As someone who pretends to be an entertainment writer, I can tell you there are weeks when there just isn’t anything going on. No new big movies in the theater or on home video. No trailer drops or casting rumors. Nothing. Then there are weeks when there is so much going on you are afraid to refresh your browser for fear of yet another thing to get excited about appearing.
Holy cow, this was a big week. So let’s get to it.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Buy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Blu-rayThere have been rumors and speculation about Quentin Tarantino’s ’60s Hollywood movie featuring Charles Manson for a long time. They dropped a really terrible-looking poster early this week and followed it up with a really fun trailer. I’ve been pretty so-so on Tarantino’s last couple of films but this looks really fun. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a former Western star and Brad Pitt is his stunt double. Together, they have an adventure through a Hollywood that is rapidly changing at the end of the 1960s.
Toy Story 4
The Toy Story films made a fantastic trilogy. Watching the toys have all sorts of exciting adventures while their owner Andy grows up has been thrilling, hilarious, and heart-warming. Toy Story 3 ended in about as perfect a way as possible. I was a little worried when they announced their would be a fourth one. Where could they go? What could they possibly do to continue the story? The trailer dropped this week and it got me all kinds of excited, but didn’t exactly quash my fears. The spork toy is a pretty funny gag, and as a father of a 7-year-old it rings true, but there’s only so far you can take that gag and it appears they are gonna stretch it as far as it can go. The rest of the trailer looks intriguing, and I’ll certainly be watching the film opening weekend, but let’s say I’m trying not to get my hopes up.
Deadwood Movie
You know it is a big week when the trailer to a Deadwood movie comes in third. Deadwood is an all-time top-five show for me, and that’s even after considering the botch job they did to the third and final season. If memory serves, somewhere in the middle of season three HBO let them know they would not be renewing the show and so they had to hurry up and try to create a season finale that would also work as a series ender. It turned out better than most of what was on TV at the time but it was still a pale comparison of what it could have been. There have been rumors ever since of them bringing the series back or making a movie to wrap things up and now it’s finally here. This trailer doesn’t give much information but it sure looks cool. Great to see the old cast of characters too, even if they look a bit older.
Unicorn Store
Fresh off her big win with Captain Marvel, Brie Larson directs and stars in (alongside her Captain Marvel costar Samuel L. Jackson) as a sort-of manic pixie dream girl whose dreams have been quashed by the need to conform to society’s whims. At least until she meets Jackson, who promises to sell her a unicorn. It could either be wonderfully quirky little indie film with just the right emotional impact or a cutesy, emotionally manipulative dud. I’m hoping for something magic.
Christopher Robin
Ewan McGregor stars as the titular A.A. Milne character but instead of being the cute, smart boy from the books, he’s all grown up. He’s moved away from the 100 Acre Wood, got married, had a son of his own, and is now a boring adult with a job that consumes all his time. So of course Pooh Bear and all his friends show up to remind him of what’s important in life. The story is a bit hackneyed and its message over simplified, but I won’t lie and say it didn’t make me tear up more than once. Pooh is just precious and he makes up for all the film’s flaws.
Pride & Prejudice
Buy Pride & Prejudice (1995) Blu-rayNormally in this series I write about five things I’ve seen or read in the week and end it with a new movie trailer. There were so many cool trailers this week that I thought it would be fun to end on something cool I watched. As noted in my review, my wife has been trying to get me to watch this BBC production of the Jane Austen novel for ages. I tried several times but always left after a bit completely bored. Well, I finally made it through and it turns out I really liked it. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve matured as a human or a cinephile, or if Downtown Abbey turned me onto the delicious drama and comedy to be found in upper-class Brits. Whatever the case, I do repent of my hatred and fully embrace Jane Austen.
