HITMAN’S BODYGUARD SHOOTS FOR LAUGHS
And Marvel superheroes defend television this week. Chris Lackner has the highlights.
MOVIES
Big releases on Aug. 18: The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Big picture: Variations on the odd-couple, buddy-cop action comedy all feel tired and exhausted. However, the “Samuel L. Jackson looks bug-eyed while shouting and swearing constantly” genre has seemingly limitless energy. Enter The Hitman’s Bodyguard, in which a renowned protection agent (Ryan Reynolds) is tasked with guarding the life of his archenemy — an infamous assassin (Jackson). Killers, gunfights and high-speed chases are played for laughs, but most of humour is found at Jackson’s expense. Reynold’s hero takes the hitman — and the actor’s own one-note persona — to task with lines like, “He has single-handedly ruined the word motherf-----” and “Why are we always yelling?” Gary Oldman steals scenes as a vicious Eastern European dictator. Forecast: It’s mid-August and the must-see blockbusters are behind us. Go outside. Moviegoers will save this one for a rainy day, so the studio execs may be the only ones praying for more summer rain.
TV
Big events: Marvel’s The Defenders (Aug. 18, Netflix); Marlon (Aug. 16, ABC). Big picture: This Netflix original unites the gritty, adult Marvel heroes from their own respective series. When lawyer Matthew Murdoch (a.k.a. Daredevil) bails supercharged detective Jessica Jones out of custody, a fearsome foursome begins to assemble. Next comes “Harlem’s hero” Luke Cage and, last and definitely least (at least in terms of critic and fan reaction), “the immortal Ironfist.” This comic-book drama promises a war for New York. Expect a healthy combination of ass-kicking and wisecracking, and higher stakes than on any of the hero’s solo shows. When the good guys team up, the bad guys need to get wildly bigger and badder. Just watch an Avengers movie.
Meanwhile, Marlon continues the seemingly endless trend of semi-autobiographical sitcoms named after the first or last name of their lead comedian. Is it too much to ask comedians to act? You know … to pretend to be someone else? Tired of making tiresome Wayans Bros. comedy movies (see Scary Movie 1 through 2, White Chicks etc.), Marlon Wayans plays a divorced dad and minor-league curser (at least in comparison to Samuel L. Jackson). Forecast: The Defenders are the real fantastic four and will make you wish more Marvel and DC superheroes could be serialized on the small screen after taking off their kiddie gloves. Honourable mention: Bachelor in Paradise (Aug. 14, ABC/City). The “paradise” should be in quotation marks given the dark cloud hanging over this show’s fourth season, which had to halt production due to an investigation into a controversial sexual encounter between two contestants.
Two producers filed complaints, questioning whether a female participant gave consent. Hmmm. A morally questionable franchise based on attractive, fame-hungry people being isolated in paradisiacal locations and encouraged to be sexy, drink heavily, hook up with multiple partners and compete for camera time. What could go wrong?
MUSIC
Big release on Aug. 18: Grizzly Bear (Painted Ruins).
Big picture: When Grizzly Bear broke through the indie-band clutter around 2006, I had initially hoped they were a band of musically trained animals. Years later, I’ve got over my deep disappointment. The talented group’s first album in four years is worth the wait. Their lo-fi psych folk is the perfect swan song to summer with its heady mix of synth, loops, guitar fuzz and genrebending percussion.
Forecast: You may recall their 2009 hit, Two Weeks, every time you see a Volkswagen. I predict at least one car-commercial track will emerge off Painted Ruins (though, thankfully for automobile makers, there’s no title track).