon nights in the city or in the middle of nowhere’. On an overlapping note, Owen has a list of films that hit different when viewed at night.

Letterboxd member Lance Oppenheim’s acclaimed retirement community documentary Some Kind of Heaven (currently on Hulu in the US and in theaters in the UK) features a breakout star in the form of movie lover and aspirational horror actress Barbara Stanton. Our editor-in-chief Gemma Gracewood tracked Stanton down for a chat about her life in film for this enchanting interview, where she cites Ben-Hur as her go-to comfort movie. Word on the street is, stay tuned for Barbara’s new Letterboxd profile.

May 2021 was the twentieth anniversary of two love-’em-or-hate-’em jukebox musicals, Shrek and Moulin Rouge!. Both premiered at Cannes (what a year to be in France) and Ella Kemp, who counts Baz Luhrmann’s Parisian fever-dream among her very favorite films, went long on the influences, impact and legacy of Moulin Rouge!, with Luhrmann’s long-time fellow screenwriter Craig Pearce.

Speaking of Shrek, never let it be said that we don’t love a short list here at Letterboxd. Ronnie has decided to highlight the burgeoning sub-genre of films where the main character visits his partner’s parents house for the first time, only to realize they are racists who have hatched a plan to have a white guy steal their identity.

Too broad? Get proper specific with Claire’s Guy Pearce pointing a gun at Scott Eastwood who’s threatening to shoot Danny Huston who’s pointing a gun at Mads Mikkelsen who himself has a gun on Danny Huston list. 

There’s a strong argument to be made that the Sundance Film Festival has made more of an impact on contemporary cinema than any other fest. The organization behind the festival, the Sundance Institute (follow their HQ page!), has compiled a list containing a streamable film from every edition of the festival since its inception. Further reading here.

The 2021 hybrid Tribeca Film Festival will be upon us in a New York minute, featuring docs, shorts and features including the Ilana Glazer-John Lee pregnancy horror, False Positive. Follow our official Festiville HQ for daily updates, interviews and reviews from our crew.

For film lovers of age who live where it’s legal, there are few things as fun as getting really stoned and watching an effed-up horror movie. Our Horrorville team assembled this list of films guaranteed to amp you up and freak out, as cited by the Nightmare on Film Street podcast. Inhale deeply and hold it!

Have you been exposed to Breen? Independent filmmaker Neil Breen writes, directs and stars in ultra low-budget films that make Ed Wood films seem like they have the resources of Michael Bay. Autumn Faust has ranked Breen’s oeuvre.