ft. ‘Luca’ & Spicy Tofu Burger

June 25, 2021 by Sydney Grant

It’s a beautiful Friday and a beautiful day to #FreeBritney! ICYMI, the pop star broke her silence on Wednesday about her conservatorship and spoiler alert: it’s toxic. In other news, June is somehow almost behind us, meaning it’s officially “Hit Up That One Friend You Have With A Pool” season. This week, we’ve got a fish-out-of-water movie courtesy of Pixar, some ways to make the most out of the last weekend of Pride Month, and a burger that’s so good, you won’t believe there’s no actual meat in it!

However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!

Quarant-streams

‘Luca’

Watch this if you think The Lizzie Mcguire Movie is the best movie about Vespas:

For those of us who don’t already have a summer vacation lined up, Luca is here to whisk us away to the Italian coast — without using any Sky Miles. In Pixar’s first major movie since Soul, a young sea monster named Luca defies his mother’s wishes and ventures on land, only to discover that he turns into a human when dry. If you’re thinking, “This is giving me major The Little Mermaid vibes,” well, you’re not wrong. Except instead of meeting a handsome prince ashore, Luca befriends a fellow sea monster-turned-boy named Alberto. There’s also no sea witch trying to steal Luca’s voice, but rather a local bully who has a strange affinity for making people watch him eat sandwiches.

Don’t come into this movie expecting another Soul. Luca isn’t going to trigger any existential crises, but must all animated films force us to question our life’s meaning these days?? Sometimes, what we really need is a beautifully animated story about friendship, Vespas, and two young sea monsters trying to help a girl beat a sandwich-loving bully at a race — and that is perfectly fine. And if that movie just so happens to have a particularly moving scene at the very end that brings on an involuntary and rather unexpected stream of waterworks? Well, then that is perfectly fine too!

Stream it via Disney+.

‘Sweet Tooth’

Watch this if you saw ads for it and immediately decided you’d never watch something called “Sweet Tooth”:

If you’ve seen Sweet Tooth floating around your Netflix recently, you’ve probably swiftly skipped past it, paying no interest to a show involving a young boy with antlers and a — you guessed it — sweet tooth. But do not judge a book by its cover, people!! After begrudgingly throwing it on one particularly desperate night when I felt as though I’d truly reached the end of Netflix, I immediately found myself hooked on this hidden gem. The show follows Gus, a young boy who’s half-human and half deer, as he searches for his mom in a post-apocalyptic world. (I know, I know, just stay with me here.) A deadly virus, coupled with a new species dubbed “hybrids,” has ripped the world apart. Most of Earth’s population is dead and those who managed to survive have done so at a price. (Think burning neighbors alive or forming a tribe of animal-worshipping children who punish people via tiger attack.)

As absurd as this all sounds, believe me when I say that this one is worth the watch! Combine an ex-football player with a big heart, nefarious government, and deadly virus together, and, surprisingly, you get a great show. If you too have reached the end of Netflix (or even if you haven’t!!), you might want to give in to your sweet tooth this weekend.

Stream it via Netflix.

Quarant-reads

‘The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage’ by Sasha Issenberg

Read this to educate yourself this Pride Month:

As Pride Month comes to a close, this Amazon #1 release is the perfect way to educate and remind ourselves of the ongoing struggle same-sex couples have had to overcome to get to where we are today. Written by journalist Sasha Issenberg, The Engagement chronicles the decades leading up to the two Supreme Court cases that led to the legalization of gay marriage. It’s easy to forget that it was only 2015 when the LGBTQ+ community was granted this basic human right, but it’s even easier to forget the complicated path that led there. A riveting combination of historical reporting, politics, and law, this is a must-read this month and every month for anyone interested in one of the most significant civil rights decisions of our lifetimes.

Purchase via Amazon.