Pop forecast
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” 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’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the
Movies Big releases on March 31: The Boss Baby; Ghost in the Shell.
Big picture: It’s too bad the title The Boss Baby couldn’t have been saved for the inevitable biopic of Donald Trump. But the president’s best impersonator, Alec Baldwin, is the leading voice in this animated family comedy. A wildly imaginative seven-year-old tells the story of a newborn Boss Baby that arrives to ruin his perfect family unit. This baby wears a power suit, carries a briefcase, heads a secret all-baby corporation (frustratingly lacking in subordinates who can read or write) … and speaks like Baldwin.
Therein lies the only problem. When I hear Baldwin’s voice, I can now only think of his dynamite Trump imitation. Lines like, “Put that cookie down; cookies are for closers,” only cement the link. Or when The Boss announces“a crisis” and declares baby mortal enemy No. 1 (and rival for adults’ affection): puppies.
Meanwhile, based on a popular Japanese manga (comic), Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansson as The Major, a unique human-cyborg hybrid that leads an elite security task force. This flick is essentially Pinocchio meets RoboCop meets Ex Machina — minus that trio’s originality. The Major longs for her lost mortality, while cloaked in skintight robot bodysuits that would make the X-Men’s Mystique blush (why does humanity always feel the need to make our killing machines sexy?). This sci-fi adventure also presents a disturbing vision of the future, where digital avatars and what look like Pokémon on steroids seem to mingle with colourful, half-crazed human beings.
Forecast: Big Boss is manipulative, loud, disdainful and arrogant. Maybe thinking of him as Baby Trump will only add to the laughs? (In the inevitable sequel, I predict Baby Boss will face off against the diabolical Stewie Griffin from Family Guy).
Meanwhile, Ghost in the Shell could have been called Lost in Translation 2. For starters, it has been criticized for casting a white actress in an Asian role, but it will also fall short in warmth and humanity.
TV
Big events: Imaginary Mary (March 29, ABC); The Discovery (March 31, Netflix).
Big picture: Dharma is back, and she’s finally ditched that party-pooper Greg. Jenna Elfman plays a career-driven woman who meets the love of her life: a divorced dad. This sudden crisis — beginning a relationship with his three kids — sparks the return of her eccentric childhood imaginary friend (voiced by Rachel Dratch). This live-action/ CGI hybrid comes from the creator of The Goldbergs (which flies under the radar as one of the best TV sitcoms). The cuddly monster Mary looks like the inexplicable DNA combination of a yeti, a Furby, a Mogwai and a sentient snowball. The sitcom’s motto: “learning to be a mom is going to get hairy.” (After this sneak preview, the show moves to a regular Tuesday time slot.) Netflix’s dystopian movie stars Robert Redford as a spooky, reclusive scientist-billionaire who proves the afterlife exists, thus sparking a chain reaction of self-destructive human behaviour around in the globe. Redford is like Willy Wonka with a death wish for himself. Rooney Mara, Jason Segel and the ever-reliable Jesse Plemons co-star.
Forecast: First Son of Zorn, and now Imaginary Mary? By 2018, I think every sitcom will have at least one cartoon, CGI or puppet character. I’m looking forward to Modern Family introducing Phil Dunphy’s new real-estate partner, a unicorn magician.
Music
Big releases on March 31: Bob Dylan (Triplicate); Nelly Furtado (The Ride).