| August 9, 2024 
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Hi, movie fans! After the "Barbenheimer" blowout of 2023, this has been a relatively low-key summer in movieland, with the exception of a few giant blockbusters, like "Inside Out 2." Now at $1.55 billion at the global box office, the sequel to the 2015 hit is officially Pixar's biggest movie ever. Still, it came as a surprise to me when my colleague Melena Ryzik reported on how the two movies have changed therapy for children and families. Not only do the films provide a shared language that little ones and parents can both use to explore feelings, but "Inside Out" and "Inside Out 2" refuse to villainize emotions like jealousy or anger, an approach that mental health professionals especially appreciate. A Los Angeles psychiatrist who helps children process traumatic events the night they experience them even told the filmmakers, "You made my job so much easier." This is a heartening example of how movies and real life intersect, one of my continuing fascinations. In a darker case, my colleague Maya Salam returned to "The Blair Witch Project" for our Class of 1999 series on a tremendous year in movie history. "Blair Witch" has been an influence in many ways, but it should also be remembered as a harbinger of our current age of disinformation. It forced us to ask, "Is this real?" Salam writes, adding, "It's an existential riddle that looms larger than ever 25 years later, compelling us to apply that exact question to nearly every image, sound or nugget of information we encounter." Speaking of landmark movies, my colleague Erik Piepenburg commemorated the 50th anniversary of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" by speaking with four filmmakers about how the horror classic influenced their latest releases. Even as the film desk is looking back at Hollywood history, several new movies have grabbed our attention — notably the Critic's Picks "Good One," a drama about a teenage girl on a camping trip with her father and his friend, and "Cuckoo," a horror film with an apt title. As for the biggest release of the week, the domestic violence drama "It Ends With Us," the chief critic Manohla Dargis describes it as "fitfully diverting, at times touching, often ridiculous." Whatever you decide to watch, enjoy the movies! |  | | Kezia Gabriella |
How 'Inside Out' and Its Sequel Changed TherapyMental health professionals and educators say the movies are remarkably helpful in providing a common language they can use with children and parents. By Melena Ryzik |  | | Illustration by Tala Safie; Photos via Artisan Entertainment and Getty Images |
Class of 1999 Before Reality Became Debatable, There Was 'The Blair Witch Project'Twenty-five years ago, the indie horror blockbuster compelled audiences to ask, "Was that real?" The question now permeates our age of misinformation. By Maya Salam | |
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