Back to the future with Blade Runner 2049
And (believe it or not) more superheroes are debuting on TV, Chris Lackner writes.
Big releases on Oct. 6: Blade Runner 2049; My Little Pony: The Movie.
Big picture: In 1982, director Ridley Scott gave us his vision of a dystopian Los Angeles in 2019. In his dark world, “replicants” of people were created to do hard labour in off-world colonies. When they escaped servitude, special cops called blade runners were dispatched to hunt them down.
Sure, the prediction for 2019 seemed pretty bleak back then — and that was before a Donald Trump presidency.
Thirty years later, the franchise sequel portrays the crumbling humanity of 2049. This time around, a new blade runner (Ryan Gosling) quests to find his predecessor Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Ford has now officially resurrected his three most iconic characters. Indy and his crystal skulls missed the mark, but we all loved seeing Han Solo fly again. Rick’s fate is TBD by audiences.
Meanwhile, another iconic 1980s toy best left forgotten is popularized on the silver screen in My Little Pony: The Movie. Forecast: Blade Runner 2049 will make going back to the future worth the trip. But am I the only one who would have preferred My Little Pony: 2049. Killer replicant pseudo-cyborg ponies, anyone? Anyone?
TV
Big events: The Mayor (Oct. 3, ABC; Oct. 7, CTV); The Gifted (Oct. 2, Fox/CTV); Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (Oct. 3, CTV/ABC)
Big picture: A pseudo-celebrity gets elected to political office with zero understanding or preparation for the job? We’ve seen this one in reality, right? And its an American horror story.
However, The Mayor is a sitcom that plays the premise for laughs when an aspiring, young rapper is accidentally elected mayor of his hometown. The cast includes Brandon Micheal Hall (Search Party), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) and Lea Michele (Glee).
The Gifted is the latest superhero show, a family drama X-Men spinoff from Marvel. Amy Acker and Stephen Moyer star as suburbanites who discover their kiddies are “gifted” — in the Charles Xavier meaning of the word — and must go on the run from government forces with help from their new-found friends (a network of mutants operating as a super-charged Underground Railroad).
Meanwhile, Kevin (Jason Ritter) talks (probably) to angels. Naturally, they give him a mission to save the world in this feel-good drama. Am I the only one who sees the TV crossover potential with Kevin visiting Lucifer in L.A., or teaming up with the ageless Winchester Bros. in Supernatural?
Forecast: In an ever-crowded superhero entertainment field, The Gifted lives up to its title.
MUSIC
Big releases on Oct. 6: Wolf Parade (Cry Cry Cry); Mister Heavenly (Boxing The Moonlight); Liam Gallagher (As You Were). Big picture: I just can’t choose this week. Wolf Parade reunites one of Canada’s best indie rock bands, wiping away my tears at their nearly six-year hiatus.
Meanwhile, former Oasis frontman Gallagher releases his first solo studio effort. I love the album title. People have been wishing someone could command the egotistical Gallagher brothers to be “as you were” for years now. Finally, Mister Heavenly is an indie rock super group consisting of talent from Man Man, Islands, Modest Mouse and The Shins. This is their second collaboration.
Forecast: There will be no rain on this Wolf Parade; Boxing the Moonlight is destined to become a new yoga pose.