Coco unlocks secrets
Mexican-Aztec folklore the centrepiece of magical quest, Chris Lackner writes.
MOVIES
Big release on Nov. 22: Coco Big picture: Kids used to visit places like Oz, Narnia and Wonderland — and now they’re visiting the Land of the Dead. Is it a sign of the times? Disney brings to life Mexican-Aztec folklore as a little boy named Miguel visits the beautiful, mysterious Land of the Dead. Picture a bunch of skeletons living in a colourful, magical hybrid of Los Angeles, a Marc Chagall painting and an exploded crayon factory. Miguel is on a quest to find his musical muse and idol, but he may unlock his own family secrets along the way. The voice cast includes Benjamin Bratt and Gael García Bernal.
Forecast: Not an obnoxious border wall in sight between our world and this foreign land. I predict Donald Trump will mistake this animated family film for a documentary, and impose a travel ban on the Land of the Dead.
TV
Big events: Marvel’s Runaways (Nov. 22, Showcase); Godless (Nov. 22, Netflix); She’s Gotta Have It (Netflix, Nov. 23)
Big picture: Marvel’s Runaways is about teenage mutants who must unite against the most vile villains of all-time: parents. This coming-of-age tale is like Hogwarts meets X-Men meets Riverdale, but it’s only superpower may be explosive clichés. The fall season has not been kind to new Marvel shows; this one comes to Showcase via Hulu.
“It is a fearful thing, to love what death can touch,” the tagline for Godless intones. You know what that means, probably a lot of death. This Steven Soderbergh western is set in a remote New Mexico mining town that is governed by women. Michelle Dockery, Jeff Daniels and Sam Waterston co-star. (They better not all be cyborgs. I want a new twist ending.)
Finally, Spike Lee’s first TV series is modern take on his 1986 classic She’s Gotta Have It. It’s about a Brooklyn artist and her complicated love life.
Forecast: Pop culture may need to take a break from comicbook material for a little while. You know, examine some other source material. Like books (humanity has written a lot of them) or, gasp, original screenplays.
MUSIC
Big releases on Nov. 24: Björk (Utopia); Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Who Built The Moon?)
Big picture: Björk offers us Utopia on her ninth studio album; at 71 minutes, this musical paradise is a long visit. The mysterious artist is backed by a 12-piece Icelandic flute section, bird calls, and more!
Of course, the one-of-a-kind Icelandic songstress probably has a one-of-a-kind interpretation of utopia. (I imagine it involves humanity living in harmony with elves on top of a giant volcano that spurts frozen ice cream, and travelling the world on flying carpets. Count me in, Björk.)
Meanwhile, Oasis alumnus Noel Gallagher releases a third album with his outfit the High Flying Birds. Once upon a time, Noel was self-involved and told the world he was bigger than the Beatles, and now he is asking important cosmic questions through his music. Who built the moon? Do tell, Noel. (Of course, I thought it was the Decepticons. But I saw Transformers: Dark of the Moon on a plane — and Michael Bay hurts my brain — so I may have missed something.
Forecast: Any utopia is worth a visit in this day and age.