June streaming highlights: the movies and series you just can’t miss

«Two beer or not two beer, that is the question!» as William Shakesbeer famously exclaimed. Now, what you definitely can beer is someone who checks out my latest series and movie tips! And then inform me in the comments which series and movies I forgot.

Avatar: The Way of Water (movie)

For once, it took a little longer – not the standard 45 days – for a theatre release to make its way onto global streaming platforms for purchase or rental. In fact, it took nearly half a year. Probably because Disney didn’t want to cannibalise its theatrical success with a premature streaming release. Avatar: The Way of Water has grossed a whopping 2.3 billion US dollars at the box office, topped only by Avengers: Endgame and the first Avatar movie. I didn’t see this success coming. Too much time had passed since 2009, when the first movie transported me into the immersive world of Pandora. I thought the hype was through; the creativity burnt out; the fascination dead.

I thought wrong.

«One second. That’s all director James Cameron needs to return me to Pandora,» I wrote in my movie review linked above. Cameron is a master of his craft. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who understands the art form of cinema quite like he does; it’s not the most original story or cleverest dialogue that distinguishes his films. They’re still of quality, mind you, but of a quality that also works for Netflix and chill sessions. What really sets Cameron’s movies apart are the big moments that scream, «You’ve gotta see this on the big screen!» There aren’t many directors who make movies like this anymore. Chris Nolan, perhaps. Or Denis Villeneuve. And I’d add Gareth Edwards to the mix, too. But other than that?

When: 7 June
Where: Disney+

The Crowded Room (miniseries)

Uncanny. ‘Nuff said. Mind you, that’s not because The Crowded Room is a horror series in the classic sense, though it’s not a far cry from the genre either. And Tom Holland seems to have finally elevated his hallmark overly nervous acting to a new level – something I’ve rarely seen before. The last time was in Netflix’s 2020 The Devil All the Time. Great movie, by the way. That’s why I'm all the more excited about The Crowded Room.

So, what’s it about? The miniseries tells the fictional story of Danny Sullivan, who’s being questioned by police officer Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) after his involvement in a shooting. This is the lens through which Rya – and we, the audience – gradually get to know Sullivan’s life story. It soon becomes clear that he’s buried many more secrets. Secrets that not even his own sick mind is aware of.

Now, Danny Sullivan is a fictional character, but his story is based on the true story of Billy Milligan (spoiler alert for the link!). Of course, I won’t reveal it here. Again, if you want to watch the movie without already knowing the ending, don’t click the link above!

When: 9 June
Where: Apple TV+

Flamin’ Hot (movie)

Who isn’t familiar with the extra-spicy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? The round red sticks are iconic. Here in Switzerland, this is probably because of the nigh annual Super Bowl commercials. In countries where you can actually buy the chips, they’re well-known because they’re, well, damn hot. And now, the seasoned red snacks are getting their own movie – or, to be more precise, their inventor, Richard Montañez, is.

Who is this Richard Montañez? He was born into a Mexican-American immigrant family in California. One of ten siblings, he grew up in a migrant worker camp outside Los Angeles. He later dropped out of school and became an unskilled labourer. Then, in 1976 at the age of 18, he became a janitor at the American chip company Frito-Lay. During his time there, he pulled off an extraordinary coup. When a Cheetos machine broke down, Montañez took home a batch of tasteless snacks and flavoured them with Mexican spices – in other words, he made them really, really hot. In light of the growing Latino market, he pitched the idea to then-CEO Roger Enrico. He took on the idea, launching it for a Los Angeles test market. Its success was so resounding that it was rolled out nationwide in 1992. The snacks have since gained a cult following. Some even claim that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos saved the Frito-Lay company from impending doom back in the day.

From immigrant to janitor to corporate saviour – if that ain’t the American Dream!

When: 9 June
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Black Mirror (anthology series, Season 6)

Finally! Netflix kept us waiting a whole four years for the next season. One of the best anthology series ever, Black Mirror tells five independent short stories. What makes the show so popular? I’d argue it’s the often eerily accurate predictions of a technological future that we should’ve seen coming, as it’s not that far from our current reality. Throw in a healthy dose of social criticism that usually hits the mark.

For example, there’s the 2016 episode «Nosedive» from Season 3 about a society in which people fire ratings at each other based on their interactions, such as holding open the door, a friendly smile, looking good. Or cake. The greater your rating, the better your social status and the more extensive your access to government and institutional services. If your rating falls below a certain value, certain rights are withdrawn – all the way up to complete social exclusion. The result? A society of people intent on maintaining a never-ending facade of their best self in public, while living in constant fear of being harshly rated by others. Doesn’t sound too different to how we currently use social media, eh?

When: 15 June
Where: Netflix

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (miniseries, Season 2)

There’s unrest among «Star Trek» fans. Older generations in particular who grew up with icons like James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard may find it difficult to warm up to the younger and more modern Star Trek series. Like Discovery. Or the Kelvin timeline motion pictures. These are often discussed under the umbrella of «Nu Trek trash». Even Patrick Stewart’s spin-off production Picard faced heavy criticism from Season 2 on.

And then came the big surprise: a Nu Trek series that actually managed to unite all fans. Namely, Strange New Worlds. So, what does it do right? It takes the best of Star Trek and Nu Trek, mixing it together expertly. It upholds the episodic monster-of-the-week structure celebrated in the original 1960s Star Trek series, but with recurring themes, which is something the 1990s The Next Generation had also got right. Add to that the fresh, modern look from the Nu Trek series. The best part, however, is the incredibly likeable cast around Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike. According to Star Trek lore, he was the first captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, with James T. Kirk succeeding him. All this to say, Season 2 is a must for Trekkies.

When: 15 June
Where: Paramount+

Extraction 2 (movie)

Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction, along with 6 Underground, was the start of a new Netflix era. Not that the streaming giant didn’t produce movies before. But Extraction was one of its first big action blockbusters that could just as easily have been released in cinemas – in fact, it might have belonged on the big screen rather than small home theatre screens.

Extraction has since become the most watched in-house Netflix movie production, paving the way for similarly bombastic films like The Grey Man and Red Notice. What makes Extraction special is its cleanly filmed and highly creative action choreography reminiscent of John Wick, mixed with the brute violence and sometimes overflowing extravagance of a Michael Bay movie. Action fans, what more could you want?

When: 16 June
Where: Netflix

Secret Invasion (miniseries)

Once upon a time, the reptilian Skrulls lived on their home planet of Skrullos. But when the Kree Empire wanted to subjugate their world to Kree rule, the proud Skrulls resisted – and paid with the destruction of their homeland. Only a few thousand survived the genocide. Ever since, they’d been relying on their shape-shifting abilities to find refuge on alien planets and mingle with the population. Including on Earth.

Their plan? Survive. Or so it was until a fanatical group of Skrull, in their religious zeal, decided Earth was rightfully theirs. And so, they mastermind a devious plan to infiltrate Earth and secretly replace Avengers with Skrull lookalikes with the aim of launching a secret invasion.

So go the comics. The secret invasion story was told between 2008 and 2009 and is considered one of the best cross-comic arcs ever. The great appeal is the uncertainty. We, the readers, are left wondering, «Who can I actually trust?» After all, any – and I mean any – character could suddenly turn out to be an evil Skrull. Even Iron Man or Captain America. Then there’s the question of happened to the «real» characters – were they even still alive? Adapting all that into a series is a mammoth challenge. But when it comes to producer Kyle Bradstreet – Emmy-nominated for his insane work that is Mr. Robot – I expect nothing less than the best MCU series ever. In this spirit: hello, friend.

When: 21 June
Where: Disney+

The Witcher (miniseries, Season 3, Volume 1)

He’s a fave of The Witcher fans, who also view him as «one of their own». I’m talking about actor Henry Cavill, of course, known for building computers in his spare time and for almost missing out on his role as Superman when he didn’t pick up the phone because he was in the middle of a World of Warcraft raid. It’s now official: Season 3 of The Witcher will be his last one.

This is likely due to the direction the series took, especially towards the end of Season 2. Cavill is a big fan of author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books and an advocate of as faithful an adaptation as possible. In fact, producer Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich once said the series would stick primarily to the books, not the popular games. It’s since become evident that the source material is no longer viewed as sacred. This was confirmed by Witcher co-writer Beau DeMayo, who revealed that some of his colleagues downright hate not only the books, but also the games. This proved too much for Cavill, who pulled the plug and will leave The Witcher after this season.

When: 21 June
Where: Netflix

Hijack (miniseries)

It’s not so much the story that makes this series interesting, but more its concept. Hijack is a thriller that tells the story of a hijacked aeroplane on its seven-hour flight to London in real time. Each of the seven episodes covers one hour. It’s a concept similar to the cult series 24. While authorities on the ground are desperately trying to figure out what’s going on inside the hijacked plane, actor Idris Elba is aboard the plane, plotting how to overthrow the hijackers. His plan: let them think they’re in control ...

When: 28 June
Where: Apple TV+

Nimona (movie)

Netflix’s animated film Klaus from Spain’s SPA Studios was the final straw in convincing that Netflix animated films are worth giving a chance. Et voilà – lift the curtains for Nimona, based on the critically acclaimed comic books of the same name.

Originally, the film was produced by Blue Sky, the studio behind Ice Age, and should have been released in 2020. Alas, it was postponed for a number of reasons. First, Disney bought 20th Century Fox, the parent company of Blue Sky. Then came the pandemic, which the animation studio didn’t survive; it closed in April 2021. Eventually, film studio Annapurna Pictures took on the project, gave it to Ron’s Gone Wrong studio DNEG Animation to complete and sold the distribution rights to Netflix. And now we can look forward to a new animated film.

When: 30 June
Where: Netflix