Dr. Juli Fraga
Never Have I Ever
A fresh coming-of-age dramedy, Never Have I Ever depicts how the death of a loved one can impact teens’ mental health, as well as a parent’s wellbeing. Families enduring similar struggles will find relatability and reassurance to know they’re not alone.
Stepmom
A classic that addresses tough topics like blending families and how to cope with grief, Stepmom can also serve as a kind of road map for how to broach tough topics like a terminal illness.
Dead to Me (S3)
A form of cinematherapy, Dead to Me’s final season brings a big plot twist, one that can be emotionally provoking as well as a cathartic and entertaining conversation starter.
In Treatment (2021)
A timely reboot that depicts the vital relationship between a therapist and patient, and the meaningful role it plays in fostering growth and change.
Maiden
A lesson in surviving childhood trauma, channeling energy into a worthy cause, and fighting to win — even when the majority says victory is impossible.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
At first glance a true crime story, the film is actually a look at how poverty, loneliness and imposter syndrome can seduce someone into creating a false reality.
Inside Out
With so many of us facing unfamiliar, anxiety-ridden situations today, Inside Out can serve as a useful prompt for the entire family to acknowledge our emotional experiences — sparking insight and helping us cope with change.
Workin’ Moms
When you can’t make it out of the house to attend a support group for new moms, this can be a great substitute. By showing the human side of motherhood, the series helps normalize maternal ambivalence, “mommy guilt,” and the pressure many women feel to be “perfect” moms.
Serendipity
A lesson in authenticity, the power of friendship, and acting on your gut feeling, even when the odds are against you.
Book vs. Movie: How Marvel Comics’ Hawkeye Inspired the Streaming Series
Now that all six episodes of Hawkeye have aired, let’s talk about some of the comic-book influences that made their way into the show.
Amanpour: Sex and Love Around the World
A fun and fascinating look at cross-cultural sexual mores and how they’re changing, Sex and Love Around the World will definitely spark conversation, if not something more.
Station Eleven
A stupendously prescient and relevant post-pandemic drama with a strong undercurrent of hope and a clear faith in humanity. When the novel debuted a half-decade ago, it felt like a wonderful work of science-fiction. Not anymore.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
If you’re a fan of Spider-Man in any form, No Way Home is not to be missed. Just be prepared for an emotional workout, with wild swings worthy of the web-slinger himself.
West Side Story (2021)
Steven Spielberg manages to make this West Side Story both retro and modern at the same time. The movie doesn’t lose any steam in this reboot, 60 years in the making.
Passing
A nuanced and beautiful look at the way race and the constructs of race shapes our lives, with wonderful performances by its two leading ladies.
The Center Seat
A combination of a deep dive and a crash course into Star Trek from its inception up through the early 2000s, covering the shows, movies, and the phenomenon itself.
The Sex and The City Effect: What We Took From The Show
In the 23 years since Sex and the City first premiered, what impact did the show really have on generations of women? Kanene Ayo Holder looks at what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what she took away from the hit show.
The Best New Movies and Shows to Stream in December 2021
This month’s picks include big stars, highly anticipated returns, sci-fi epics, and an international Oscar contender—all for your streaming pleasure!
A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…
It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be
Bring Her Back
A psychological horror film with standout performances, Bring Her Back isn’t just about summoning the dead, it’s about confronting the parts of ourselves we lose in the process. The Philippou brothers have crafted a film that dares to ask whether the true horror lies in what we’re willing to do in the name of love.
The Something for Everyone Show: Poker Face is Back
Can’t agree on what to watch together? Consider putting on your Poker Face. Peacock’s acclaimed mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (best known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, most relevant here, the Glass Onion films) and starring Natasha Lyonne, is finally back for another season after two long years. That’s great news for
It’s not HBO, it’s The Pitt: How streamers are embracing old TV network models
“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Remember that old tagline? For nearly all of its history, broadcast television has been fighting against the perception that it’s subordinate to film as a storytelling medium. Television was just media for the masses, as opposed to the more erudite aficionados of cinema (who, by the way, poured into theaters
Boyhood
Boyhood captures the importance of moments in time as people grow up and contests the idea that any singular moment is defining to your childhood. It’s a film filled with the full breadth of the emotions of childhood, conveying each one delicately to leave you reflecting on its many pensive conversations.
Why Andor is Luring in Non-Star Wars Fans
An edgier Star Wars prequel with a timely story about rebellion, Andor skips some of the more familiar elements of the franchise — from lightsabers to Jedi to the Force — in favor of a more grounded story with parallels in both history and our current moment. While it sets up the legendary world of
Inside the War Zone: A sit down with Warfare’s director and cast
A harrowing new film from Alex Garland’s production banner, Warfare drops viewers into a real-time combat mission in Iraq. Set in 2006, it follows a team of Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission gone awry. Co-written and co-directed by Garland and Ray Mendoza—whose own platoon was ambushed during the real-life event—the film is both brutal