Pop forecast
‘You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,’ Bob Dylan once wrote. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what to expect this week in TV, music and movies.
Movies
Big releases on Jan. 29: The Finest Hours; Kung Fu Panda 3.
Big picture: The Finest Hours features the ultimate monster: Mother Nature. Hurricane-force winds, 60-foot waves, and the bottomless depths are the villains; there are no robots, mutants, aliens or spandex-clad sociopaths in sight. The film is based on the true story of a daring 1952 U.S. Coast Guard rescue. We get two viewpoints: A crew trapped in a sinking oil tanker during one of the worst storms in U.S. history; and its daredevil would-be rescue team. Casey Affleck, Chris Pine and Eric Bana co-star. Meanwhile, this Kung Fu Panda sequel finds Po (Jack Black) reunited with his long-lost father Li (Bryan Cranston), and their bumbling panda tribe. The former student becomes the master as Po must turn a tribe of cuddly bears into fighters. With Po’s kung fu pals like Tigress (Angelina Jolie) in tow, his rookie army panda fighters must square off against an ancient supernatural beast. Li seems like a dim-witted softy, but so did Walter White at first on Breaking Bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if Po’s new pops is selling crystallized bamboo before the credits roll.
Forecast: The Finest Hours sounds like a noble tale, but these aren’t Hollywood’s finest hours. So don’t be surprised if Godzilla ends up being the true cause of the monster waves in the climactic scene, or the imperilled tanker gets boarded by an army of deadly cartoon pandas. Speaking of, the Kung Fu Panda franchise will prove it still has chops. I think NASA should start broadcasting the Kung Fu Panda trilogy on a highfrequency loop into outer space. No wouldbe alien invader would risk going up against talking bears trained in deadly martial arts.
TV
Big events: Lucifer (Jan. 25, Fox/CTV); The Magicians (Jan. 25, Showcase).
Big picture: The Magicians is Narnia (as written by Stephen King) meets Harry Potter (as written by George R. R. Martin). The spellbinding setting, Brakebills University, is Hogwarts with sex, booze, drugs and games far deadlier than Quidditch. Based on Lev Grossman’s inventive trilogy — a must-read for any adult fantasy fan — the series trades Harry for Quentin (Jason Ralph), a gifted university student recruited into a secret grad school that teaches magic. Meanwhile, Lucifer is essentially Castle if Nathan Fillion had horns. Loosely based on the brilliant Vertigo comic series, it finds the Devil (Tom Ellis) quitting hell in order to operate an upscale Los Angeles nightclub. Turns out Satan is a big fan of sarcasm, jazz piano, expensive cocktails and exotic women. Despite demon sidekicks and angelic barflies, Lucifer is pulled into the world of law and order. He can see people’s dark and dirty desires — making him a great sidekick for a beautiful (of course) detective (Lauren German).
Forecast: The Devil is in the details. Lucifer has endless potential, but it may not be able to take the heat of close scrutiny. But you won’t need to be enchanted to enjoy The Magicians’ wonder.
Music
Big releases on Jan. 29: Bloc Party (Hymns), Ty Segall (Emotional Mugger).
Big picture: Bloc Party is back with its first effort since 2012, but the Londoners’ invitation list has changed. Frontman Kele Okereke and co-founder Russell Lissack (lead guitar) are the only original members still living on this musical Bloc. Given their latest dance rock is inspired by spiritual music, it may not play in a club owned by Lucifer. Still, the disco-punk of songs like The Love Within are certainly crafted for the dance floor, not the pew. Meanwhile, Ty Segall sounds like he specialized in a music degree at Brakebills — producing a magical mystery tour of mind-bending garage and glam rock, heavy-metal funk, hazy guitar and mad-cap vocals.
Forecast: Two musical parties worth attending, but only Segall’s might find both hipsters and centaurs on the guest list.