We would use more humor in our lives, especially today. Every time you turn around, something massively dangerous and demoralizing is happening. Mass shootings, pandemics, political divisiveness & corruption, inflation, road rage, drive-bys, random attacks on people, and extreme weather events test our stamina and psyches. It is almost too much to take in and digest. I'm noticing more people are anxious and 'bent out of shape.' But anxiety, in uncertain and challenging times, is a natural reaction to constant trauma. The world's events are creating a collective trauma the likes most of us have never experienced before. Life always presents problems, but it is an overload, pure and simple.

That's why I would love to see more quality comedies written and produced. And there are a few good ones out or coming out shortly. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris was released on July 15. The British comedy offers an original script about a widowed woman who works as a cleaner in 1950s London. She falls in love with a couture Dior frock she spots and then has to have it. Her quest for the dress takes her to The City of Lights. Lesley Manville stars as Mrs. Harris, the charwoman, in the charming film directed by Anthony Fabian, who also wrote the screenplay. The film takes us back in the time machine to a gentler era--a welcome trip to escape from the rigors of 2022 for at least 90 minutes. I found the movie to be light and enjoyable. On Rotten Tomatoes, 108 critics rated it an average of 94% on the Tomatometer, while audiences gave it a close 93% score.

One movie I'm looking forward to is The DC League of Super Pets. Just picture animation with a dog flying around courageously with a red cape floating in the air. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) and Kevin Hart star, respectively, as Krypto the Super-Dog and Ace, Batman's dog. Vanessa Bayer is the voice for Wonder Woman's pig, PB. Superman and Krypto team up and fight crime together in Metropolis. And Krypto is put to the test as a hero going solo when Superman is kidnapped. The film is pure escapism with A plus animation. Jared Stern wrote and directed his first animated movie. The DC League of Super Pets will be released in theaters and stream on July 29.

A sequel to the original Sister Act is in production. Whoopie Goldberg will revise her role as Sister Mary Clarence. The character was actually lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier who went undercover as a nun in the witness protection program because she accidentally saw her boyfriend do a hit. Goldberg's decent singing voice helped her lead the student choir. The movie received favorable reviews and grossed $230 million. It was a better film than Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Madhuri Shekar will write, Tim Federle will direct, and Kathy Najimy and Maggie Smith will reprise their roles for Sister Act 3-- release date TBD.