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
Downsizing
Loren: I think I’ll catch this on the… wait for it… small screen. YES!!! They don’t get better than that people!
RDT: I like most of what I’ve seen of Alexander Payne. But I just can’t get pumped for this. I’ve heard very mixed things, too. I’m not a definite “no,” but more likely a “wait until streaming.”
Rick: This looks like fun, but I’m not super geared up to see it.
Jen: I chuckled at the trailer, but not enough to make me run out and see this. I like Alexandre Payne, but I’ve never loved any of it, so I think, like Ryan, I’d wait for streaming on this one.
Father Figures
Loren: No. Just no.
RDT: This movie is 125 minutes long. 2 hours, 5 minutes! No comedy should be that long. Regardless, I feel like I’ve seen it before….like a lot. Pass, until streaming at least.
Rick: Nope. Not even if it were half its current running time. To RDTs point about long comedies: You can get away with comedies near the two hour mark. The Blues Brothers (2hrs 28 min), Ghostbusters (1hr 47min), Animal House (1hr 50min), Stripes (2hrs). I think the difference here is the quality of the content transcends its run time.
Jen: Long sigh. It just looks too much like every other movie of this ilk. A lot of “guys being guys.” I’m kinda over it.
The Greatest Showman
Loren: Wolverine IS P.T. Barnum the musical! It’s so crazy that it has to work. Right?
RDT: Not a fan of circuses. Like zoos and aquariums, they make me sad.
Rick: I’m always willing to give a big, bombastic musical a shot. There are so few made anymore. Plus, I enjoy that Hugh Jackman fellow.
Jen: I get a REAL Moulin Rouge vibe off of this film. Which could be good or bad depending on who you are. I’d like to give it a shot and hope for the best, but I’m keeping my expectations low.
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
Ferdinand
Loren: Oh John Cena’s voice, what are you thinking going against Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Just replace “me” with this movie in the following gif:
RDT: I understand Star Wars is PG-13, but still. Isn’t every kid in the world going to see that this weekend? I mean, Rick is totally right below. Makes no sense releasing this now. As for the quality of the trailer? Meh.
Rick: I question the logic in releasing this against Star Wars. I mean, there was no way this movie was going to do super well. Why not release it the week before and at least get some of your budget back. Why completely hamstring it?
Jen: The ad for this pops up during “Trolls Holiday” (which we’ve watched more than a couple of times) and every time my daughter makes me fast forward through it. If my almost 4YO is bored by it then I don’t know how well it would fare even without the competition.
Loren: I’m kinda down with the whole resurgence of the Western. I might check this out down the road, but this week it’s all about Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
RDT: It’s A24, so I’ll at least give it a shot. Also, I’m not opposed to checking out a western now and again.
Rick: This looks to have everything I wanted out of the Magnificent Seven remake minus all the garbage. I found it via Amazon on-demand and already added it to my queue.
Jen: I really want to love Westerns you guys, but unless there are androids I’m out.
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
Just Getting Started
Loren: Wow, I guess even octogenarians have boat payments. That looks awful. I don’t think the world needs anymore, “look we’re old but still have zany hijinks” movies. No thanks.
RDT: I couldn’t even make it through the trailer. If you were going to see this (well, you’re probably not reading our site but if you were), don’t. See Lady Bird instead.
Rick: How is this the only wide release movie this week? Is everyone that afraid of The Last Jedi? Also, this looks terrible.
Jen:
Limited Release
Along for the Ride
Loren: I don’t know that much about Dennis Hopper, and I think I’m ok keeping it that way.
RDT: Yeah, like Loren said, I’m good with my current Hopper knowledge level.
Rick: By most accounts Dennis Hopper was nuts. I am, however, interested in just how nuts he was. And the era of filmmaking he helped usher in is endlessly fascinating to me. I’ll keep this on my radar.
Jen: This looks like a solid and interesting doc. I’d watch a whole film on just the Lynch/Hopper relationship alone.
Big Sonia
Loren: I was prepared to say that I don’t want to watch another survivor’s story, but this really captured me. She seems so strong and caring. In.
RDT: Not to be insensitive. I’m sure hers is a story worth telling, and seeing. But…yeah…I don’t know that I’ll ever get around to seeing it.
Rick: I’m interested, but I don’t know that I’m feature documentary-interested. I think I’d prefer reading about her.
Jen: Bring on the docs, this lady looks amazing and I could use a good cry.
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 Disaster Artist
Loren: Having not seen The Room I feel like this will be lost on me.
RDT: I feel like I need to see The Room first. There’s gotta be a double-feature playing somewhere, right?
Rick: I know many of us at the HPN’s Preferred Franco™️ is Dave, but I have a lot of time for the Original Franco™️. Having experienced The Room in all its glory, I’m anxious to see how this turned out.
Jen: If wanting to see a movie where the Franco brothers have homoerotic tension is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Wonder Wheel
Loren: Who would have thought that Woody Allen would try and bridge the story between Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos. Anyway… here’s Wonderwall.
RDT: The older I get, the less I get Woody Allen. Unless reviews are amazing, I’m likely out for this.
Rick: *checks watch* Is it Woody Allen movie season already? Man, this year has flown by.
Jen: Is this part of the Jim Belushisance I’ve been hearing nothing about? Do you think he gets a lot of roles that would have gone to James Gandolfini?
Limited Release
24 Hours to Live
Loren: I was already kinda in, and then *wham* Ser Davos shows up. In.
RDT: Looks kinda fun in a Crank meets 24 way. Sure, I’ll give it a shot on the old streaming box.
Rick: Things I enjoy: well-choreographed action sequences and revenge movies. That’s two big boxes ticked for this one. Sure, they stole the implanted countdown clock from In Time, but this looks explodey and punchy enough to make me forget that little transgression.
Jen: This looks…fine. Not for me, but fine, nonetheless.
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
Coco
Loren: When Pixar is good, it’s great. I’m hoping that this falls in line. It looks pretty stellar.
RDT: I tend to see most (sorry, Cars 2 & 3 ) Pixar movies. Maybe not in the theater, but I’ll definitely see it eventually.
Rick:
Oh, wait. Is this not about WWF legend, Koko B Ware? Well, I guess I’ll still give it a shot.
The Darkest Hour
Loren: That Gary Oldman is pretty good, huh? I’m not sure that I’m into the movie per se, but his performance could get me to see it.
RDT: Dracula, Sirius Black, Commissioner Gordon, Beethoven (just to name a few) and now Winston Churchill. Gary Oldman is crazy talented and that will get me to see this…eventually.
Rick: Jesus, Gary Oldman can vanish into any role. I swear he’s going to wind up starring as Meryl Streep in her inevitable biopic.
Limited Release
1945
Loren: Are we following Nazi sympathizers as the main characters here?
RDT: This one is not for me.
Rick: I think I know where this story is going, but if it stays on my radar I’ll give it a go.
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
https://youtu.be/JWTLdrIK4FI
Justice League
Loren:
RDT:
Rick: The absurdity of Aqua-bro makes me laugh. But, otherwise:
Jen:
Wonder
Loren: I tried for a while and couldn’t come up with anything to say about this. It doesn’t look bad or anything, it just looks like a movie.
RDT: I have no idea what to think about this. Regardless, I am likely not going to see it.
Rick: This movie might turn out to be heartwarming, but you get the entire narrative arc laid out for you in the trailer. Absolutely zero surprises.
Jen: This looks fine. Sweet and…fine.
The Star
Loren: You get a boat payment, and you get a boat payment, and you get a boat payment!
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
Murder on the Orient Express
Loren: I love this story, and am excited to see it play out with modern film techniques. I’m not sure I’ll make it out to theaters for this one but I’m definitely seeing it.
RDT: I just cannot get over that mustache. It takes me out of it every time I see it.
Rick: I have nothing but love and admiration for said mustache. Also, I love that I live in a city where I can see it projected 70mm. Definitely seeing this one in theaters.
Jen: YES! I’ve been looking forward to this since the trailer dropped. The cast is fantastic and a locked room mystery is to enticing to ignore.
Daddy’s Home 2
Loren: Nope. Even without the Mel Gibsonness of it, I wouldn’t want to see this one.
RDT: Ok, so I saw parts of the original on my cruise last year and it was…fine…when you’re stuck in a room with nothing else to watch. As for this, meh. It doesn’t look great, and I’m not quite back on the Mel Gibson bandwagon yet.
Rick: Not even John Lithgow’s presence is enough for me to give this a shot.
Jen: NO! I thought I’d have more to say, but I don’t. NO!
LBJ
Loren: That looks like a pretty decent Biopic, but I had a lot of trouble getting past Burn Notice as Kennedy. Solid maybe.
RDT: Another awards season, another biopic in which I have no interest.
Rick: Apparently Woody Harrelson is great, but not much else is. I’ll wait for a screener.
Jen: MAYBE! LBJ is a fascinating figure and Harrelson has the style to play him (there’s a thin line between Johnson and Larry Flynt) but this trailer doesn’t show me that they want to go as far as they should. This is a time period of US history that I am obsessed with so I’ll likely give it a go based on that, but my expectations are tempered.
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
Jigsaw
Loren: Nah, I don’t care about his origins? Solo adventures? Cooking classes? I’ll be honest I didn’t even watch this trailer.
RDT: I haven’t seen a single Saw. So I doubt I’m gonna start with this one.
Rick: I’ve seen all of them in the theater thus far, even the utter waste of a great concept that was Saw: 3D (I’ll spare you all my rant about that movie). We’re seven years removed from the last sequel. Hopefully Lionsgate has simmered down in the interim and actually tried to make something at least halfway decent. I’m not expecting original Saw quality, but I’d at least like it to measure up to Part II, III, or VI.
Jen: Oooo, they’re getting clever with the title here. Good to see there’s something horror-related for Halloween weekend, but I’m not up-to-date on the Saw-verse so I think I’m good.
Suburbicon
Loren: I saw this trailer a while back and honestly thought it had already come out. I won’t rush out to the theater to see this but I’ll probably catch it eventually.
RDT: I’m hit and miss with both Clooney as a director and the Coen Bros. in general. And, I gotta say, this feels more miss to me.
Rick: I’m not in a super rush to see this. I think I can wait for home video on this one.
Jen: I watched the trailer a few months ago and remember Clooney coming out soon after to correct assumptions that it was a comedy to let people know it’s really a drama/thriller. I appreciate tempering trailer expectations, but maybe just cut a better trailer?
Thank You For Your Service
Loren: The Miles Teller of all of this gives me pause. That coupled with the fact that this feels extremely ham-fisted will probably keep me away.
RDT: What everybody else said? Yeah, me too.
Rick: I saw this movie when it was called American Sniper. Unless this somehow breaks new dramatic ground that isn’t evident in the trailer, I think I’m good.
Jen: The plight of our veterans is incredibly important but another movie telling the same story doesn’t feel like it’s doing them any favors. I’m sure this is fine, I just don’t need to watch this same story yet again.
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
Geostorm
Loren: I can’t even believe that this is a real movie.
RDT: I once thought nothing could be more ridiculous than outrunning the cold (The Day After Tomorrow). Then I saw this trailer. It will not get my money in theaters, but it will get time when streaming.
Rick:
Also, I’m all over this. I love disaster movies.
Jen: This is the perfect movie for Gerard Butler. If you think that’s high praise then you will not be disappointed.
Only the Brave
Loren: I have never been one for firefighter movies or Miles Teller movies for that matter. I don’t think this one will get added to any list of mine anytime soon.
RDT: This is a great cast…and Miles Teller. Feels a little on the melodramatic side. I could see myself giving a watch at some point.
Rick: I echo RDT. I foresee a lot of melodrama, but it has a similar feel to Deepwater Horizon, which is actually decent. Unless it gets completely savaged critically, I may give it a shot.
Jen: A bunch of white men controlling the action and destructive fires. Sounds like a nice escape from reality.
The Same Kind of Different As Me
Loren: I honestly don’t know what that was about. Also, I had zero clue that was Renee Zellweger. She’s not even the same person anymore.
RDT:
Rick:
Jen:
The Snowman
Loren: I used to love thrillers like this when I was younger, but I haven’t watched one in years. This looks okay. I like the winter/UK setting, but it’s also getting pretty terrible reviews. I’m going to pass but might give it a go down the road.
RDT: Absolutely nothing about this is grabbing me. Some of it is even a little laughable. Pass. (Rick, let me know how the books are…)
Rick: I can’t deny that the story, cast, and director are endlessly appealing, but I’d like to read the books the Fassbender character is featured in first (The Snowman is the seventh book in the series, BTW). Looks like I have a lot of reading to do…
Jen: There’s a lot of negative buzz surrounding this and not much that’s making me look past that to seek it out. I’ll pass.
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 Foreigner
Loren: I’m interested in this for serious Jackie Chan but I want it to look better. It won’t be in the theater but I’ll check this out down the road for sure.
RDT: I’m definitely intrigued by this. I’m only really familiar with comedy Jackie Chan. I’m way behind on movies right now, so probably not in the theater. But yeah, it’ll stay in my radar.
Rick: It’s nice to see the more serious side of Jackie Chan come to U.S. theaters. He’s made plenty of movies with this type of tone in Hong Kong (the Police Story series is a standout), but most of them rarely even hit video stateside. Count me in.
Jen: I probably won’t see this, but I must admit it looks good. I’m glad to see the range on Jackie Chan that I, for one, didn’t know existed. Well done, sir.
Happy Death Day
Loren: This looks dumb, but I think that’s kinda the point. Another one that I’m not rushing out to the theater to check out but if it comes across my path, say at a movie night at Rick’s house, I might be inclined.
RDT: I don’t want to want to see this, but I kinda want to see this. Dumb, I know. I won’t pay for it though. If (when) it shows up streaming, I’ll give it a watch.
Rick: So, Groundhog Birthday? Sorry, but if you’re the lead in this movie and you figure out what’s happening say, after the second reset, this is the solution: you Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street this shit and booby trap the hell out of wherever you’re holding up; preferably a room with one door. You acquire any and all weapons and supplies you can, and wait for creepy baby mask person to show up. The only way this concept has legs is if this happens to the lead while they’re in a foreign country and they don’t know the language. Even then, my original solution still applies. Also: Pass.
Jen: I’m surprised to say this, but I totally agree with RDT. Call me when you’re going to watch it and I’ll join you on your couch.
Marshall
Loren: Was that Mrs. Murtaugh stepping out on Roger? Oh, the movie, yeah it looks pretty ok and is a subject that is really interesting and important right now. I’m hoping it’s better than that trailer makes it look.
RDT: It’s an interesting story, and I love most of the cast (sorry, Josh Gad), but I did not enjoy that trailer at all. It’s got an odd vibe to it. Still, I’ll likely check it out eventually.
Rick: One of the best things about Selma was, instead of trying to jam the entirety of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life into one movie, they picked a seminal event and focused on it. It allowed for an incredible amount of depth in both character and context. This looks to be taking a similar approach and, hopefully, it’ll be the better than the trailer makes it look.
Jen: My husband and I watched this trailer together and at the end he said, “I don’t know if it’ll be good or not,” which is unhelpfully vague, but sort of how I felt. I’m excited for the cast and story, but it almost looks too slick? I’m willing to give it a go to find out.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
Loren: This is something I knew a little bit about and I’m not sure I need a 90 minute dramatization of it to entertain me. Maybe if I hear it’s amazing, but probably not.
RDT: I feel like I should want to see that, but it didn’t really enthrall me. I’m sure I’ll see it eventually, but for now, I think I’ll stick to the comics (and maybe the article linked by Rick below).
Rick: I read an excellent article about this a few years ago in Smithsonian Magazine. Considering how in depth it was, I’m not sure I need to watch the movie.
Jen: I am going to read that article ASAP. But first, let me say that I am surprised how unexcited we all are about a movie about a comic book author in a long term threesome.
