I’ll tell you what I want, what I really want.”
“Oh yeah, what is it: the definitive football movie?”
“None! Something about vampires/zombies that people who hate vampire/zombie movies/shows actually like?”
“So people who hated Zombieland, 28 Days Later, etc. Even the ones who didn’t like Interview with a Vampire?”
“Yes, they suckers: we take over their souls and humanity is finished.”
In Braavos and in Bruges
Well, Wednesday (Netflix; 66 on Metacritic) proved they could make something decent of The Addams Family, so anything is possible, right? But just because the critics love it The last of us (HBO Max; 84), does this mean we’re going to see what is apparently the best video game adaptation ever? If you were underwhelmed by the opener, episode 3 is apparently when this show really comes alive. It doesn’t hurt that Craig Mazin, the genius who created and wrote Chernobyl, signed on as showrunner, and Pedro Pascal is always reliable, even if the girl is a little annoying.
For Pascal and Bella Ramsey, it’s a Game of Thrones reunion, and they’re not the only ones reuniting for the good of humanity. Director Martin McDonagh once again takes charge of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for The Banshees of Insherin (January 26 in cinemas; 87), and the result is charming. Set in 1920s Ireland, it’s a simple tale with a political message worth conveying – McDonagh’s best since In Bruges, the last time the three teamed up.
Damian Chazelle’s latest tour-de-force, Babylon (in theaters; 60), reunites Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — ironically, what this movie should be called — but reviews have been more lukewarm than the La La Land kid is used to.
While Cunk on the ground (Netflix; January 31) is a welcome return to the humorous mockumentary series created by Charlie Brooker and performed by Diane Morgan (channeling her role in Mandy to some extent), who pushes the same buttons as Ali G and offers history lessons like you. never encountered before.
You provoked me, your honor
Not every reunion is eagerly anticipated, and here are four that are sure to send us all running for the hills.
Quite what happened to the Bryan Cranston vehicle Your honor (HBO Max) when it was interrupted by corona remains a mystery – never before has such a promising show gone downhill so quickly – but now we have an enigma that will even stop Bletchley Park: the commissioning of a season thaw.
The continuation of You (Netflix; Feb. 9) is just as confusing. While season 1 was passable, 2 and 3 were dismal. But instead of calling it a day, they’ve transported the creep to London. If you’re still seeing this, we’re guessing the joke is on ‘you’.
The team is back for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (cinemas; February 16), but seriously, you know you’re in trouble if they say a Marvel movie is ‘setting up’ another Marvel movie. Why not just have a Star Wars-style block of text at the start that says “Ant-Man got squashed and the Wasp got squashed” and save yourself the trouble?
A movie with two tag lines is also a disastrous sign, especially if they are forgettable and limp. Here’s hope Magic Mike’s Last Dance: The Final Tease (cinemas; February 9) ends with a final cut that ensures he’ll never strip again.
Harsh truths Harrison
It is bizarre to see that Salma Hayek has been rejected by the Academy for her role in Magic Mike. Who will beat Cate Blanchett – nominated for her performance as an orchestra conductor on the edge in Tar (23 Feb 92) – now? Certainly not Danielle Deadwyler, who has been overlooked Add (26 Jan; 79) as the mother of a son lynched in 1950s America.
Whoopi Goldberg is in the latter – she must owe someone money because she can’t stop doing shows. No joke, her latest IMDB post is Godfather of Harlem and plain old Harlem (Amazon Prime; February 3). Looks terrible.
And speaking of running before you can walk, Harrison Ford had not so early noted the first television appearance of his career, the Yellowstone prequel 1923 (CMore) with Helen Mirren, he had made his second: the promising series Shrinks (Apple; Jan 27; 63), in which a psychologist (Jason Segel) decides to give his patients the truth. Well, let’s start with you Harrison: never mind Indiana Jones V, that ship has sailed.
Bad bitches in Baghdad
Staying with TV, among the series returns is Viking’s Valhalla (S2; January 12), Ginny and Georgia (S2, January 5), Sexify (S2; January 5), The 90s show (S9; January 19), Outer Banks (S3; February 23) and Sky Rojo (S3; Jan 13) on Netflix; The carnival row (S2; Feb 17) on Amazon Prime; and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (S10; 20 Feb) and Snowfall (S6; February 28) on HBO Max.
Don’t let the foolish party postpone, like dark comedy The consultant (Amazon Prime; February 24) with Christoph Waltz looks promising. It is written by Anthony John Basgallop (To the Ends of the Earth & Servant). Which does Hello tomorrow! (Apple; Feb. 17) with Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) as another unscrupulous sales executive. And why not give The stock exchange (Netflix; Feb 8) a whirlwind – the tale of two women who take on the men on the stock exchange floors in late 1980s Iraq!
There is something familiar about it Dear Edward (Apple; February 3), where the young protagonist loses his family in a plane crash, and Connection (Apple; Feb. 24) with Eva Green and Vincent Cassel, where the mistakes of the past end up ruining the future, but neither can be as bad as Copenhagen Cowboy (Netflix; 63), the latest meandering outing from Nicholas Winding Refn. It will take you to settings you didn’t know existed because they don’t. Finally, despite the strong reviews, The lying life of adults (Netflix; 79) is also a disappointment. It has good production values and all the classic ingredients – Napoli, dysfunctional family, good cast, Elena Ferrante source material – but something is missing. In a nutshell: Paolo Sorrentino.
Mrs. Dave Franco if you will
It’s a shame because Valeria Golino (Rainman) deserved more after her comeback in The Morning Show, but who knows when she took the role: before or after. The same question could be asked of Sebastian Stan (Pammy & Tom) about his role in Sharper (Apple; Feb. 17), a spoof with John Lithgow and Julianne Moore, and Alison Brie, the lead star of Glow, whose next film is Someone I used to know (Amazon Prime; February 10). Oh, wait, we know: it’s directed by her husband Dave Franco — are they Hollywood’s next power couple?
It is one of several films with limited appeal on the way, such as Airplane (cinemas; 26 Jan; 62) with Gerald Butler, You people (Netflix; February 27; 54) with the unlikely pairing of Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy, twine True Spirit (Netflix; Feb. 3) and romcom Your place or mine (Netflix; Feb. 10), which is Ashton Kutcher’s first film in 10 years.
That leaves two bizarre entries to finish us off… they can, literally, in all fairness. Cocaine bear (cinemas; Feb 23) promises to be this year’s Snakes on a Plane, while critics were lukewarm about A light blue eye (Netflix; 56) with Christian Bale, which stars Timothy Spall and Harry Melling (as Edgar Alan Poe, no less), the actors who played Peter Pettigrew and Dudley Durdsley in five of the Harry Potter Universe films. It’s a reunion that even Professor Trelawney didn’t see coming.
Source: The Nordic Page