Weekend Watch – 6/10/16

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.


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)


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.

Genius [Limited]

Loren: Yet another movie that looks really good that I won’t actively seek out. I do like the based on a true story aspect of it and the cast is hard to beat but I know me and I’m not seeing this in the theater.

RDT: Interesting story. Pretty good cast. I’m not gonna run out to see it, but I’m sure I’ll catch it eventually, or completely forget about it.

Rick: I’ve never read a word of Thomas Wolfe’s work, but my lack of knowledge won’t keep me from seeing this.

Jen: Wait so this isn’t about Tom Wolfe? How can there be a Tom Wolfe and a Thomas Wolfe – someone do something about that. This looks chock full of Oscar-baity performances and such, but I can’t help thinking that watching people write for two hours is slightly less interesting than reading what they wrote for two hours.


De Palma [Limited]

Loren: I’ve never been the type of cinefile that goes to see a film because of a certain director. De Palma has made some fantastic movies, I don’t know that I need to hear him talk about them if I’m not the one asking the questions.

RDT: A contemporary of Spielberg, Coppola and Scorsese, I feel like Brian De Palma is a director who falls under the radar a lot. Maybe not as prolific as them, he’s still a solid filmmaker and I’m interested in learning more about his background.

Rick: There’s an argument to be made that De Palma is just aping Hitchcock. He does tend to borrow technique and work with similar themes, but that doesn’t mean the man isn’t talented in his own right. Can you tell I’ll wind up watching this? And that a couple of his movies are on my shortlist for my annual HorrorFest this year?

Jen: I love movies about making movies. De Palma is the King of stylized pictures and it’s an interesting counter-point to have a film about him be so firmly in the “talking head” doc mold, or is it? Either way, I bet DePalma has a thousand fascinating stories and I can’t wait to hear them.


From Afar [Limited]

Loren: There was a very specific framing style at least in the trailer, it makes it have a very interesting look. The film itself looks intense and startling. I won’t say I’m going to see this but it looks pretty good.

RDT: Foreign film with reading? Pass.

Rick: Yep. *adds to never-ending list of things to watch*

Jen: This doesn’t look like the type of film that has a happy ending. Someone please make a foreign film with a happy ending. I’m out for this.


Diary of a Chambermaid [Limited]

Loren: I mean I like Lea Seydoux but not enough to see this. It’s a pass from me.

RDT: Period foreign film with reading? Double pass.

Rick: Movies like this are among my favorite things to watch on a sleepy weekend morning. This gets bonus points for casting Lea Seydoux as the lead.

Jen: Oh nevermind, here’s the foreign film with the happy ending. Just kidding. See above.


King Jack [Limited]

Loren: I don’t know if this is necessarily for me, but the cinematography looks absolutely stunning.

RDT: I’m a bit of a sucker for these coming of age stories (although I hated Boyhood). I’ll give it a watch on the old Netflix machine eventually.

Rick: Reminds me a bit of Jeff Nichols’ Mud with the look of Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl. I’m also a sucker for coming of age movies. Count me in.

Jen: This has a real vintage vibe even though it’s set, very much, in the modern day. That timeless feel might be what convinces me to check this out.

TV/Netflix/Hulu/Blu-Ray/Digital

Casual, season 2 (Hulu)

Loren: I’d need to watch season 1 before I watch this, but I may add it to my (less considerable than RDT’s but still pretty hefty) list of things to watch.

RDT: Though season 1 fell apart a bit in the last episode or two, there is still way more good than bad to this show. The first 2 episodes of season 2 are available and pick right up where season 1 left off. If you’re looking for something with a little more depth, but still pretty funny, check it out.

Rick: I tend to forget that Hulu has original programming. Consider it likely I’ll forget about this a few minutes after I finish typing this entry.

Jen: This looks good. Like Loren, I would need to go back and binge watch season 1 first, but I’m not opposed to binging. I’m also not opposed to binge-watching.


Zootopia (Blu-Ray/Digital)

Loren: I am woefully behind on the Disney/Pixar batch of movies from the last few years. That being said, this has gotten great reviews and I love that Sloth bit from the trailer above. It’s definitely on my list.

RDT: Like the reviews said, this movie is good, like surprisingly good. And cliched though it may sound, it really does have stuff for kids (funny animals, action, bright colors) and adults (meaningful social commentary on racial profiling… I’m not kidding). Great voice cast, too.

Rick: I think I’ve missed every animated movie I wanted to see this year, including this one. *adds to Netflix queue*

Jen: I have a two year old. I will likely watch this, conservatively, 1 zillion times.


Voltron: Legendary Defender, season 1 (Netflix)

Loren: First off, I’m Lions over Cars/Ships (whatever that weird second incarnation was) everyday, so that alone has my interest piqued. I liked the American Anime style this has and it’s slightly different take on the story. I’ll definitely be checking it out.

RDT: If buzz is good, nostalgia might get me to check it out. We’ll see.

Rick: Revamps of 80s cartoon series have been hit or miss over the years. I loved this show as a kid, so I’ll give this series a few episodes. Related: I want this Toy Story Voltron. And the other series was called Voltron I. It had land, sea, and air teams. I do not recall it being spectacular.

Jen: I had a cartoon crush on Lance as a kid and had a three foot tall Voltron with all the associated lions and characters that I “shared” with my little brother. This brought back a lot of memories and I’m hopeful that Princess Allura gets her chance to pilot one of the lions before the series is over. Girl power!

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, Rick and Jen

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