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
Bohemian Rhapsody
Loren: I’m sure that this is going to be good but I’m not sure that I’m going to make time to see it.
RDT: I read a couple reviews saying Rami Malek’s performance is amazing, and the Live Aid stuff is great. But the movie itself is lacking. One review even said it was a disservice to Freddie Mercury’s memory/legacy.
Rick: I think I landed on some of the same reviews as RDT. The fact that this seems to be a cookie cutter biopic frustrates me. I will forever want to see the far bolder version that Sacha Baron Cohen was on board to do. What a waste of an opportunity. At least we still have their music to revel in.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Loren: Yeah but nah, you know?
RDT: Looks real pretty, but not for me.
Rick: This just looks like a mashup of Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia. I mean, it’s pretty, but it doesn’t do anything for me.
Nobody’s Fool
Loren: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Tiffany Haddish is the female Kevin Hart. Nothing about that trailer looked funny to me, except maybe that bit at the end with Whoopi and the bad connection. But only one funny joke and way too much of Ms. Haddish is all I need to know about this one.
RDT: Whatever Loren posts, I agree with 100%.
Rick: There’s a line in the trailer that should be the tagline for this movie: “My sister is a bit much”. It’s also an understatement. I barely made it through two and a half minutes. No way I’d last ninety. Continue reading →
We went off to LA Comic Con once again last weekend. The con has been growing steadily and this year was the biggest yet in it’s short tenure. On top of all the great con stuff, there is always a tremendous amount of Cosplay. Here’s some of the best we saw.
Let us know what you think about these fantastic Cosplays down in the comments!
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
Suspiria
Loren: Well that certainly looks different than the Argento version we just watched. Besides the witches and the ballet school, this looks to be much more “realistic” in it’s violence. As long as it moves at a bit of a faster clip I can see people enjoying this remake. It’s got the right people behind it.
Rick: Like Halloween last week, I’ve been on a media blackout for this movie since the first teaser dropped. I’m incredibly curious how this one turned out.
Jen: Tilda Swinton immediately ups the creep factor of any film. This looks very disturbing and I like it.
Hunter Killer
Loren: I wish that I liked Gerard Butler or cared more for submarine movies. This could be a good couch watch down the road though.
Rick: This looks like just the kind of dumb/overdone action movie I can throw on after a long day at work.
Jen: Hot guys in a submarine, this looks like dumb action fun, I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but wouldn’t shut it off if it appeared on a streaming device.
Johnny English Strikes Again
Loren: I normally like British humor but I’ve never gotten anything from Rowan Atkinson. This looks like a less funny Johnny English movie which are like 2 steps behind Austin Powers movies and like 4 behind Spy with Melissa McCarthy. No thanks.
Rick: Ahhh…mmmm…ehhh…no.
Jen: But I didn’t see the original Johnny English, I think I’d be lost in such a plot-dense story. Continue reading →
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
Halloween
Loren: I’m getting a little tired of the 25+ year later sequels that we’ve been getting but if they’re all done as well as this I might change my position. In.
RDT: This looks really good….and I may even see it….. eventually.
Rick: Apart from the very first teaser trailer I’ve been on a media blackout on this. I won’t have time to catch it this weekend, but I’ll find time next week. Fingers-crossed it’s as good as its early buzz.
Jen: This trailer scared me and I love it! I love Laurie Strode as a sort of Sarah Conner in Terminator 2-style tough chick. The Original Halloween is one of my favorite horror movies of all time and this is, I hope, a worthy follow up.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Loren: I appreciate that Melissa McCarthy is doing something that doesn’t involve her farting and getting slammed into a wall. Don’t be the female Kevin James, never be the anything Kevin James.
RDT: I’m intrigued. I’ll keep it on the radar.
Rick: Is this just now coming out? I saw a trailer for this in the theater like six months ago. Anyway, I’m in.
Jen: Damn you Melissa McCarthy, I just can’t quit you. Except for that puppet movie – I was able to quit that one.
Limited Release
Mid 90s
Loren: I grew up watching skate videos in the mid 90s so this hits a lot of nostalgia feels in that respect, but I also grew up in a small town in Connecticut and didn’t really get into a lot of trouble so I don’t really connect on that level. I’ll give this a go eventually.
RDT: Rotten Tomatoes score is pretty good (88% as of this writing). I’ll check it out once it’s streaming.
Rick: Are the 80s out already? We’re making 90s movies now? I’m curious, but not overly so. I’ll see how the reviews are. Also, that title feels like something marketing came up with. I mean, how will we know when the movie takes place if it’s not in the title? *mouthfart*
Jen: Meh? I don’t trust Jonah Hill as a writer/director yet. Prove me wrong, movie! Continue reading →
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
First Man
Loren: Yeah, that looks pretty incredible. It’s not something I’d normally seek out but I think this one is going to be hard to miss.
RDT: Looks like we’re swinging back into “good movie” season. Count me very much in for this.
Rick: Yep. Definitely checking this out in theaters.
Jen: Well that looks fantastic.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Loren: Nope. If it was an Are You Afraid of the Dark? movie then I’d be all about it, but Goosebumps was even too kidsy for me back then.
RDT: I watched the first one because I’m a fan of Jack Black. It was fine. This one looks fine, too.
Rick: I missed the boat on the Goosebumps books. By the time those were a thing I had been reading Stephen King novels for about five years. I’m sure these flicks are fine, but I don’t have the nostalgia for this I.P. like a lot of people do.
Jen: Similar to Rick, I feel like I’m just a little too old to wax nostalgic for this, but I’m sure there’s a bunch of 90s kids who will love it.
Bad Times At The El Royale
Loren: I’ll ignore the fact that my nemesis is in this and freely admit that I’m super on board for this one.
RDT: I’ve been looking forward to this since the first trailer. Maybe next weekend (I’m very busy this weekend), I’ll do a double feature of this and First Man.
Rick: Excellent cast and I love me some modern noir, but there have been a lot of movies like this in the last decade or so, and precious few of them have landed. Call me cautiously optimistic.
Jen: This isn’t usually my type of film, but I really enjoyed the heck out of that trailer so, yeah, I think I’m going to check this out. Continue reading →
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
A Star Is Born
Loren: 4th time’s a charm? I don’t know, I watched the trailers for the ‘76 and ‘54 versions, and they’re all different but have that same theme. I do think it’s kinda neat that Bradley Cooper was like, “shit, I better get some singing lessons if I’m going to be singing with Lady Gaga”. I doubt I’ll see this in the theater, but maybe sometime down the road.
RDT: I’m into this, way more than I thought I’d be. I’ll keep an eye out for a screening I can tag along to or a screener I can borrow.
Rick: This is something I know I’ll see eventually, but it’ll likely be via a screener.
Jen: Yes, please – I cannot wait for this one.
Venom
Loren: I still think this movie looks REALLY bad. I’ll probably end up seeing it so we can talk about it on the podcast but I kinda don’t want to. I still have a fundamental problem with a Venom movie without Spider-Man. Also, I don’t know what accent Tom Hardy is doing but it isn’t right.
RDT: I’ve heard it’s unintentionally hilarious. So, I might catch it Saturday morning. (How are Rick and Jen seeing this for free?)
Rick: I have seen this movie. It is, quite frankly, a near-complete mess. It starts out as a promising sci-fi horror film but quickly devolves into a muddled piece of work that has no clear identity. Without question a mountain of rewrites and reshoots were employed to try and craft the story into something that would appeal to 1) a teenage audience and 2) people who liked Deadpool. Seriously. The Venom symbiote talks with the same quippy cadence as Ryan Reynolds. I think Tom Hardy knew this was becoming a turkey and gives a ‘fuck it’-style performance that is as baffling as it is, at times, genuinely funny. There are too many plot holes/contrivances to mention. The most base of character motivations pilot what little there is of a plot. The action sequences are gobs of quick cuts, loud music, and messy, 1997-era CGI. The mid-credits tag is painful and was surely the result of a favor called in by the director. The best thing about this whole experience was getting to see an extended scene from the upcoming animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Which, by the by, Sony plops at the end of the credits without context, or bothering to tell you it’s from an actual movie, or when you can see it. Why would you put that in there and not tell people what they’re watching? It’s clearly there to get people excited for that movie. I mean…I just…
Sony just needs to stop making genre movies. They clearly have no idea what the hell they’re doing. Though, people in this screening applauded at the end of this trash boat’s voyage, so what the hell do I know?
Jen: (what Rick said)
The Hate U Give
Loren: It’s got to say something that we have had a string of movies about this subject matter. Write what you see and all that. This has a good cast and looks well made. I hope it can stand out from the crowd.
RDT: Yet again, an unfortunate story worth telling. And a film that looks like it’s worth watching.
Rick: It bothers me that we live in a time where stories like these are the norm rather than the exception. At least people’s voices are getting louder and more widespread. Hopefully they can help usher in some much needed change.
Jen: This looks like a powerful story with a strong cast. I usually seek out films for the escapism, this is definitely not that kind of movie, but they seem the have mixed a strong, important message, with an amazing looking cast in a solid-looking package. I hope this gets the notice it deserves, I know I’ll be checking it out. Continue reading →
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
Smallfoot
Loren: It’s a cute idea for a story and a fun voice cast. I can’t see myself running out to the theater for it but I’ll watch it at home at some point.
RDT: I like the voice cast….and that’s about it.
Hell Fest
Loren: What if Halloween Horror nights was real. Sure why not.
RDT: Scary = no RDT.
Night School
Loren: Maaaan, I really like Taran Killam but that movie is not for me. I don’t find either Kevin Hart or Tiffany Haddish funny so there’s that.
RDT: To date, I have only liked Kevin Hart in Jumanji. I don’t expect that to change until the next Jumanji. Maybe… Continue reading →
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
The House With A Clock In Its Walls
Loren: Sure it may be trying to be the next Harry Potter but it looks like a lot more fun than some of the others that have tried. I’ll definitely see this eventually.
RDT: Much like Jen said below, this is horror more for me, a 41-year-old man. I doubt I’ll see it at the cinema, but I’ll keep it on my radar.
Jen: This is a horror movie my speed, i.e. for children. I am skeptical of Jack Black in this role but Cate Blanchett more than makes up for any misgivings. I will try to give this a watch. Get it? Watch, clock! Ha!
Assassination Nation
Loren: WellThatEscalatedQuickly.gif Also, I don’t even use an iPhone but still checked to see if I got a text like 3 times during that trailer because of the sound effects. That’s annoying. Otherwise I think I’m in for this. It’s different enough from others like it to keep my interest.
RDT: I feel like I’ve seen this movie before, like, a lot. Pass.
Jen: So Heathers meets The Purge with a Salem witch trial allegory woven in? It’s not the worst pitch I’ve heard.
Colette
Loren: That looks really great and I’ll probably never see it. I mean, maybe, but yeah probably not.
RDT: You know, I didn’t think I was going to be into that. But that trailer really pulled me in.
Jen: This looks delightful. I’m not a huge period piece fan, but this really drew me in. I didn’t know Collette’s story other than writing the Claudine books and Gigi, but would love to see more. Continue reading →
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).