Welcome to the Weekend Watch. Where we try to point you towards the best ways to spend your viewing time (or, at least, steer you clear of the garbage).
Movies
Hardcore Henry
Loren: I liked the YouTube video that came before this, but that was only like 5 minutes long. I’m not sure I can watch like 80 minutes of that. Only time will tell.
RDT: Interesting premise, but it looks like 80 minutes of cutscenes. I like playing video games, not watching them. Reviews are pretty good though. Hmmm…curiosity will probably get me to see it eventually.
Rick: The last time this first-person style was attempted was in Doom way back in 2005. It was only in a short segment, but it was effective and kind of fun. At the time I didn’t think it would work for a whole feature, but eleven years on I think it can and there’s a huge audience for it. I’m in.
The Boss
Loren: This certainly looks like a movie.
RDT: I like Melissa McCarthy. And she has a history of starring in good movies with shitty trailers. But the current 17% on Rotten Tomatoes is telling me this isn’t one of those movies.
Rick: My first thought when I saw the billboards pop up around town were, “Is this a mafia movie or a remake of King Ralph?” Looks like it’s neither (thankfully…?). I like Melissa McCarthy a lot, but I’ll probably Netflix this one.
Demolition
Loren: A heartfelt look into feelings that are hard to process. Gyllenhaal looks great here.
RDT: Jake Gyllenhaal is an actor who could easily skate by on his looks, but doesn’t most of the time (looking at you, Prince of Persia). I don’t love everything he does, but the last few years, I’ve appreciated his efforts to work outside the mainstream. I doubt I’ll catch this in theaters, but it’ll definitely stay on my radar.
Rick: What Ryan said, but I’ll see this in theaters.
The Invitation (in theaters and on demand)
Loren: Well that was unnerving, but like, in a good way.
RDT: I feel like I’ve seen this movie before. Meh. (Rick’s thoughts below do have me a little intrigued though….)
Rick: Ryan’s not off base with his feelings, but Drafthouse Films doesn’t release conventional movies of any stripe. There’s something else going on that the trailer isn’t giving away (for once). I’m in.
Louder Than Bombs
Loren: This looks like it wants me to feel things. I hate feeling things. I think I’m out.
RDT: I literally have no feelings one way or the other on this. If I hear it’s good, I’ll check it out at some point. If I don’t, I imagine I’ll forget about it until it pops up on Netflix or HBO Go.
Rick: Eh. I feel like I saw everything I needed to in the trailer.
Wedding Doll
Loren: This looks gorgeous but honestly I’ll probably never see it.
RDT: Damn, it seems like there’s a new foreign film almost every weekend! Just how many other countries are there and who’s letting them make all these movies?!?!?!
Rick: Seems like there’s something sinister afoot, which I wasn’t expecting. I’ll give this a go.
Mr. Right
Loren: The Lady and I saw this trailer a while back and both were like “Yeah, ok!” So I think you guys know what that means… it means I like what I saw and the people in it and will probably see it.
RDT: I love both of these actors. It doesn’t look amazing, but it looks fun. Maybe not this weekend, or soon, but I will definitely see this eventually.
Rick: Reminds me a lot of Grosse Point Blank, which isn’t a bad thing. I’m down.
The Dying of the Light
Loren: A documentary film on the dying art of projectionists. Is this considered meta?
RDT: Not the most exciting subject, but, as a film school graduate, one I am interested in.
Rick: I’m no Luddite. There are huge advantages to digital projection, but there’s definitely something different, not better, but different about seeing a movie projected on film. The fact that projecting it is becoming a lost art makes me sad. If it wasn’t already evident, I’m all over this.
A Space Program
Loren: Is this a joke? What even was that?
RDT: It says documentary, but I don’t get a documentary feeling from it. Dunno. My gut says pass.
Rick: Yeah. I don’t know about this documentary thing. Feels more like a documentary inside of a fictional story. It’s odd enough to grab my attention, though.
Fireworks Wednesday (Limited Release)
Loren: Once again, I’m not sure that this is a film for me. I was a strange film major in college. I always wanted to make the type of movies where things blow up for little to no reason. So these types of films get a little lost on me. I can see what makes them great, they just aren’t for me.
RDT: I’m all for challenging movies. But challenging and I have to read? That’s what books are for.
Rick: I feel a bit remiss that I haven’t seen A Separation. It’s been on my list seemingly forever. I’m adding Fireworks Wednesday right behind it.
April and the Extraordinary World
Loren: I dig it, it’s got a very Miyazaki meets Bioshock meets Triplettes of Belleville feel to it. Plus a talking cat. I like all of those things.
RDT: Ok, this looks pretty cool. Like Rick says below (go read what Rick said before you finish reading mine), I’m also happy to see some traditional animation (even when it makes me read).
Rick: In a landscape dominated by 3D animation, I’m always happy to see a film done in the traditional style. This looks like a fun alternate-past adventure. Sign me up.
TV/Netflix/Blu-Rey
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Loren: We’re going to be talking about the Rogue One Trailer and the Blu Ray extras on the show this week, so it looks like I’ll be picking this up and giving it a watch. I’m ok with that.
RDT: Saw it twice in the theaters and once at home already. Not without its flaws, sure, but I don’t care. I’m in for this movie and I’m back in for this universe. (And goddamn is that a great trailer.)
Rick: Sorry, but I’m that one guy who really dislikes this movie. I could go off on a lengthy rant, but I’ll spare you the vitriol. Suffice to say seeing this once was more than enough for me.
So that’s your upcoming weekend in review. Let us know what you saw, liked and/or hated.
As always, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter. And send in your questions/comments to questions@hollywoodpicturenews.com
From Hollywood,
–Loren, RDT, and Rick