June 2025 Favorites

In addition to recapping my end of year favorites (films, plays, books, albums, etc.) I thought for 2025, I’d share each month. Without further adieu and in no particular order, here are some June favorites… (Late again, but not as late as May was. I’m getting better. Ha!)

FILMS:

The Last Picture Show directed by Peter Bogdanovich – So good, I immediately purchased the 4K/Blu Ray and watched it again. And then a third time with my son Truman who also loved it. (The sequel, Texasville…Uh, not so good…For a great, in depth, two-part podcast about The Last Picture Show, click Here.)

Barry Lyndon directed by Stanley Kubrick – I’ve heard about this masterpiece for a while and finally got around to seeing it. I knew very little going in, including that it starred Ryan O’Neal, and he was transcendent. As is the film.

Remember My Name directed by Alan Rudolph – Anthony Perkins is great, but it’s the chilling and relentlessly-driven performance of Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin’s daughter) that makes this special.

PLAYS (Live, In Person):

What’s Next?…Volume 2 – Our Vs. Studio Producing Workshop Live Presentation. 12 scenes, over thirty actors, and two packed houses at Pacific Resident Theatre. Such a blast and here’s hoping this becomes an annual or even semi-annual event. And that some of the scenes turn into full productions. I have a sneaky feeling they will.

Hollywood Fringe – There were over 400 shows at this year’s Hollywood Fringe which is so awesome. I caught the below three from Vs. friends and artists and we had Vs. Theatre Club nights for all of them. Double awesome! They all happened to be at the Broadwater, so it was great fun to hang post show at the Broadwater Plunge bar and celebrate the terrific work:

1. A Tail Of Two Kitties: Paws Across The World – A solo show written and performed by Cindy D’Andrea. A hilarious, yet also heartbreaking show. Cindy leaves it all out there and her ongoing commitment to animal rescue is commendable and remarkable.
2. 52 Pick-Up – written by Ann Noble – Performed by Jeffrey Johnson and Ann Noble. Their chemistry is a thing of beauty. Coming back for an encore at the Echo Theatre. Click Here for tix/info. Don’t miss it!
3. Polite Conversations And Wine – written by Michael Perlmutter – Performed by Leah Jarvik, Mikki Hernandez, Robin McDonald and Amy Marcs, who were all awesome. We actually did a Vs. Tuesday Night reading of this play a while back. So cool to see it turn into a full production!

The Reservoir written by Jake Brasch – A spectacular Vs. Ally Night at the Geffen Playhouse and terrific show! See post show pic below…

ALBUMS:

Jose Gonzales – “Veneer”

Wet Leg – “Wet Leg” – Catchy as hell and the wordplay is awesome. Listened to this one a ton and am excited to listen to their latest effort. Click Here to read this NYT Magazine article on the band.

ARTICLES:

Ted Gioia – “An Ugly New Marketing Strategy Is Driving Me Nuts (and You Too)” – A great article which inspired this blog post. Click Here to read the article.

The New Yorker – “The Wizard Behind Hollywood’s Golden Age.” – All about Irving Thallberg and his impact on early Hollywood. Fascinating. Click Here to read.