Weekend Watch – 01/18/19

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

Wide Release

Glass

Loren: I gave up on Shyamalan directly after The Sixth Sense. This movie will not change that.

RDT: Looks like I’m flying solo on this one. I love Unbreakable, and found Split enjoyable enough. So, given that, and despite the reviews, I’m in for this movie

Rick: I have nothing but disdain for Unbreakable. I do, however, enjoy the hell out of Split. Well, until it ties into Unbreakable. That felt tacked on and entirely unnecessary. That feeling of “but why?” extends to this movie. My dream was that James McAvoy’s character goes completely bonkers and murders everyone. Given that this is rated PG-13 I doubt my dream has been made manifest. This may get a curiosity watch down the line when it shows up on a streaming service I’m already paying for, but it’s getting mediocre to terrible reviews. I have little faith it’s actually worth over two hours of my time.

Jen: Do I need to have seen Split to understand this? Is it enough to know he has a bunch of personalities and is a killer? Will a Wikipedia summary catch me up? Will this movie be completely awesome or suck the big one? So many questions.


The Heiresses

Loren: This is very much not my type of movie but I can tell that the performances are going to be stellar.

RDT: I’m lining up for this one!

Rick: That did not go where I was expecting. Color me intrigued.

Jen: Paraguayan, lesbian drama about class and aging. I’m sure RDT is lining up for this one!


An Acceptable Loss

Loren: There’s a terrible Frankenbite at the beginning of that trailer that really took me out of it. Also, this looks a hell of a lot more like a Showtime Original than a “Major Motion Picture” but I’ll take anything to get more Jamie Lee Curtis out there.

RDT: I think I’d rather see the political drama version of this story, not the political thriller. Also, it looks, like production quality, terrible. I think I’ll pass.

Rick: 1) I am totally on board for (what I’m hoping is) a Jamie Lee Curtis-assance. 2) Why does this whole movie look like it has an Instagram beauty filter applied to it? 3) Political thrillers aren’t really my bag. I’ll probably skip this unless it gets stellar notices.

Jen: Well it passed the Bechdel test and Jamie Lee Curtis as President is inspired casting, I want to support this for two strong female leads in an action-thriller-espionage movie (when do you ever see that?) even though this doesn’t look as strong as I hope it is. Not sure if I’ll actually get to the theater for it but I’ll keep an eye out on streaming.


Adult Life Skills

Loren: This felt like a lot of other movies in the same vein. And reading below that it came out in the UK 3 years ago is pretty gross. I’m sure it’s a fine enough story that I’ll probably never see.

RDT: All this did was remind me that I’m woefully behind on Doctor Who.

Rick: I realize that it often takes time for foreign releases to come to the US, but this movie came out in 2016 in the UK. This reeks of trying to capitalize on Jodie Whitaker’s popularity as The Doctor. As much as I like her as an actress, I’m skeptical that this is any good. Also, I have an irrational dislike for the male lead, who played the awful boyfriend on Derek. I’m sure he’s a fine chap, but that character got under my skin.

Jen: I 100% agree with Rick on this one. This really looks like “Indie Movie: The Indie Movie” and while I love Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor, I’m fine skipping this one.


TV/Streaming

NETFLIX

Carmen Sandiego

Loren: Look, I get that this is for kids but the whole point of the original game and tv show was to help kids learn geography. This looks like a weird version of Kim Possible without the charm.

RDT: I feel like the geography, you know, the whole purpose of Carmen Sandiego, is getting lost in the update. I may be wrong but, given how unlikely I am to watch the show, I’m not gonna find out.

Rick: The original run of this show passed me by, so I can’t comment on what’s been changed/updated. This looks decent, though. I’ll probably check out a couple episodes to see if I get into it.

Jen: I played the video game and watched the children’s game show version in the 1990s and I think this is a pretty decent updating, but will it still be about the geography or just a fun plot-driven action show – either way this is one animation property I could actually get into.


FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Loren: Hahaha fuck these people and fuck VIP music festivals.

RDT: I anxiously look forward to Amazon Prime’s documentary about the competing Fyre Festival documentaries. Damn it. What Jen said.

Rick: The only thing I find fascinating about this whole debacle is that it somehow warranted two different documentaries on competing streaming services (see: Frye Fraud below). Otherwise, I absolutely do not care a lick about this topic.

Jen: I’m excited to watch the documentary about the dueling documentaries on this topic. I’ve heard more about the fact that there are two of them, how they differ, who they each talked to, etc. than about the festival itself – that seems to be where a lot of the story lies.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3I6H4ag8QE

Girl

Loren: Damn. I’m absolutely shocked that a movie of this calibre is on Netflix.

RDT: Well done, Netflix.

Rick: I’ll feel less annoyed that Netflix is bumping their prices up if they keep licensing more movies like this. Also, it would help if they bothered to recommend these types of movies alongside their own content. Just a suggestion.

Jen: That trailer really pulled me in, I really thought it was a documentary for the first minute or so. There’s a lot of controversy around this film which I was completely unaware of until today. I’m definitely interested in this story and where it goes but aware of the potential issues surrounding it, I’m going to give it a shot either way.


Grace and Frankie – Season 5

Loren: Something something not starting a show at Season 5.  I do hear that it’s great though.

RDT: Too far behind to catch up. Great cast though!

Rick: Season 5?! I’m way too far behind to pick this show up now, but good for them for keeping it going.

Jen: This is a show I’ve actually seen every episode of and I don’t plan to stop now. I love Lili Tomlin and Jane Fonda and the rest of the supporting cast is stellar as well. A nice, easy, and funny sitcom. There are so few of those I enjoy nowadays.


HULU

Fyre Fraud

Loren: Again, hahaha fuck these people and fuck VIP music festivals. But also, this one seems more intriguing to me than the other one. Maybe it’s the on the ground footage they used.

RDT: I don’t care about any of these people.

Rick: If you’ve gotten this far, you know my feelings about this nonsense. The fact that this is somehow relevant beyond a news article baffles me.

Jen: See my entry above.


AMAZON

The Grand Tour – Season 3

Loren: I wanted to like this show when I heard about it but it just isn’t Top Gear and that’s all I really wanted from the boys.

RDT: I’m just not a car guy. These shows do nothing for me. I drive a 13-year-old Saturn forchrissakes!

Rick: I love cars, but I can’t get into this show. Every episode I’ve tried to watch has had more “comedy” bits than actual automobile coverage. I’ll stick with the revitalized Top Gear and the auto reviewers I follow on YouTube.

Jen: I haven’t watched Top Gear in ages and I forgot what a huge crush I have on James May. Sigh, he’s the coolest. So, maybe I’ll get my fix with this.


Showtime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2u4nCtyBCo

Black Monday

Loren: I have a lot of TV on my plate (Golden Age and whatnot) but I might have to make room for this.

RDT: I will be watching this thanks to my mom(‘s cable password). Thanks, Mom!

Rick: I may need to start subscribing to Showtime. Just sayin’.

Jen: Sign me up.


CBS ALL ACCESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNVHwg0gq4

Star Trek: Discovery – Season 2

Loren: I enjoyed the first season a whole lot more than I thought I would. I was never the biggest Star Trek fan but this series veers farther away from classic Trek than others have and ends up right in my alley. I’ll be watching.

RDT: I’m also, somewhat shockingly, in. The show is very different from standard Trek and I’m ok with that. I’m more than curious, I’m excited to see where season 2 goes.

Rick: ::shrug:: I kinda want to see this show, but the feeling is so half-hearted that I can’t bring myself to pay for CBS All Access so I can watch it. I realize the first season is out on disc, but meh.

Jen: See Rick’s response above.


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, Instagram at instagram.com/hollywoodpicturenews, or @HWPicNews on Twitter. And send in your questions/comments to questions@hollywoodpicturenews.com.

From Hollywood,
–Loren, RDT, Rick, and Jen

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