Wonder Woman wows ’em
And Shakespeare gets a TV sequel this week, Chris Lackner writes.
Big release on June 2: Wonder Woman.
Big picture: With an outfit that would give Christian Grey a heart attack and make Xena: Warrior Princess jealous with rage, everyone’s favourite Amazonian princess gets long overdue star billing. Sure, actress Gal Gadot is beautiful, but more importantly she’s believable as an otherworldly, near-goddess who could hold her own in a spat with Superman. In this origin story, we see Wonder Woman as a young girl named Diana growing up in a near-mythical, peaceful, tropical island (it’s even called Paradise Island). Paradoxically, the secret land is filled with Amazon warriors.
When she is inextricably drawn into an outside human war, she is dressed to kill: shield, sword, lasso of truth and bullet-deflecting bracelets. Chris Pine brings his dead-pan sarcasm, confidence and charisma as Wonder Woman’s human-soldier sidekick. He’s like Captain Kirk on his favourite “away mission” of all-time. You’ll keep waiting for him to wink and beam Wonder Woman up to the Enterprise for a space odyssey. Forecast: No more tiny, spangled shorts. This Wonder Woman is decked in radiant armour worthy of a goddess, and epic battle. Sorry, Lynda Carter — this is the Wonder Woman we’ve been waiting for.
TV
Big events: Still Star-Crossed (May 29, ABC, CTV; I’m Dying Up Here (June 4, CraveTV).
Big picture: Romeo and Juliet drink their poison and leave Verona to war. This series picks up after the ending of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. The Montagues and Capulets throw down the gauntlet, and the feuding families may turn the city into ashes. Sex, scandal, betrayal and violence rule the day. What’s that you say? Sounds like a Shonda Rhimes drama? It is. (TV’s busiest creative mind is now doing a soap opera masked as a period piece — instead of a soap opera masked as a crime piece.)
Meanwhile, the comedy scene in 1970s Los Angeles gets the Mad Men treatment (only, presumably, with laughs). The new Showtime drama marks another screening exclusively on CraveTV. This one counts Canuck yuck-yuck Jim Carrey as producer, and has a talented cast including the likes of Melissa Leo and Ari Graynor. The story centres on comedy-club owner who serves as mentor to a diverse group of aspiring comics. Forecast: My prediction for the next big TV pilot: A show about what happened after Hamlet’s last pages — the tenacious story of a handsome, poor, exhausted gravedigger.
MUSIC
Big release on June 2: Dan Auerbach (Waiting on a Song). Big picture: The Black Keys guitarist and singer, label owner and producer is one of pop culture’s modern treasures. His first solo album since 2009 serves as a love letter to Nashville (home to his many enterprises). Upbeat, addictive single Shine on Me will conjure the sunniest vibes you’ve felt listening to pop-rock song in years. It’s a good tonic for our troubled times. Guest Nashville artists like John Prine and Duane Eddy ensure Auerbach didn’t have to wait too long in his studio for a song to come along. Forecast: By the time the puck drops on the 2017-18 NHL season, the Nashville Predators flashy defenceman P.K. Subban will moonlight in a Music City band. Auerbach will produce.