Melissa Roth

The co-founder of the Watercooler, Melissa Roth has written for Rolling Stone, VanityFair.com, Marie Claire, The Washington Post, and other outlets.
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Irresistible

A post-election escape watch from Jon Stewart, the 2020 political satire works as an entertaining crash course on local campaign organizing while doubling as an expose on the dysfunctions of the “election economy.”

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The Last Letter from Your Lover

A date night movie that transports you to a lush 1960s French Riviera, the adaptation of the JoJo Moyes novel entwines two eras and two sharply contrasted romances, delivering a wistful summer escape watch.

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Dune‘s Creator on JFK, Catholicism, Tarot and Power

As critical praise and box office success for the new Dune movie draw new audiences into the science fiction epic, its mythic world and timely themes beg some fresh questions: How did the author behind the novels, first published 59 years ago, conceive of this story that foreshadowed so many of today’s biggest issues? From

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Flora and Son

The power of chords and lyrics to inspire, connect, and entwine us are at the heart of Flora and Son, an ultimately uplifting story from the writer-director behind Once and Sing Street.

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Angel City

A goose-bump inspiring docuseries that takes us on to the field and into the surprising back story of how LA’s new professional women’s soccer team came to be, upending the model behind pro sports teams and finally, truly, changing the game.

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The Serpent Queen

If you’re looking for some historical context for all the news and fictional obsession with monarchs, The Serpent Queen brings a modern, often funny take on one of the most powerful female rulers in history, one that sheds light on our current preoccupation with all things royal.

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Flee

The most urgent and relevant Oscar-nominated film of 2022, Flee is a deeply personal documentary about a man’s childhood as a refugee that inspires as it creates empathy for those forced out of their homelands.

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Charlie Wilson’s War

A suddenly timely look back at how the U.S. first escalated involvement with Afghanistan in the 1980s, told through an eye-opening story that feels like it had to be made up by its Oscar-winning screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin.

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Sex and Lucía

A cinephile’s choice for a Netflix and Chill night, Sex and Lucia is a sizzling and intoxicating portrait of two lovers … and their other lovers … that explores the blurry lines between reality and imagination, love and lust, tragedy and obsession.

Melissa Roth

The co-founder of the Watercooler, Melissa Roth has written for Rolling Stone, VanityFair.com, Marie Claire, The Washington Post, and other outlets.
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The Greatest Show on Earth: Springsteen, E Street and ‘Road Diary’

Having been a music journalist for over 30 years for the likes of Rolling Stone, The L.A. Times, Billboard, Chicago Tribune and pretty much everywhere else, I have been to easily 5000 plus shows. I can safely say there is nothing on earth like being at a Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band show.

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Shrinking‘s Christa Miller on Season 2, Dating Advice & Her Watchlist

She’s been a familiar face in living rooms since she broke out as Kate on the hit 90s sitcom The Drew Carey Show, followed by her role as the jaded Jordan Sullivan in Scrubs. More recently she was part of the Cougar Town trio with Courtney Cox and Busy Phillips. And if you’ve been watching

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Defying Gravity: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Christopher Reeve will forever be remembered as the face of the Man of Steel, yes, despite the many well-known actors who have donned the big blue cape in his wake. But in this stirring, intimate documentary premiering only in theaters, the lesser known story of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons is revealed, and it’s

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Irresistible

A post-election escape watch from Jon Stewart, the 2020 political satire works as an entertaining crash course on local campaign organizing while doubling as an expose on the dysfunctions of the “election economy.”

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A Career Reinvention Watchlist

As layoffs continue in the wake of a year of ominous headlines about the bots who are replacing us, a recent EY report found that over 70% of employees are reeling from AI anxiety. That actually sounds low. The idea of having to concoct a new livelihood – one that won’t be taken over by

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A Watercooler Guide to Emma Stone’s Kinds of Kindness

With so many franchises, sequels and prequels arriving in theaters, we get accustomed to seeing familiar worlds and their predictable three-act structures. Then a three-hour theatrical release comes along that defies any simple explanation, and you have no idea what you’re getting into. Kinds of Kindness is that kind of film. With a top-notch cast

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The Boys creator Eric Kripke on the hit show’s timely parallels, his inspirations, and what to watch next

The Boys creator Eric Kripke gives an exclusive interview about hit show and its parallels to our own election, and the inspirations behind its Black female vice president, its homicidal dictator, and Kripke’s mind.

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Teen Romance for the Sweltering Summer

There’s a particular teenage feeling of promise to summer for me. School is out, the sun is beating, and the space between June and September seems big enough to live a lifetime in. Even for someone staunchly past teenhood, the tickle of summertime is exciting, Teen Romance For Sweltering Summer and self-transformation– and these are

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The Watercooler Guide to Daisy Jones and the Six

If scoring a voyeuristic backstage pass to the drama and drugs of a world-famous 70s rock band sounds like a dream come true, then here is Guide to Daisy Jones and the Six, Amazon Prime’s limited series Daisy Jones and the Six is a must-see this March. The show stars Riley Keough (Mad Max Fury

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Oscars Countdown: Four Under the Radar Films

You have just over a week to catch up on Oscar nominees. And while much of the coverage of the contenders has been focused on big names and bigger movies, the real gift of the Academy Awards are the under the radar films it can bring to our attention. We’ve zeroed in on three nominees

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A Millennial Nostalgia Watchlist

2023 promises to reenact many Millennials pop culture milestones. If you’re feeling all that nostalgia, here are the best TV series to watch to take you back…and make you see how far you’ve come.

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The Mandalorian Refresher

If the notoriously fractious Star Wars fandom can agree that The Mandalorian is a worthy torchbearer as the franchise heads into an uncertain future, it’s got to be worth checking out. 

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Aftersun

A deeply felt, slow-burning indie film about a 30-something woman looking back on her last vacation with her father 20 years earlier, it’s a work that’s true impact sneaks up on you after the credits roll.

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The Watercooler Guide to Hello Tomorrow!

Apple’s new futuristic TV series combines nostalgia, sci-fi and Billy Crudup to ask big questions about the cost of all of the hype around tech, space, and “the future” can cost us all.

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The Best Political Movies & Series for Every Mood

As we try and process the latest world events and the state of politics, our brains could benefit from a break from the news. For President’s Day weekend Best Political Movies For Presidents Day, we’ve curated a watchlist of scripted stories that bring the inspiration, comedic relief, romance, and carefully crafted resolutions missing from current

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Sidney

A stirring documentary about iconic actor and activist Sidney Poitier’s life and its impact — on Hollywood, on Black history, and on American history.

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Single? Swiping? Swooning? What to Watch on Valentine’s Day

Remember when we gave Valentine cards to every kid in the class, the teacher, our parents, and saved a handful of candy hearts that said “Hot Stuff” to stuff into our own mouths Watch on Valentines Day?  Valentine’s Day used to be about more than just romantic love. To honor its origins in our childhoods

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