The Weekend Binge: My Review of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Shark Week Begins 🦈 , Godzilla x Kong, Amy Winehouse Biopic 🎶 , and a Deep Dive into a Classic Underwater Film + A Monterey Cabernet 🍷
It's the weekend, let's binge!
How many of you are sobering up from the recent American holiday 🇺🇸💥 ? Whether you are full of tequila or hot dogs, it’s time to wind down and hit the deep abyss of your comfy sofa and push play on your weekend watchlist. If you are a wine lover, rinse off that glass and get pouring because there is much to watch!
Shark Week Begins! 🦈
I’ve never been a Shark Week girl, but I know there are fans out there that love the thrill of the underwater killer. Keep scrolling for my sip & stream which features a deep sea-inspired wine and a suspenseful underwater movie from the 80s.
Here’s Everything New Streaming This Weekend…
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in this action-comedy starring new franchise cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kevin Bacon. After his daughter’s life is threatened, Foley returns to Beverly Hills to work with his old partners John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy. Streaming Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes. Forecast: ☀️
Tiffany’s Review: I had really low, and I mean less than zero expectations for this movie. Even though I was really looking forward to watching it, both Beverly Hills Cop II and III did not even compare to the original. That’s no surprise really. What makes the original film work so well is the fish out of water trope — a cop from Detroit navigating the ego-infested waters of Beverly Hills. However this film was FILLED with tropes and cliches none of which could ever be again the fish-out-of-water one that actually worked.
However, I did love how they paid homage to the original using most of the same soundtrack, actors, and even did a solid to the planet and recycled some of the same jokes. I grew up during my formidable high school years and twenties in Beverly Hills, so seeing Axel Foley jet up and down Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. was quite nostalgic for me, but there were a lot of cringe-y clichés like the crooked cop, the broken daddy-daughter relationship, and meathead bad dudes for hire.
Nonetheless, I was entertained by this film, and there’s something to be said for having no expectations — it does help ALOT. I recommend this film with trepidation depending on your attention and anticipation level. The writers did try, unlike the atrocity that was the Coming to America sequel (eek!), to not dwell on trying to make it original, which honestly that train left after the first film. What the writers did do was dive right into the shallow end of the pool and keep it light, fun, and entertaining with plenty of room for checking Instagram, potty breaks, and a light snack without putting it on pause.
Also New On Netflix: About Antoine - Season 1, Amazing Antoine, Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans, The Man with 1000 Kids, Barbecue Showdown: Season 3, Rhythm + Flow: France - Season 3, Desperate Lies, Goyo, The Imaginary, The Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch: Season 3
Netflix’s Top 5 Weekend Streams (TV/Film)
The Man with 1000 Kids/Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F
Supacell/A Family Affair
Worst Roommate Ever/Warcraft
Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans/Minions
Suits/Trigger Warning
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The Toys That Built America: Season 3
A documentary series about the creation of toys during the cultural and economic shifts in America like The Great Depression and World War II. This season highlights toys and games like Scrabble, Clue, Super Mario Brothers, Trivial Pursuit, Etch-A-Sketch, and Play-doh. Streaming Time: 12 episodes. Forecast: ☀️
Also New Hulu: Attack of the Sea Sharks, Baby Sharks in the City, Shark Attacks 360, Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie, Shark vs. Ross Edgley, Sharks Gone Viral, Sharks Gone Viral, Supersized Sharks, Oshi no Ko: Season 1, Red Swan: Two-Episode Premiere, Kennedy: Season 1, Kocktails with Khloé: Season 1, Neighborhood Wars: Season 5, Land of Tanabata: 3-Episode Premiere, 20/20 True Crime Collection: Betrayed, Cellphone, The Monk and the Gun, Muzzle
Hulu’s Top 5 Weekend Streams:
Independence Day
The Kardashians
The Bear
Red Right Hand
The Sandlot
Space Cadet
Emma Roberts stars as Rex, a party girl from Florida, turns out to be the only hope for the NASA space program after a fluke puts her in training with other candidates who may have been resumés, but don’t have her smarts or heart. Costars Gabrielle Union. Streaming Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. Forecast: 🌥️
Also New On Prime Video: The Chosen - Season 4, Evil Dead Rise, The Beekeeper, Temptation Island: Mexico
Prime Video’s Weekend Top 5
The Boys
The Beekeeper
My Lady Jane
I|AM Celine Dion
Oppenheimer
Memory
Jessica Chastain stars in this 2023 film about a social worker who leads a simple and structured life, but begins to unravel when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion and her stalking nightmare begins. Streaming Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes. Forecast: ☀️
Also New On Paramount+: The National Parks, CBS Reports: America Unfiltered - The Voices Behind the Polls
Back To Black
A biopic about the life and music of the late Amy Winehouse. The movie takes fans on a journey through her life from adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of a generation. Streaming Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes. Forecast: ⛅️
Also New On Peacock: Tour de France (through July 21), PGA Tour: John Deere Classic, WWE: Money in the Bank, Three Wise Men and A Baby (Hallmark)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Are you ready for a match-up of the decade? For all you adventure/sci-fi/fantasy fans, these two ancient titans clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their origins and connections to the Skull Island mysteries. Streaming Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes. Forecast: ⛅️
Also New On Max: 90-Day Fiancé - The Other Way: Season 6, Contraband: Seized at the Border - Season 4, Hard Knocks: Off Season with The Giants, Mecum Full Throttle: Indianapolis IN 2024, Barnwood Builders: Season 18 (Magnolia), Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation: Season 9 (Magnolia), Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: Season 48 (Food Network), Belly of the Beast: Bigger and Badder (Discovery), Jaws vs. Leviathan (Discovery), Makozilla (Discovery), Sydney Harbor Shark Invasion (Discovery), King of Zanzibar
Max’s Top 5 Weekend Streams (TV/Film)
House of the Dragon/Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Hard Knocks: Off Season with The New York Giants/Twister
Smiling Friends/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Six Schizophrenic Brothers/Signs
The Other Way/The Craft
Down in the Valley
A new docuseries that dives into the rich and complex culture of the Deep South. Host Nicco Annan (starred as Uncle Clifford in the STARZ’s series P-Valley) is your guide, showcasing the sensuality, music and diverse stories. Streaming Time: 6 episodes.
Bluey - Minisodes
This animated children’s series needs to explanation. The energetic blue pup brings the family into imaginative games which unfold into hilarious scenes in these mini-episodes. Streaming Time: 20 episodes. Forecast: ☀️
Kid Streams 🧸
Blippi Anniversary Compilations (Hulu)
Blippi NASA Episodes (Hulu)
Blippi Wonderful World Tour (Hulu)
Bluey Minisodes
Care Bears: Unlock the Magic - The Star of a Thousand Wishes (Max)
Happy Birthday to Michael Stuhlbarg (July 5, 1968)
You might not know the name of this actor, but his face is undeniable among one of the most recognized in modern-day mob films and tv shows. Michael Stuhlbarg was born in Long Beach, California and after attending UCLA went onto Juilliard in NYC where he graduated with a BFA. He worked in theatre on Broadway during his early acting years with parts in “Cabaret” and “The Pillowman” in which he earned his first Tony nomination.
His breakout performance was in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire as NYC’s organized crime boss Arnold Rothstein. He also starred in the FX series Fargo and Hulu’s The Looming Tower. If you don’t recognize him from his roles in the films The Shape of Water, The Post, Call Me By Your Name or Steve Jobs, then you might have seen him in the two-season legal drama Your Honor as New Orleans mob boss opposite Bryan Cranston. He will soon star in opposite Matt Damon in The Instigators for Apple TV+ and with Russell Crowe in Rothko about the famous painter’s scorned legacy.
Stream Michael Stuhlbarg Films & TV Shows
Your Honor (Netflix)
Bones and All (MGM+)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Disney+)
Dopesick (Hulu)
Call Me By Your Name (Netflix)
Sip & Stream: Silent Sea Cabernet Sauvignon x The Abyss (1989)
Remember this movie? This James Cameron gem from the late-eighties is about a civilian diving team who is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species. I remember seeing this film back in the theaters and when I retreated from the dark theater after the movie was over I swear I felt waterlogged, feeling my fingers to see if they had wrinkled up with ocean water during the screening. This suspenseful underwater film stars Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who both have publicly said that this film was not fun to make, nor do they like to talk about their experience shooting the movie. Harris was once interviewed saying, “Asking me how I was treated on The Abyss is like asking a soldier how he was treated in Vietnam.”
Interesting Facts About The Abyss…
The drowned sailor out of whose mouth a crab crawls is James Cameron’s brother Mike.
The company that Bud and his crew work for (Benthic Petroleum) is a sort of double-play on words. The word “benthic” is a fancy word for “deep down in the ocean” and the company name is also a pun on the real-life fossil fuels refinery giant BP which began as British Petroleum Company.
This was James Cameron’s first film using Super 35 format which he would later use in his films Terminator 2, True Lies, and Titanic. This was also the first feature film to have used an early version of Adobe Photoshop.
James Cameron had only two people in mind for the character Bud Brigman — Ed Harris and Jeff Bridges. However, the part of Lindsey Brigman had a host of actresses in consideration including Kathleen Quinlan, Barbara Hershey, Jessica Lange and Debra Winger. Jamie Lee Curtis was a strong contender, but Cameron’s future wife director Kathryn Bigelow had cast her in Blue Steel (Cameron would later cast her in 1994’s True Lies). Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was finally chosen based on her performance in Scarface and The Color of Money.
For the film’s underwater tracking shots, director James Cameron and his brother Mike Cameron invented a novel underwater camera vehicle called the SeaWasp which allowed camera operators to move the camera independently from the vehicle’s glide path. Also, all cast members had to become certified divers before the start of filming and trained together in the Caribbean.
The Abyss is currently streaming on Hulu.
Inspired by the complexity and beauty of the sea, this full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon comes to you from Monterey Bay, California. This bold, yet smooth cab is from a single vineyard expressing notes of blackberry, ripe plum, blueberry elderberry and a hint of vanilla. Very well-balanced. Great with a rich, flavorful meal and tiramisu for dessert. Available at wine retailers like Total Wine & More. $34.99
Happy Streaming 📺 🍷