Ethermac Exchange-What to watch: Glen Powell's latest is a real disaster

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Here's your official Watch Party weather report: Extremely windy, with a 100% chance of Glen Powell.

Hollywood's hottest actor, who's already notched a top 2024 movie with Netflix's "Hit Man," stars alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and a bunch of tornadoes in "Twisters." This week's newsletter is big on disaster movies, many of which offer us an over-the-top escapist chaos that somehow is even less bonkers than the real world. There's plenty of viewing recommendations from that hallowed canon, plus a tribute to a beloved cinematic icon and some documentaries to check out, especially if you're really into the upcoming Olympics and people who defy gravity.

Now batten down the hatches, hunker in your nuclear bunker and let's get to the good stuff:

Watch Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones wrangle tornadoes in new 'Twisters'

Everything's ripe for a sequel or requel these days, even the 1996 blockbuster "Twister." CGI cyclones – and iffy decisions when it comes to weather – return in "Twisters," which casts Powell as a social-media phenom who enjoys "wrangling" tornadoes and Edgar-Jones as a scientist trying to tame their destructive force. It too often harks back to the original but Powell's charm goes a long way, as does the film's surprising empathy. (Peep my ★★½ review.)

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In a new interview, Powell told my colleague Marco della Cava that he got to hang out with real storm chasers, who were used as extras. "You just land in Oklahoma and everyone talks like an amateur meteorologist, just looking at the sky with excitement," he says. "It was infectious.”

Revisit the wonders of Bill Paxton and the best disaster movies ever

Marco also has a must-read story about how he flew to Oklahoma three decades ago for a set visit on the original "Twister" and star Bill Paxton picked him up from the airport in his pickup truck. "As anyone who knew him will tell you, that was Bill," Marco writes, spinning a tale about his own time on the set as well as memories of Paxton, who died at age 61 in 2017, from Powell, director Jan de Bont and others.

Paxton was the important glue of "Twister" and other movies, including "Titanic." Both make my list of the best disaster movies of all time, a top 20 that features 1970s classics ("Airport," "The Poseidon Adventure") and even some left-of-field choices ("Melancholia," "Take Shelter").

Stream 'Simone Biles Rising,' 'Skywalkers: A Love Story' documentaries on Netflix

If you're gearing up for this month's Paris Olympics, my pal Erin Jensen has a breakdown of the new Netflix docuseries "Simone Biles Rising" (the first two of four episodes streaming now) about the gymnastics GOAT, her mental health and that abrupt withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics. “I never want to look back in 10 years and say, ‘Oh, what if I could’ve done another Olympic cycle or at least tried?’ ” Biles says about going for gold again this year. “I didn’t want to be afraid of the sport anymore.”

Here's one sport you should be afraid of: illegally climbing ridiculously tall buildings and posing for an acrobatic stunt. Not for me! (Playing Madden is as athletically risky as I get.) But Russian couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, the subjects of the documentary "Skywalkers: A Love Story" (streaming now on Netflix), have become Instagram famous for their death-defying outings. "I want to live my life to the fullest," Nikolau tells Marco in an interview. "What’s better, live long and smolder like a coal, or burn bright like a fire? I want to burn bright."

Even more goodness to check out!

• Nicole Fallert, who runs our fantastic Daily Briefing newsletter (smash that subscribe link), chatted with Brittany Snow about "Parachute," her love story about mental health struggles now streaming on Peacock.
• Emmy nominations are out! So now's the time to catch up with the leading shows, including "Shogun" (25 nods including best drama), "The Bear" (23, a record for a comedy series in a single year) and "Baby Reindeer" (the fave for top limited series), before the Sept. 15 ceremony. But feel free to also binge "The Curse" (with Emma Stone) and "Masters of the Air," which both made TV critic Kelly Lawler's biggest snubs list.
• Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins plays a "real deal" Roman emperor in the Peacock gladiator series "Those About to Die."
• Natalie Portman won an Oscar for "Black Swan" but it's not her "most important" performance. That honor goes to *checks notes* "Bluey."

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.