JACK BLACK DECIDES TO CLOCK IN
Comedic actor back on the big screen as a scary warlock,
MOVIES
Big releases on Sept. 21: The House with a Clock in Its Walls; Life Itself
Big picture: Jack Black lives in a House with a Clock in Its Walls. And he’s got a devilish beard. And he’s a warlock. AND this flick is for kids. Based on the 1973 children’s novel, this mystical adventure finds 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) going to live with his crazy uncle in an even crazier house. It’s like Harry Potter meets Uncle Buck. Meet the resident warlocks, witches and man-eating pumpkins.
Life Itself is from the minds behind TV’S addictive drama This Is Us. It centres on a star-struck couple (Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde) but also follows their family trees in a multi-generational love story that spans continents and decades. “Maybe the heroes and villains in our stories are just day players in a much bigger movie,” she exclaims. You can guess at the hallmarks of the film. Babies. Marriage proposals. Betrayals. Risks. Rewards. Love lost, found and lost again. Tears of joy. Tears of despair. The movie captures “life itself” in all its untidy, complicated, beautiful glory — only featuring better looking heroes and villains than those that star in your own life. Forecast: The House with a Clock in Its Walls will make you think twice about warlocks. And clocks.
TV
Big events: I Feel Bad (Sept. 19, NBC); Maniac (Sept. 21, Netflix); The Good Cop (Sept. 21, Netflix) Big picture: Maniac is not another documentary about the current American president. It’s a miniseries dramedy that’s essentially Total Recall meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Superbad co-stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone join forces again — and this time they go down the rabbit whole. They play strangers somehow connected mentally via a pharmaceutical trial gone wrong. The visually stunning show follows them through multiple settings and personifications in what one character aptly describes as “some multi-reality brain magic s--t.” What’s real? What’s not real? Who cares.
The Good Cop is an hour-long dramedy starring Tony Danza (yes, he’s still alive and well, thank you!) and the multi-talented actor-singer Josh Groban as father and son. Danza hams it up — “I was kind of a naughty cop” — as a amoral retired cop paired with his strait-laced detective son. They get to play out all the tropes. Good cop, bad cop. Odd couple. Crazy cop, cautious cop. Father-son opposites.
Finally, I Feel Bad is like The Mindy Project meets a traditional, family sitcom. This Amy Poehler-produced comedy stars Sarayu Blue as flawed boss and an even more flawed mother, wife and daughter of a diverse family. Her “feel bad” moments — e.g. her dad mistakes her for her mom — are played for your laughter and enjoyment. (Back to back episodes air Sept. 19 as a preview before the series returns on Oct. 4 in its regular time slot.) Forecast: The Good Cop will lead to a Who’s The Boss miniseries reboot. MUSIC
Big releases on Sept. 21:
Josh Groban (Bridges); Metric (Art of Doubt)
Big picture: Metric has been pulling its weight — and then some — for years. The Canadian indie pop-rock outfit is as reliable as they come for quality music, and this lucky album No. 7.
Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Groban is building bridges on his fifth solo album. In an era where music is practically free, the American multi-talent has sold 25 million albums around the planet.
He also says endearing things to journalists. Such as this quip recently: “If I could go back in time to my 16-year-old self ... I would make sure that everyone had a Donald Trump safety preparation kit. I’d pack a backpack at 16, preparing myself for 2017, to just go to the woods for a few years.”
Forecast: Metric is fine art; have no doubt. Meanwhile, the likes of Lady Gaga and Groban prove you can have success in front of a camera and behind a microphone.
Before the decade is out, every musician will have his own TV show.