Another weekend has arrived, and with it a slew of new shows and movies on all your favorite streaming services, from Netflix to Peacock and beyond. Okay, after typing that sentence I am now hearing it in Tim Allen’s voice as Buzz Lightyear: To Peacock And Beyond!
I’m still a little astonished that NBC named its streaming service Peacock, if we’re being honest. Or that the the service’s Twitter account had the audacity to make fun of HBO’s silly Max name change.
In any case, we have a whole bunch of shows to cover this weekend and some movies to go see on the big screen so let’s make like Jacques Cousteau and dive right in . . . .
New Shows & Movies
It seems as though the dread video game adaptation curse is over thanks to shows like The Last Of Us, Arcane and Castlevania. Twisted Metal is based on the classic car-combat game, and frankly it’s a bit surprising that we’ve gotten a TV series before a new game but it looks fun and boasts a top-notch cast including Anthony Mackie, Will Arnett, Stephanie Beatriz, Neve Campbell, Thomas Haden Church and more. It’s out now on Peacock.
Henry Cavill’s final three episodes of The Witcher dropped on Netflix this Thursday. They’re incredibly disappointing, but still worth watching if only to say farewell to the best Geralt of Rivia we ever could have hoped for. The final three episodes do have some good moments, but it feels like a massively wasted opportunity to give Cavill a proper sendoff and to introduce the new Geralt played by Liam Hemsworth. You can read my review of the new season right here.
One of my favorite animated fantasy shows actually returned last weekend, but it was a surprise release. The Dragon Prince Season 5 was slated for a July 27th release but pirates took the show’s creators hostage at Comic-Con and demanded Netflix release it early. Thankfully, the streaming giant complied and nobody was forced to walk the plank. Read my review of the new season right here.
Now we’re in my neck of the woods. I think Flagstaff, AZ was mentioned more in Season 1 of Dark Winds than in any other show or movie I’ve ever seen. George R.R. Martin is a producer on this excellent adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s excellent Native American mysteries. The stories all take place on the Rez. I think I’ve read almost every single book so it’s just wonderful to see such a perfect, faithful adaptation. Zahn McClarnon is great as Lieutenant Leaphorn—one of the best casting choices ever.
Good Omens Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
There’s only one Good Omens novel (written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, two of fantasy fiction’s most luminous luminaries) but there are now two seasons of the comedic-fantasy yarn. This, along with Vox Machina, is one of Amazon’s better attempts at adapting a fantasy onto the screen.
The story of the wildly overrated Beanie Baby toys. Not really my cup of tea necessarily but it looks interesting. I didn’t even recognize Zach Galifanakis! (Which reminds me, you should give Baskets a chance if you haven’t seen it. Starts off weird but gets surprisingly good mostly thanks to Louie Anderson’s tremendous performance. It’s on Hulu).
Ongoing Shows
Alright, onto the shows that came out recently and are still running. Check out trailers for most of these in last weekend’s guide.
The new show from Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan is faring better with viewers than critics. I haven’t watched it yet but it looks like a fun military thriller style show.
Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes in a twisty-turny kidnapping mystery thriller. What’s not to love?
I’ve heard so many mixed things about this show. Someday I swear I’ll watch it! I’ve just had so many things to watch lately! Big budget space opera is always fun, though, so I know I’ll get there one day.
I’m always happy to watch anything with Timothy Olyphant and that goes double for Raylan Givens. You can read my review here but I’m enjoying it so far. (And no, it’s not “woke” people).
The always-excellent Idris Elba stars in Apple TV’s new thriller Hijack, about a plane taken over by terrorists on a seven-hour flight to London, and the expert negotiator onboard who uses his wits to try to save everyone from disaster.
I’m actually in the process of finally catching up on Outlander after taking a long break after the harrowing and altogether too-disturbing Season 5 finale. It’s good to be back but I’m still not on Season 7 just yet!
In Theaters
I’ve started adding this final ‘In Theaters’ section since I’ve been going to a lot of movies lately and would like to offer up my recommendations and share my reviews.
The Haunted Mansion — Another film based on a Disney ride, this one has a great cast and terrible reviews. I suspect it will be a massive flop. I have no intention of seeing it, in theaters or at home, despite having a fondness for the ride. Not every ride can be Pirates Of The Caribbean when it comes to cinematic interpretation. And even that franchise went bad rather quickly.
Oppenheimer — I had really complicated, mixed feelings about this film, mostly because it was a complicated movie that weirdly didn’t make me actually feel anything at all. Read my review here.
Barbie — Great Gerwig’s Barbie was better than expected but still not as good as it should have been. My review is now live.
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny — Still need to see Harrison Ford’s last foray as Indiana Jones. I’m still mad that they lied to us with the title of the third film, though.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 — Exciting, action-packed and too damn long. Tom Cruise does it again. You can read my review here.
Asteroid City — A surprisingly divisive film, even among Wes Anderson fans. I found it absolutely delightful in all the right ways, and one of the more emotionally powerful Anderson films, though I’m still not entirely sure why it moved me so. Read my review here.
The Flash — Better than expected, worse than it should have been. Ezra Miller was great, but the script was not. Read my review here.
What are you all watching these days? Any recommendations?
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