#SetTheVCR: June 29 – July 05, 2026

Monday, June 29

Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+)

Paul Simon brings his Seven Psalms to life in this first-ever live performance of the complete piece for his Quiet Celebration, an intimate evening spanning his vast career and celebrating new arrangements of timeless classics, deep cuts and new musical discoveries. A stunning and immersive experience, lush and joyful, the film sparks a triumphant tone, picking up with Paul after having come to terms with his hearing loss and journeyed to discover new ways to perform. Simon’s transformation of the movements for live performance gave way to all-new renditions of some of his most cherished songs and a deep desire to bring these contemplative and intricate pieces to audiences. A Quiet Celebration toured the U.S. in small venues, selected for their acoustic prowess and intimate setting, allowing audiences to engage with the music like never before. Recorded live at McCaw Hall in Seattle, join Paul for this unforgettable concert.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: KEEPER (ANYTIME / HULU & CRAVE)

Liz and Malcolm escape for a romantic anniversary weekend at a secluded cabin. When Malcolm suddenly returns to the city, Liz finds herself isolated and in the presence of an unspeakable evil that reveals the cabin’s horrifying secrets.
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Sigh. Osgood Perkins. I can’t tell if his horror work has got Longlegs or if he’s a Keeper as a director. Shall we, press play, then on his latest Monkey business?

Tuesday, June 30

Zorro: Limited Series (Anytime / MHz Choice & Hoopla Canada)

On January 19th Prime Video streamed Zorro: Season 1 starring Miguel Bernardeau as a Spanish-language production. That 13-episode Zorro is set in 1834. Paramount’s Zorro is set in 1821 with Jean Dujardin as a “retired” Zorro. (Ugh.) This eight-episode season offers a French Zorro. And yet all of this is different from Disney+’s Zorro starring Vilmer Valdarrama?! Why so much Zorro? (To be fair I think Valdarrama’s Zorro is now dead. This is what happens when properties fall into public domain. They become pedestrian.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BANG MY BOX: THE ROBIN BYRD STORY (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

Before the internet and the ubiquity of social media influencers, there was Robin Byrd – the spirited, anything-goes New York City public access host, clad only in her signature black crochet bikini.
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Robin Byrd is “a self-described “orgy queen” who hosted her iconic, sex-positive, call-in adult variety show in a trademark black crochet bikini from 1977 to 1998.” What the?! New York City is wylin’. Man! On Scarborough’s public access all I ever got was a fat guy reviewing Star Trek. We had nothing close to this on Channel 10!! I caught Public Access during Hot Docs 2026 and that wild documentary included horny archival footage of adult TV host Robin Byrd. And while Public Access offered a broader snapshot of the zany antics of New York’s Public Access, Bang My Box (heh!) is a hyper-focused window in her wonderfully filthy world. Time to find out who put the ass in Public Access.

Wednesday, July 01

Elle: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

Season 1 of Elle follows Elle Woods before she was a fish-out-of-water at Harvard. We meet her in 1995 as a fish in the tumultuous waters of high school where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices. Through it all, Elle uses her family as a touchstone, and forms an even tighter bond to her mother, proving that they can get through anything life throws their way as long as they have each other. With each challenge she faces, Elle grows closer to the Elle Woods we know and love today. How bad can it be?!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: X-MEN ’97: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

X-Men ’97 Season 2 continues with the heroic mutant team of X-Men, divided and thrown across different eras in time as they struggle to navigate their return home. Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the X-Men’s absence.
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With X-Men ’97, Invincible, Batman: Caped Crusader and My Adventures with Superman—among many others—nerdy animation is firmly in the pop culture spotlight. Yet, thankfully, nobody complains about “superhero fatigue” with animation. Which underscores how unintelligent that subpar narrative truly is: superhero fatigue is not real—subpar narratives are, though. Movies aren’t obligations; you always have choices. Genuine fatigue often stems from lazy online foolishness trying to masquerade as progressive or worse—smart. When it’s clearly neither. For now let’s just enjoy the true mutant magic of X-Men ‘97. While the series has steadily redeemed Cyclops and Gambit (kinda?), Jubilee’s character arc still falls flat. (Ironically, when the Marvel comics turned her into a vampire, she still wasn’t cool. Just a bland DOA character like Eye-Scream. Oh, I know. Moving on.) And of course, in the incarnations of this popular cartoon series, many fans were deeply touched by Rogue’s emotional story and her outstanding (s)ass. I’ve been happily reading X-Men comics since the ‘80s, and I adore the wonderfully dense continuity—it acts like a thick neck bouncer at the door keeping The Stupid at bay. Yet, I’ve grown to enjoy the elegant simplicity of X-Men ‘97. They’re more like mutant Avengers who Assemble on Saturday Mornings. (Well, technically Wednesdays on Disney+, but with streaming, you can watch anytime you want.) Hopefully, your big cereal bowl is ready to roll as you Forge a connection with Marvel’s mighty mutants.

Thursday, July 02

Enola Holmes 3 (Anytime / Netflix)

Adventure follows detective Enola Holmes to Malta, where her plans to tie the knot unravel when Sherlock’s disappearance plunges her into a perilous case. I haven’t watched any of these…how bad are they?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LOUIS C.K.: RIDICULOUS (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

From a bee getting shot in New York City to paying strangers to take his aging father, Louis C.K. unleashes the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.
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Remember boys and girls: Cancel Culture is just trash morality. It’s not supposed to work. All Cancel Culture is Ridiculous. Granted, I ain’t the biggest Louis C.K. fan, but eh, I’ll #SetTheVCR for this. Sure, why not? And if you’re gonna insist on being sour on his comedic return to Netflix—which is silly because we learned in the ‘80s if you don’t like something…just change the channel—Sorry/Not Sorry is streaming on CBC Gem and on Kanopy.

Friday, July 03

Silo: Season 3 (Anytime / Apple TV)

Season 3 continues the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground under mysterious circumstances, while revealing an origin story set centuries earlier. In the present, Juliette Nichols survives her forced “cleaning” but returns with memory loss as the silo recovers from rebellion and faces a dangerous new threat. Meanwhile, in the “Before Times,” journalist Helen Drew and Congressman Daniel Keene uncover a conspiracy that pulls them into a chain of events with catastrophic, irreversible consequences.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.
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So happy to see the return of Ready or Not back in the cinema. Well, I say that but admittedly, I missed this screening entirely. So fired. Still, Samara Weaving is coming along. She was darkly funny in Mayhem and I rather enjoyed Ready or Not 1. It’s Die Hard mashed with The Purge.

Saturday, July 04

The Simpsons: Simpsley (Anytime / Disney+)

When penniless con-artist Marge Bouvier is sent to Italy to convince wealthy sap Seymour Skinner to come home, she’s tempted by the trappings of his affluent lifestyle. But there’s a big fat fly in the ointment: Skinner’s clingy, dim-witted mooch of a houseguest, Homer Simpsley. Lies, lust, and Italian lira are abound.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: INDEPENDENCE DAY (TODAY! / CHECK YOUR FAV STREAMER)

The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind’s best weapon is the Will (Smith) to survive.
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Happy Independence Day! America’s Independence Day has brought us all these wonderful freedoms, like Will Smith—a funny sitcom actor who can now make a massive blockbuster where we all gleefully cheer as famous landmarks get utterly trashed by aliens. By the way. for a ‘96 movie the FX hold up so good. Independence Day on Independence Day is a certified #SetTheVCR tradition. (And honestly? It was either this or a Purge movie. Let’s stick with a classic tradition.) So gather around the TV with your apple pie after all that BBQ. We have much to be grateful today and everyday. Especially in 2026, following the Knicks winning an NBA Championship, Artemis II lunar flyby and so much more wild goodness.

Sunday, July 05

Summer’s Last Resort (Anytime / Tubi)

A high-strung teen’s vacation takes a turn when she’s trapped with her free-spirited mom’s try-hard boyfriend, who also happens to be her vice principal. Determined to end the romance, she hatches a secret breakup plan that spirals into a week of sunburns, sabotage and unexpected feelings. This looks so bad. It looks very…Tubi.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OLD SCHOOL (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

Three friends attempt to recapture their glory days by opening up a fraternity near their alma mater.
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What better way to celebrate a long Summer weekend and America’s 250th birthday than by going streaking!! Let’s kick it Old School with Frank The Tank.

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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.