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 Release on Dec. 1: none (except for in my imagination)
Big Picture: That’s right. There are no wide releases this week. I can only assume Disney employed Jedi mind tricks to clear a path for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, opening Dec. 15. With no big releases, I’ll turn to an exercise in wish fulfilment. After a year of generally woeful box office performances, what are the big releases I wish had opened in 2017?
in which the venerable space franchise’s legendary wooden dialogue is spiced up with much sarcasm and exclamations of the word “Groot.” Plus, Rocket Raccoon finds out he’s a Sith Lord.
Star Wars: Guardians of the Galaxy,
in which every character is cut except Gal Gadot’s, and it’s just a sequel to the vastly superior solo film about the Amazonian warrior-goddess from way back in June.
Justice League: Wonder Woman,
Spider-Man: Jumanji. Tired of the endless rebirths of Spidey coming of age in New York? I say we send the webslinger into a magical game board. It’s a lot easier to sling between jungle trees than it is skyscrapers.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Skull Island,
in which King Kong finishes off Captain Jack Sparrow for good. And good riddance.
Logan: Beauty and the Beast. An enchanting love story about Belle falling in love with an angry, brooding, hairy mutant with claws. Forecast: The Force will be with the box office next month.
TV Big Events:
85th Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center Special (Nov. 29, NBC); The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special (Dec. 3, CBS); Dark (Dec. 1, Netflix)
Big Picture:
With the endless parade of scandals in the entertainment business, it’s a wonder there is anyone left to headline or produce holiday specials. But Rockefeller Center gets things rocking around the Christmas tree by welcoming the likes of Gwen Stefani and The Tenors. The Carol Burnett Show celebrates its 50th anniversary with a tribute special featuring the likes of Jim Carrey, Kristin Chenoweth and Stephen Colbert. Meanwhile, Netflix’s first German original series promises to fill the vacuum for Stranger Things Season 2 binge watchers. This 10-episode supernatural drama is about a town with, you guessed it, missing children.
Forecast:
Given the legendary German Black Forest, and all those Grimm Brothers fables, one can only imagine what evils lurk in the Dark. Soon you won’t have to.
Music Big Releases on Dec. 1:
Neil Young and Promise of the Real (Visitor); U2 (Songs of Experience); Van Morrison (Versatile)
Big Picture:
Neil Young and Promise of the Real make for a rare thing — a welcome holiday Visitor. They last paired up in the studio for 2015’s The Monsanto Years. The single, Already Great, is a clear counter to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Good ol’Shakey’s politics are the same as ever with lyrics like: “You’re already great / You’re the promised land / You’re the helping hand.”(Take that, Mr. President.) Meanwhile, U2’s new effort started as a collection of musical letters from Bono to the places and people closest to his four-leaf-clovercharmed heart. The album was retooled to include themes that are more political after the 2016 news cycle was besieged by the likes of Trump and Brexit. (Bono’s politics are the same as ever, too.) Finally, Van Morrison proves he is versatile and a workhorse with his second new studio album of 2017. Again, originals are mixed with covers, including the traditional Skye Boat Song.
Forecast:
A triple header! And just in time for digital stocking stuffers. My prediction? Before long, Santa will only need a laptop to deliver most of our Christmas presents, and drones will replace reindeer to deliver every gift that can’t be downloaded.