Film & TV Friday: Unready Player One

didic (68)in #news • 7 years ago

Steven Spielberg is back directing a big budget action adventure film for the first time since the unfortunate 4th Indiana Jones film. I have some thoughts and feelings about that. This is Film & TV Friday.

News

The Return of the Spielberg

Steven Spielberg defined blockbuster films with Jaws, science fiction with Close Encounters and E.T, and action adventure with the Indiana Jones films. In Jurassic Park he set a new bar for the combination of effects and story, and the UI in Minority Report has had a profound effect on the tech we use today. But it's been a LONG time since he was the king of action adventure. In fact, one could argue that his last great live action adventure film was the first Jurassic Park film, and that was 25 years ago. He's made a bunch of good to great films since, but not the kind that made him famous.

I have a complicated relationship with Ready Player One. I was the Hebrew translator for the book, and I can honestly say it was the most difficult translation gig I ever had. People seem to like the translation, and I super appreciate that, but it damn near broke my brain.

All that said? I'm not going to watch this film in the theater. I have decided to wait for the much lower stakes proposition of watching at home, when it's out on digital release.

Legion's BACK!

All I want for Passover is for the second season of Legion to be as good as season 1 or better.

Wide Release Films Opening This Weekend:

Film	# of Theaters
Ready Player One	4,234
Tyler Perry's Acrimony	2,006
God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness	1,693

Source: BoxOfficeMojo

This weekend is all about RP1, about which I care too much and not enough and it's complicated, as seen in the previous section.

TV Show Premieres This Week

Show	Season	Country	Network or Service	Day	Time
Jesus Christ Superstar Live	TV Movie	US	NBC	Sunday	8PM EST
The Crossing	1	US	ABC	Monday	8 PM EST
Legion	2	US	FX	Tuesday	10PM EST
The Last O.G.	1	US	TBS	Tuesday	10:30PM EST
Troy: Fall of a City	1	Worldwide	Netflix	Friday	3AM EST

Source: The Futon Critic

After last week's flood of new and returning shows, this week's a little thin. But I'm intrigued by all of it. Even The Crossing, which sounds like a two bit Lost, is at least potentially interesting. And a new sitcom from Jordan Peele with Tiffany Haddish and Tracy Morgan? Definitely gonna check that out. John Legend starring in JCS? Brilliant casting.

Trailers

Interesting bunch this week. Let's take a look.

The House with a Clock in its Walls Trailer

So... Eli Roth made a horror movie for kids? This has a pretty great cast, but... hard pass.

The Darkest Minds Trailer

This is a YA adaptation, and an Amandla Stenberg vehicle, and it is not really for me, middle aged dude that I am, but... it looks like it may be fun?

Terminal

Last week, the teaser trailer left me intrigued. Now? I am fascinated. This could well be terrible, but if it's good? It could be really good.

First Reformed

Well, this looks really good, and really, really, really bleak. I like good things. I tend to avoid bleak things (because life is bleak enough). I'll wait for reviews to see which of the two is stronger.