The Queue

Add these films to your summer plans, plus three new streaming recommendations.

You’re reading The Queue, Boston.com’s guide to streaming. Sign up to get the latest industry news, free streaming movie and TV recommendations, and more in your inbox every week.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer movie season, and with the pandemic and SAG-AFTRA strikes no longer a convenient excuse, it’s make-or-break time for the film studios.

I have a full rundown of the 25 must-see movies for the summer of 2025, including one I’ve already reviewed for Boston.com (“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”). 

Of that larger list, here are three that are particularly noteworthy.

The summer movies I’m most excited about

“The Life of Chuck” (June 6): Since 2012, every single movie that has won the TIFF Audience Award has also been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Last year’s winner is this Stephen King adaptation from Salem native Mike Flanagan, which is more along the lines of feel-good King movies like “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand by Me.” (Read more about “The Life of Chuck.”)

“28 Years Later” (June 20): The scale of time in Danny Boyle’s zombie series has grown from 28 days to 28 weeks to 28 years. This time around, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes play the longtime survivors. Despite the jokes you may have seen online, that especially gaunt zombie in the trailer is not Cillian Murphy.

“Sorry, Baby” (July 18): I caught this one at IFFBoston and was blown away by the unique voice of Eva Victor, the film’s star, writer, and director. Filmed in Ipswich, it’s the story of a grad student who uses humor and friendship to grapple with a personal tragedy. Saying more would spoil things, but it’s hilarious, heartbreaking, and life-affirming.

Hot gossip from the TV upfronts

We’re currently in the middle of TV upfront week, when studios and networks meet with advertisers to share their biggest programming announcements for the coming year and (hopefully) sell some ad space.

The news has come fast and furious this week, but here are three things that caught my eye.

“The Office” spinoff is coming this fall: “The Paper,” the new TV show from “The Office” creator Greg Daniels, will officially debut on Peacock in September 2025. The show, about a struggling newspaper in Toledo, OH, also finally has a real connection to the hit NBC show other than the mockumentary format: Oscar Nunez will reprise his role as persnickety accountant Oscar Martinez. 

Michael Jordan is coming to NBC: After beating out Warner Bros. Discovery (and its long-running NBA on TNT package), NBC Universal is leaning into ‘90s nostalgia for its NBA programming, hiring Michael Jordan as a special contributor. The bad news is that NBC canceled five shows in order to make room for its upcoming NBA games, including “Lopez vs. Lopez,” the spinoff “Suits LA,” and the rebooted “Night Court.”

Max rebrands to HBO Max (again): Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery dropped the “HBO” from its streaming service HBO Max (rebranding as simply “Max”), the company has added it back. It’s the right choice, but really speaks to the rudderless leadership at WBD, which at different points has called its streaming service HBO, HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, Max, and now HBO Max for a second time. At least the company has a sense of humor about its incompetence.

Play or Skip

Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.

Press play on these new movies and shows:

“The Brutalist”: Brady Corbet’s 218-minute Oscar-winning opus, about a fictional architect (Adrien Brody) who escaped the Nazis to begin a new life in America, is a towering work of art. Shot in Vistavision, Corbet’s $10 million movie looks like a $200 million one, and the filmmaker’s ambition is matched only by Brody’s Lazlo Toth, who begins work on an almost impossibly large building for a rich Pennsylvania patron (Guy Pearce). (HBO Max)

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”: If you’re headed to theaters next weekend for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” you absolutely must watch this seventh “M:I” film first. Though the franchise usually tells separate stories, this one – about a rogue AI taking over the world – directly ties into the upcoming blockbuster. (Paramount+)

“Welcome to Wrexham” Season 4: Rob McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Ryan Reynolds’ plucky Welsh soccer team continues its unprecedented rise through the English Football Pyramid, bringing real-life excitement to this docuseries in its fourth season. (Hulu)

But go ahead and skip this one:

“Murderbot”: Despite enjoying the book it’s based on, I didn’t love this light sci-fi series about a sarcastic, awkward robot (Alexander Skarsgård) that prefers discreetly watching TV over doing its real job of protecting a team of scientists on a hostile planet. (Apple TV+)

End Credits

That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.

Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!

— Kevin

Source