Culture Crash: Our Favorite Films Playing In Theaters Right Now

The summer box office is very much alive, with plenty of movie releases that provide something for everyone.

Let’s start big – TWISTERS is a hit. The kinda-sorta-not really sequel to 1996’s TWISTER tore past projections with an opening weekend north of $80 million in the US. The film comes from MINARI director Lee Isaac Chung, and it furthers Glen Powell’s moviestar bonafides after the success of Anyone But You. TWISTERS also lets Normal People star Daisy Edgar-Jones shine, and provides her a solid rebound from Where The Crawdads Sing. There’s not a lot to say about TWISTERS that you don’t already know – it looks beautiful, they chase storms, and a good time is had by everyone in the audience.

If you’re looking for something a little more off-kilter, LONGLEGS is a horror-tinged thriller that will unsettle you for its entire duration. Star Maika Monroe gives one of the most detached and stressed out performances I’ve ever seen while Nic Cage is completely unrecognizable, taking a huge swing as the movie’s namesake antagonist. Longlegs seems to take plenty of inspiration from The Silence of the Lambs, and though it’s not quite the all-time classic that Jonathan Demme’s film was, it’s a creepy good time all the same.

And finally, if you want something tiny but beautiful, National Anthem is also now playing. **The coming of age film is about a 21 year-old in New Mexico who befriends a group of queer ranchers. It explores good old fashioned American family values and sexual identity in a more progressive age. It’s small and gentle, but a life-affirming movie about an underrepresented side of America’s rodeo culture.

With films big and small on offer, it’s a great time to head to the movies. Twisters, Longlegs, and National Anthem are all in theaters now.