“Palm Springs,” Hulu’s latest hit film by first-time feature director Max Barbakow, takes the familiar “Groundhog Day” trope to new, thought-provoking levels. Caught in a time loop, Nyles (Andy Samberg) wakes up every day with his girlfriend Misty at a Palm Springs wedding ready to take on the day, again and again and again. He has stumbled into a mystical cave that propelled him into a timeless existence. During the various time loops, Nyles acts in different, often disruptive ways knowing that he’ll wake up the next day and none of it will mean anything. He meets Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the fractious self-loathing sister of the bride, who unwittingly enters the loop with Nyles. The film follows Sarah’s madcap efforts to escape — all of which Nyles has already tried to no avail. In the process, the two characters explore the implications of a life of never-endingness.

Though the film was made far before COVID-19 was introduced into our lives, “Palm Springs” prophetically explores the now all-too-familiar themes of feeling isolated and unable to move forward. Sure, it’s also a love story, and very funny in a dark sort of way, but the 90-minute film, produced by The Lonely Island trio of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, also allows you to reflect upon what in life really matters.

“Palm Springs” is streaming on Hulu.

Like so many things, the Eurovision Song Contest was canceled this year because of … you know what. But you can still experience the world’s most over-the-top competition by watching Netflix’s fabulous film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams bring the house down (sometimes literally) as two best friends from the small Icelandic town of Húsavík who dream of following in the footsteps of greats like ABBA and Celine Dion by competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. The only problem? They’re kinda terrible. And accident prone. But somehow the stars align — mostly due to a boat explosion that kills all the other contenders — and Lars and Sigrit head to Edinburgh to represent Iceland.

Directed by David Dobkin and written by Ferrell and Andrew Steele, this delightful musical comedy is the escape from reality that we all need right now … and will have you singing “Jaja Ding Dong” for days. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) is perfectly cast as Russian singer Alexander Lemtov, who takes a liking to Sigrit; Pierce Brosnan plays Lars’ widowed father who has bedded as many women as James Bond; while Demi Lovato adds pop star power despite being dead for most of her scenes. And don’t even get us started on those magical elves.

“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” is streaming on Netflix. 

The Galactic Empire has fallen. The Force has yet to awaken. And as creator Jon Favreau (Chef) would have it, the outer reaches of the galaxy remain untouched by the New Republic where bounty hunters bask in the lawlessness of the old West out in deep space. Beyond the exploits of Boba Fett emerges another mercenary, known simply as The Mandalorian.

The man behind the mask is Din Djarin, a foundling rescued by Mandalorians during the Clone Wars, who’s played by the dashing Pedro Pascal (Triple Frontier). On a desert planet in a seedy cantina, Mando accepts his next assignment to track down a fifty-year-old target, but the prize he seizes turns out to be — Baby Yoda. Or at least a child of the same species. Refusing to turn over an innocent baby, Mando soon finds himself in a laser fight and a chase across the galaxy with multiple bounties on his own head.

With a stellar cast featuring Carl Weathers (Toy Story 4), Rio Hackford (American Crime Story), Gina Carano (Madness in the Method), Werner Herzog (The Simpsons), Nick Nolte (Paradise Lost), Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), Amy Sedaris (No Activity), and Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), The Mandalorian returns us to the magic of Star Wars.

“The Mandalorian” is currently streaming on Disney Plus.

Are you looking for a great escape this summer? Something to take your mind off all the madness in the world? I have just the thing! I am loving Below Deck Mediterranean (a spin-off of Below Deck, both airing on Bravo TV)! I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know. It’s a modern-day Love Boat, the 80s hit series about romance on three-day cruises (every episode featured different stories and a new slate of guest stars). The differences with Below Deck are that it’s not scripted and instead of the guests hooking up, the crew members are!

Everyone doubles up in the tiniest cubby holes for living quarters. The beds are like bunk beds, but for adults. The crew shares these spaces with strangers for about 13 weeks — and of course all the rooms have cameras and are wired for sound. The charters, aka guests, are rich and famous and come aboard with crazy demands. The crew works hard to deliver and it seems to pay well. After each charter the guests usually leave quite handsome tips — probably more to pay for their bad behavior and ridiculous demands than to offer gratitude!

Below Deck Mediterranean is already in its fifth season so there are lots of fun episodes to watch. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one digging this series — it continues to receive accolades galore. Bravo! (See what I did there?) Watch!

Catch “Below Deck Mediterranean” airing on Bravo TV.