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
Mechanic: Resurrection
Loren: I’ve written about this one before, but I’ll say this I love me some Stath and this movie looks ridiculous. In, down the line but not in the theater.
Rick: I really can’t get enough of watching Jason Statham beat the bejesus out of people. It’s the only reason I sat through Expendables 3 (not really worth it, sadly).
Jen: Jessica Alba in a bikini and Jason Statham in, well, anything, mean there’s something for everyone here. And if, by chance, you’re not into one of them there’s quippy Tommy Lee Jones dressed as a late 90s hacker.
Don’t Breathe
Loren: I might catch this some day as it looks at least pretty original but it starring the girl from Suburgatory and the guy that should be Cable might take me out of it.
Rick: I did not see the Evil Dead remake that Fede Alvarez directed. 1) You don’t need to remake that movie, and 2) Alvarez sounded like such a douchenozzel in an interview I read at the time that I lost interest in watching it. Apparently this flick is good (and original! Be still my beating heart!), but I’m still reticent due to the aforementioned douchiness of its writer/director.
Jen: Interesting, I like the role reversal of the usually helpless home invasion victim becoming in the “monster” of this horror pic. A nifty idea, and, were I not a complete wuss, I might actually see it.
Sea of Trees
Loren: I think this may be too sad and too “real” for my personal taste. I like the people involved though.
Rick: I have a feeling that this is going to be a rough one from an emotional standpoint. The cast is excellent and Gus Van Sant, while not always on point, looks to have put something beautiful together here. Sign me up.
Jen: This feels like an ugly-cry movie. The cast looks great and the setting beautiful, but pack some Kleenex for this one.
Hands of Stone
Loren: It’s hard to see Edgar Ramirez as anything but that terrible version of Bodhi from the new Point Break. Also, I’m like that 2% of guys that isn’t really into boxing movies. I don’t know why. It certainly looks good though.
Rick: Wait. Is that Robert De Niro? Is…is he trying again? Christ, I might have to see this.
Jen: Usher as Sugar Ray Leonard is great casting if he can play it. Insert “No Mas” joke here.
The Hollars
Loren: Another great ensemble cast and Margo Martindale is absolutely one of the best actors out there right now. This actually looks pretty amazing and hopefully will stay on my radar.
Rick: This looks to have the right mix of heartfelt, dramatic, and funny. Plus, it’s hard to beat the cast. In.
Jen: Wow that is a fantastic cast. Can Krasinski direct? I guess we’ll find out. I’m in as well.
Level Up
Loren: Have I already seen this movie? I feel like I’ve seen this movie .
Rick: I like the concept, but I hate the title. It sounds like the title to a Gamer sequel nobody asked for. Oh crap. I typed it out loud. Some executive at Lionsgate is already hiring a writer. Damnit!
Jen: This feels very much like Nerve which just came out a couple of weeks back. The accents do class up the proceedings a bit though. Maybe it will do better.
In Order of Disappearance
Loren: “A Scandinavian mashup of Fargo and Taken”? And I think I saw Tormund Giantsbane in there. Yeah ok this movie, you’ve got my attention.
Rick: Stellan Skarsgård in Scandinavian Taken? *takes out wallet* Here. Just take all of it.
Jen: Well Rick basically covered it. This looks like a good time.
My King
Loren: I’ll probably miss this, it doesn’t really scream “Loren” you know? Emotional Rollercoasters and I aren’t the best of friends.
Rick: I know Maïwenn from High Tension, but had no idea she was a director. Regardless, Vincent Cassel is always excellent (even in the hacky garbage that is Jason Bourne), and few do drama quite as well as the French. I’ll give it a shot.
Jen: Vincent Cassel is perfectly cast – his face just has that “king of the jerks” feel (in a good way). That being said, I don’t think I’ll be catching this with my precious movie-going time.
Southside with You
Loren: I like the idea of a Biopic about a President’s earlier years. And this looks like a cute story about their first date.
Rick: This looks terminally cute, but I feel like I saw everything the movie has on offer in the trailer.
Jen: I love Obama, but not as much as this filmmaker. That casting is pretty fantastic though.
Talent Has Hunger
Loren: I don’t know why but I wasn’t sold by this trailer. I love music and the stories of what it takes to become a great musician, but this looked super slow to me. Maybe if I’m in the right mood.
Rick: Personally, I think musicians are goddamn wizards, which is why I’m inclined to watch documentaries about them. Josh Aronson is no stranger to music docs, and this looks magnificent. Sold.
Jen: This looks fantastic. I love that we follow them for years to truly feel what it takes. I will absolutely look for this when it’s streaming.
Natural Selection
Loren: Woof. It’s never a good sign when they have to put the actors other work under their title cards. And let’s not let them get a pass on how a school shooting movie isn’t really in good taste. Hell, Gus Van Sant couldn’t do one with Elephant a decade ago.
Rick: Not sure how tasteful it is to make something like this given today’s climate. And the Lifetime movie look and feel isn’t helping. So, unless it turns out they’re making an educated statement about gun control and/or mental health, this is a hard pass.
Jen: A bit of surfing tells me this is a Christian film. Makes sense as the antagonist spouts about evolution and natural selection being real. This has dollar bin at the Flying J written all over it.
Equal Means Equal
Loren: I can’t believe that in this modern age we still have to hope that documentaries like this get the word out about the inequality between men and women. It boggles the mind.
Rick: It’s a sad state of affairs that women are still fighting for equal rights. Hopefully this doc gets a wider release to help teach the uninformed how big the disparity is.
Jen: Obviously I am the target audience for this film. It does seem like she’s trying to cover every issue women face in one two-hour doc. Sadly, there’s just too much to cover and it feels like we may not get too deep into any one issue in the rush to include everything. But I hope I’m proven wrong.
TV/Netflix/Blu-Ray
The Kicks (Amazon Original)
Loren: I am not a 13 year old female soccer player, therefore I will probably not be watching this. It does feel like a very niche audience.
Rick: This looks spot on for its audience. I, however, am not its audience.
Jen: If I were twelve I’d have read all of these books and leaping out of my skin in anticipation of the TV version. I am not twelve.
XOXO (Netflix Original)
Loren: Chris D’Elia, Sarah Hyland, and Ryan Hansen all couldn’t get me to be into an EDM Almost Famous. I think I’m good.
Rick: Anyone remember We Are Your Friends? No? How about Rolling? Still nothing, eh? Party Monster? Yeah, but did you see it? No? That’s what I figured. I feel like the people they’re trying to reach with these movies would rather be creating, listening to, and/or dancing to EDM at a club. The only EDM movies worth their salt are documentaries made about the scene. Watch one of those instead.
Jen: No thank you.
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 at facebook.com/hollywoodpicturenews, or @HWPicNews on Twitter. And send in your questions/comments to questions@hollywoodpicturenews.com.
From Hollywood,
–Loren, Rick, and Jen