Weekend Watch – 06/21/19

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

Toy Story 4

Loren: I really feel like this story wrapped up nicely in the last installment and don’t feel like this is necessary. But I said the same thing about Toy Story 2, so what do I know?

Rick: Disney: the company that’s unwilling to quit while it’s ahead. As unnecessary as this movie is, apparently it’s good…? I’m unlikely to catch this in theaters, but I’ll see it eventually.

AJ: Awwww, I just adore Tom Hanks as Woody. And I like this bad-ass version of Bo-Peep.

Jen: This feels unnecessary but Forky could be great and, who am I kidding, I have a five-year-old.


Child’s Play

Loren: While I agree with Rick about the voice casting, I also agree with him about wanting to see this. It looks like a pretty decent update to the property and could actually have some good scares. In.

Rick: Things I love about this: 1) The Buddi doll is almost entirely done with animatronic effects. 2) The tone seems in keeping with an actual horror movie and not the horror-comedies that every sequel took on. 3) Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry. Thing I’m not so keen on: the voice acting. I love Mark Hamill, but he wouldn’t have been my first choice. Or second, even. He sounds too much like Brad Dourif. If you’re going to recast/reboot, make the voice distinctly different. I’d have geared the performance to be more gentle like a generic child’s toy instead of outright evil sounding, cast someone like Bill Hader or Adam Scott, or simply given the doll no voice or some sort of broken, digital gibberish sound when it tries to speak. Regardless, I’ll see this in theaters.

AJ: I don’t do horror movies but have you seen the “anti Toy Story” marketing campaign for this? Fucking hilarious. (See also: This. And this.)

Jen: I was just about to make a Toy Story/Chuckie joke but luckily, per AJ, marketing beat me to it. Way to go marketing team.


Anna

Loren: For the most part I like Luc Besson movies, I even saw Lucy in the theater. (It was bad but hey, I tried). This looks more like some of his earlier work and I think I’m kinda down. I doubt I’ll see this in the theater but it’s going to be a fun couch viewing.

Rick: Luc Besson seems to be obsessed with assassins/highly skilled killers (see also: La Femme Nikita, The Professional, Lucy, Columbiana, Danny the Dog, The Transporter, Taken). These efforts have been largely successful and more excellent than not. Here’s hoping this is more Nikita and a lot less Lucy/Columbiana.

AJ: Who hurt you, Luc Besson? Rick has a point. Jen has a point. I’m worried about Luc. (I agree – Lucy was so ridiculous.)

Jen: How does Luc Besson know so much about hitmen? Is HE a hitman? Are the movies just a cover? I see you Besson.


Limited Release

Wild Rose

Loren: I usually don’t gravitate to these music dramas, but the Scottish flare has me at least a little interested. Solid maybe.

Rick: I only know Jessie Buckley from Taboo, and she’s one of the best things about that weird-ass series. Apparently she’s an accomplished vocalist, so all of the singing in the movie is actually her. Overall this looks like a solid drama. I’m in.

AJ: I like this take on a country music film. It’s certainly not Country Strong and that’s a very good thing.

Jen: I’ve heard some good things about this and Jessie Buckley does look great. I could give this a watch when it gets to streaming.


Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Loren: I knew of her stories, but not her story. As cheesy as that sounds it’s true. Hopefully this stays on my radar.

Rick: Yes, please.

AJ: Hmmmmm…… I am hesitant to confess this. I do not care for her writing style. Perhaps that is because I’ve only read her books as forced reading in school but who knows. That said, I definitely appreciate the importance of her work and while this doc doesn’t feel like a “must see” for me right now, I will probably stream it at some point down the line. I’m sure her story is interesting.

Jen: It’s hard for me to say no to a doc, but this is lower on the priority list I think than some others.


The Quiet One

Loren: Wait, there were other members in the Stones besides Mick and Keith? Who knew.

Rick: I’m totally in for this. It’s definitely not the typical rock doc we keep getting over and over again. The preservationist in me is squeeing with excitement over the meticulously kept archive of material, and the lover of unfiltered rock stories is itching to sink into this movie and get taken on a journey.

AJ: 100% YES. This looks amazing. I am so especially fascinated with any doc with an abundance of archive footage like this. Who takes the time to save it? Who has that foresight? I love that. (Not that I am going to have a doc made about me someday, but I am the person in my family who does this.)

Jen: I am so jealous of the researcher who got to work on this. This is my bag, baby.


The Command

Loren: Confession time; I don’t really care for submarine movies.

Rick: You can tell the budget is a little low, but there’s incredible talent all over this movie. I’ll keep an eye out for it.

AJ: God, Colin Firth just gets sexier and sexier as he gets older. And in a uniform…. Man. Wait, what was I supposed to be doing?

Jen: That looks tense but I can’t resist a submarine movie.


Round of Your Life

Loren: Rick and I once went to a bachelor party weekend with some friends and watched so much golf in between drinking and eating barbeque. What about this movie? Oh, I don’t care about this movie.

Rick: Things I don’t need in my life: golf and faith-based cinema. There’s an ‘over par’ joke in here somewhere, but it’s just not coming to me.

AJ: Allow me, Rick. This looks like a real Double Bogey.

Jen: Fairway to Heaven?


Nightmare Cinema

Loren: Though some of the stories look clichéd, this looks pretty entertaining. Maybe some day.

Rick: I enjoy a good horror anthology, and this one has some solid people at the helm. Definitely in.

AJ: If Rick is willing to see this, than I know I should not. Nightmares for days. Nope.

Jen: Nightmare indeed, maybe through my fingers, or from Rick’s kitchen?


Ladies in Black

Loren: I always find it a little fascinating to see how other cultures look at different time periods. I don’t know that I’d watch this whole movie but hopefully Patsy Walker meets her man.

Rick: This looks endlessly charming. It has a similar feel to some of the lighter dramas from the 1940s/50s. I’ll give it a spin.

AJ: I love Rachael Taylor. And also this looks delightful. I will definitely go see this.

Jen: Delightful is absolutely the word I’d use AJ, we should check this out!


Burn Your Maps

Loren: My roommate went to Mongolia once. Said it was really cool. But I don’t know that I care about this story.

Rick: Heartwarming? Yes. Will I ever see this? Nope.

AJ: This has been sitting on a shelf for three or four years (hint: Jacob Tremblay is 13 now) and I’m guessing that’s for a reason….

Jen: What about her daughter? She just up and leaves her? I don’t really get this. I’ll pass.


TV/Streaming

NETFLIX

Adam Devine: Best Time of Our Lives

Loren: I didn’t know Adam Devine did stand up. Neat. I’ll give it a whirl at some time.

Rick: *half-hearted shrug* Maybe? Probably not, but maybe?

AJ: Maybe someday after I get through the 900 things in my current Netflix queue.

Jen: I could listen to this as I try to fall asleep I guess.


Beats

Loren: Well that’s two wildly different music dramas this week that have caught my attention. I think this one will be infinitely easier to track down seeing as it’s already on a service I pay for, so if I only see one of those flicks it’ll probably be this one.

Rick: First off, I’m glad this is a movie and not another thirteen episode series that should only be around eight episodes. Second, this looks like an excellent character drama. Sign me up.

AJ: I’m on the fence. I guess at this point, my pocketed answer for anything on Netflix that looks even remotely intriguing is “someday.” It’ll always be there.

Jen: I continually enjoy Anthony Anderson and this looks worth my time, I’ll be sure to give it a peek.


The Edge of Democracy

Loren: Well that looks terrifyingly reminiscent of where we are here in the US.

Rick: I know nothing about Brazilian politics, but this looks fascinating. I’ll add it to the queue.

AJ: This has been earning stellar reviews so I’ve been waiting for it to become available. And I think that right now, it couldn’t hurt to learn a little more about political cultures outside of our own.

Jen: This looks fantastic – to the queue!


Dark Season 2

Loren: I never caught Season 1 but I think The Lady™ ate it up.

Rick: I’ve had this series in my queue since it dropped. Once I finish Jessica Jones I’ll probably pick it up.

AJ: Not for me but looks like some of y’all would love it.

Jen: How did I miss season 1 of this??? I might start binging tonight!


HULU

The Bravest Knight

Loren: Not for me but very cute.

Rick: Definitely for younger kids, but it looks cute. Similar animation style to Blue’s Clues. I’ll watch an episode just to get a feel for it, but I won’t keep up with it.

AJ: Aw, that’s cute. I am excited to watch stuff like this with my nephew when he’s old enough.

Jen: Adorbs, we’re in for this!


HBO

Years and Years

Loren: I don’t know what this is and I’m intrigued. This may be the next series for The Lady™ and I.

Rick: As good as this looks, it’s just another reminder of how awful things are in the world today and how much worse they could get. I really don’t need more of those.

AJ: I think I posted this trailer on Facebook when it first dropped – something about how it felt so REAL. And I am in such a fangirl space for Emma Thompson these days. So will totally watch this.

Jen: I want to see Emma Thompson go full Trump, even if it terrifies 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 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, Rick, AJ, andJen

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