Lift movie expert Michael Gendron brings you his picks for Summer blockbusters, from theater screens to streaming.

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1

Kicking us off is a movie that just came out, but is unfortunately struggling in theaters right now.  Kevin Costner returns to the directors for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, the first part of a Western epic with chapter 2 coming out next month.  The film follows an ensemble of characters in the American west as the nation expands through hope for a better life and bitter violence.  Costner gave up a hit TV show, mortgaged his house, and seemingly ruined his marriage to get this one made, but he made an incredible film. His confident hand brings us a grand, tense, action packed film… filled to the brim with machismo, but also a tender introspection.  He shows instead of tells using the camera work in a way the old masters used to.  I’m invested in all the characters and I can not wait to see what chapter 2 has in store.  Don’t wait, you’ll regret not seeing this one on the big screen.

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA

From one underperforming saga to another.  Despite Mad Max: Fury Road being one of the most celebrated movies of the last 10 years, people just haven’t been getting out its prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”.   In the post apocalypse, a young Furiosa is taken from home and spends years in the wasteland trying to reclaim what was a taken from her.  This isn’t the non-stop chase scene of Fury Road, instead it feels like a campfire tale of revenge told across several chapters.  Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be one of the great movie stars of the modern era.  With minimal dialogue she conveys so much with those incredible eyes. Chris Hemsworth as delivers a career best performance as the villainous warlord Dementus.  This does what a great prequel should do, it recontextualizes the action of Fury Road in a way that makes that movie even better while still being a knockout in its own right.  Catch it in theaters while you still have the chance, but this one is also available digitally.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE

Last year’s Japanese import, Godzilla Minus One, was a surprise box office hit in the US despite a limited-specialty run.  It was  also critical darling, winning an Academy Award stateside and taking home Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards.  In the immediate aftermath of World War II, a would-be kamikaze pilot struggles to find his honor and will to live as Japan is threatened by a seemingly unstoppable monster. A somber meditation on the human spirit  featuring one the most frightening portrayals of the king of the monsters.  Godzilla is used sparingly but to great effect.  One scene that plays out like a tribute to Jaws  is as good as it gets. Make not mistake however, this is one Godzilla movie where the human characters are the stars. I was fortunate enough to see this during its theatrical run and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Godzilla Minus One can now be enjoyed by everyone at home on Netflix. Just reminder to turn off the English dub and switch your language to the original Japanese audio track!

CHALLENGERS

Finally, another movie that recently dropped on digital platforms, the tennis love triangle Challengers, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor.  An incredibly stylish sports melodrama that follows the relationship of three tennis players across a decade all backed by one the best film scores I’ve heard in years– a pulsing synthetic fury composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.  Zendaya is an actress I’ve liked before, but it wasn’t until this movie where the lightbulb went off in my head of why she’s star… she and her two co-stars are sensational.  It’s fresh, original, sexy, and wholly modern.  One of the years greats.