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

Independence Day: Resurgence

Loren: Maybe it’s just me but I’m not super into this. I’m not all about the wanton destruction of cities, hence my feelings on Man of Steel. I guess Roland Emmerich and I have a difference of opinion on movies. And that’s fine.

RDT: Nostalgically, I do, kind of, want to see this. But, like Loren says above, I’m also pretty burnt out on city after city after city being destroyed. I dunno, maybe I’ll just see Finding Dory instead.

Rick: I’m down with this. I enjoy me some disaster movies, even the lower-tier Irwin Allen efforts (I’m looking at you, The Swarm). I actually appreciate that they waited twenty years to make a sequel. Not to get all high-minded about it, but it makes sense from a storytelling standpoint. Whether it’s good or not remains to be seen but, for me, all it needs to be is a ridiculous popcorn movie and I’ll be satisfied.

Jen: I had trouble with the mass casualties in the first one so I don’t think my feelings on this will be any different. On the other hand, Jeff Goldblum’s still got it. One the other, other hand, Lesser Hemsworth doesn’t. On the other, other, other hand, what is “it” anyway? I’m running out of hands.

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The Shallows

Loren: That’s a surprisingly good trailer. Look, we all knew Blake Lively was attractive, but I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure she could hold a movie on her own. Hopefully this proves me wrong. I did see a review headline that said this was better than Jaws. I kinda highly doubt that, though.

RDT: I don’t swim in the ocean. Literally, I will not go in past my knees. Why? Because there are things in there. Living things. Things that will eat me (and, based on my diet, one can only assume I would be delicious). Does that mean I won’t see this movie? Dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. **shrugs**

Rick: I feel like this is just a big budget riff on Open Water. Given Sony’s track record with quality movies lately, I have my doubts.

Jen: Is Jaws on Netflix? I really could watch that again right now. I think I’d be more interested if it wasn’t yet another shark movie. Couldn’t it be, I don’t know, a rogue sea lion or something?

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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

Finding Dory

Loren: I heard that this is on pace to make $100 million opening weekend and needs to make $110 million to be the highest opening for a Pixar movie. I have a feeling it will do it. The first one is pretty much a classic and this looks true to form for a Pixar sequel. I don’t think I’ll catch it in theaters, but I’ll definitely see it.

RDT: This movie is going to be a juggernaut. And, from the looks of the reviews, it probably deserves it. That being said, while I’ll definitely see it eventually (it IS Pixar), I’m not sure it’ll be during its run in theaters.

Rick: These characters will always be endearing to me, and I will eventually see this, but I’m actually much more excited about the short that’s debuting with this film. I defy you to watch the teaser for Piper and not get overwhelmed from all the cute.

Jen:  My toddler recently ran through the aquarium grinning from ear to ear and shouting “mo fish, mo fish!” That’s sort of how I felt watching this trailer. I just hope this is a Toy Story-style sequel and not a Cars-style sequel.

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Central Intelligence 

Loren: Just read what RDT and Rick have to say about this one.

RDT: I am conflicted. I love me some Dwayne “TR” Johnson. But I’m not a fan of Kevin Hart’s schtick. So, I’ll probably wait until this hits the Netflix box or HBO Go machine.

Rick: I’m with Ryan on this one. My admiration for Dwayne Johnson holds no bounds, but I feel like Kevin Hart is just playing Kevin Hart in every movie he’s in. Doesn’t do anything for me.

Jen: The tag line is “To save the world you need a little Hart and a big Johnson.” I just felt someone I should add something to the conversation other than the words “see above.”

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Quick caveat to this week’s episode. Loren and I are both recovering from a cold. So our apologies for an congestedness or coughs that made their way through. Anyway, we’re talking sequels and ask the question, are there too many? (Yes, yes there are.) But first, the news (which will mostly be about sequels)! 

• Who is John Boyega playing in Pacific Rim 2?
• Splash is coming back to the big screen. 
• Neal Stephenson’s book Seveneves to be adapted by Ron Howard
• We still have no idea who the new Bond will be
• Ocean’s 8 cast expands, and decreases
• Battlestar Galactica gets a writer, and maybe a director, too!
• An older Vixen (Cougar?) is coming to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
• Nashville will rise again!
• So will Mallrats and Buckaroo Banzai
• And maybe Terriers, too? 
• Netflix has some Stranger Things
• Big Blue Boy Scout, and 5 others, coming to Supergirl in season 2. 
• Lobo???
• Commissioner Gordon got swol
• Suicide Squad rating revealed
• Justice League Action character designs revealed
• Gotham getting poisoned
• Wolverine and Prof. X getting old
• And maybe a title? 
• Who is Scarlet? 

All that and the usual tangents. 

As always, please check out the website, hollywoodpicturenews.com, plus facebook.com/hollywoodpicturenews and our Twitter, @HWPicNews.

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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

The Conjuring 2

Loren: Not for any real reason, but I don’t tend to see the demonic possession or “ghost” movies. Mostly it’s because The Lady™ isn’t a fan. This, however, looks really well done and I’ve heard good things about the first. I may have to check this one out.

RDT: So, apparently, this is the movie to beat this weekend, not Warcraft. That being said, as established in previous editions of the Weekend Watch, I’m not the horror guy of the group. Let me know how it is, Rick!

Rick: The Conjuring is easily one of the best horror movies of the last ten years. It’s about as grounded as a movie of this type can be, and the widespread use of practical effects makes it even more impressive. I’m hoping for more of the same from this sequel. *fingers crossed*

Jen: This trailer is missing that Lili Taylor “hide and clap” scene that got me on the hook for the first one, but I still jumped during it. At this point, horror movies that don’t fall into the torture porn category are automatic wins. I look forward to seeing this as part of double feature at Rick’s in the future.

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Warcraft

Loren: The trailers don’t do it for me. I’m a fan of video games but much less so of the MMORPG-styled games this is based on. I don’t see myself seeing this in the theater. Maybe when it hits streaming, maybe.

RDT: I’m hearing that if you’re a fan of the game, or at least the game’s genre, you’ll be into it. If you’re unfamiliar, not so much. So, for me, not so much. Maybe I’ll just rewatch Moon instead.

Rick: I’m not a Warcraft player, but I was interested in seeing this based on the talent involved. Then I saw the trailer, and it just looks like the game with a couple of human actors dropped into it. I can’t get past it.

Jen: Orcs? Are we in Middle-Earth (she asks hopefully)? No? Oh, OK. A video game you say? Like Duck Hunter? Why haven’t they made a movie of that yet? I’m going to pass on these second-rate orcs, but call me when the Duck Hunter movie is green-lit. (It’ll be next on the slate after Tetris, Centipede, Missile Command, Fruit Ninja etc. etc. -Loren)

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Now You See Me 2

Loren: The first one was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, even though it falls apart in that last act. This looks to be more of the same but you know… bigger. I’ll probably see it the same way I saw the first one, HBO GO.

RDT: I’ve said it before, how is the sequel to Now You See Me not called Now You Don’t!?!?!? Regardless, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first one, though it completely fell apart at the end. Curious to see where they’ll go with this one. I do miss Isla Fisher though. She was pregnant during filming, replaced by Lizzy Caplan playing new character, Lulu. Hopefully, both Lizzy and Isla comes back for Now You See Me 3, which is being talked about for 2017 or 2018 (pending this one’s box office take, of course).

Rick: I’m with Ryan on the title. Even if you don’t go with that title, you use it for the tagline. Anyway, I wasn’t super jazzed by the first one, so I’ll either wait for Netflix or skip it entirely.

Jen: 100% agree with RDT, I hope a marketing person got fired over that title. I do love Lizzy Caplan and this looks like it could be fun. I’m a strong maybe.

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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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Loren: I’ll admit that I was somewhat shocked at how much I enjoyed the first one of these. I’m hearing ok things about the sequel, and sort of the same complaints of the first; the Turtles (and now Bebop and Rocksteady) are pitch perfect but the human characters are pretty terrible. I’ll check it out, maybe not in theaters.

RDT: Much like Loren, I did not have a complete hatred for the 1st one. I really enjoyed the Turtles’ relationship. I’m not gonna rush out to see it, but I’ll probably catch it sooner than later.

Rick: I think I’ll order pizza instead. Delicious, delicious pizza…

Jen: I can’t look at you while I say this. I swooned at Casey Jones’s introduction, I laughed at Rocksteady and Bebop, I thrilled to the parachuting sequence. I won’t see this in the theater, but, STOP LOOKING AT ME, I will likely watch this on my ipad with earphones in and my back to the room and I will love every minute of it. Also, yes, I’m a Donatello.

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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Loren: If I see anything this weekend it’ll probably be this. A list of things this movie has that I enjoy: Music Mockumentary style, The Lonely Island and their music, not so veiled insults at Justin Bieber. It’s like the Loren trifecta.

RDT: I’d like to put $10 down on the Loren trifecta. (I have no idea if I’m using that reference correctly…) Regardless, I’ll see this eventually. It looks funny.

Rick: I fully endorse anything that makes fun of Justin Bieber. I’ll likely catch this on video, though.

Jen: Well, Mona Lisa – the original Basic Bitch – will be stuck in my head for days. That baby playing drums is terrifying though. My hope is this will be as funny as the trailer but I’ve been burned before. I’m a tentative yes for this.

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