POP FORECAST
What’s new in TV, movies, music
MOVIES Big releases on Sept. 15:
American Assassin; Mother!.
Big picture: American Assassin is about an irreverent, rule-breaking spy who must stop another rule-breaking operative who has jumped the shark. Michael Keaton plays their badass CIA trainer — an old guy who can take down his juniors in the blink of an all-knowing eye and arm twist. (It’s nice to see all that Batman training is still working out for him nearly 30 years later.) Straight from today’s news headlines, the stakes of their espionage game are raised by weapons-grade plutonium. Get ready for a hand-to-hand fight scene on a battle cruiser being hit by tsunami waves.
Forecast: Mother! isn’t family fun — unless you’re the Addams Family. It’s a haunted house meets a psychological funhouse mirror.
Mother! Sure, that’s a scary word for some of us. However, it’s a tool for thrills in the twisted mind of director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan). Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem play a seemingly loving couple whose world begins to crumble when they receive the house guests from hell. Cue the appearance of random bloodstains, the thumping of walls that contain terrible secrets and the occasional flashlight wielding mob.
“All I am trying to do is bring life into this house,” snarls the increasingly unhinged husband while his wife begins to suspect he is a madman. Is the house of horrors all in her head? Is her spouse some kind of Dr. Frankenstein? Is the home an outpost in West World?
TV
Big events: American Vandal (Sept. 15, Netflix); 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (Sept. 17, CTV).
Big picture: The true-crime genre is spoofed in this eight-episode satire about a slacker high school senior’s “alleged” involvement in a school prank: the drawing of phallic images on faculty cars. The words betrayal, conspiracy, coverup and corruption are soon thrown around wildly. Expect clichéd lines like “I know I didn’t do it,” “Everyone’s got secrets” and “They got the wrong guy” to be milked for maximum comic effect.
Meanwhile, the Late Show’s Stephen Colbert hosts the Emmy Awards, where he is a nine-time winner. Expect a lot of Trump jokes. Colbert is No. 1 on late night largely because Trump’s election meant he no longer had to cage his political opinions — because he has three quarters of America as a willing fan base for Donald dissing.
Forecast: One day, people will barely remember what TV was — let alone the Emmys. Enjoy the spotlight while you can, Stephen.
MUSIC
Big releases on Sept. 15:
The Lone Bellow (Walk into a Storm); Foo Fighters (Concrete and Gold).
Big picture: Listen to the rollicking single Time’s Always Leaving without smiling and bobbing your head. I dare you. The Lone Bellow sounds like Van Morrison meets Paul Simon meets modern Americana. Meanwhile, Concrete and Gold is the Foo’s ninth album, and first since 2014. With songs titled T-Shirt, Run and La Dee Da, maybe frontman David Grohl should have spent more time on song titles? Notably, Paul McCartney guest drums and Alison Mosshart guest vocals. Grohl has helpfully described Concrete and Gold as a “Motorhead’s version of Sgt. Pepper.”
Forecast: The Lone Bellows provide a musical storm worth walking into.
Honourable mention: Ringo Starr (Give More Love). Speaking of Sgt. Pepper, the 77-year-old Star has a new album. From the title, it looks like he’s still dying to move out of the basement as fourth favourite Beatle. McCartney — clearly a busy man — shows up on bass for one track.