Hiccup and the gang return for more hijinks
MOVIES
Big release on Feb. 22: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Big picture: Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless the dragon return for the inevitable sequel. This time around they must save their village and its citizens — two-legged and winged — by questing to find a hidden, magical world of dragons (think Atlantis meets Narnia ... but only for dragons). If the legend is true, they’ll uncover all the scaly backup they’re ever going to need to fend off invaders. Forecast: Where there be dragons, there be an audience.
TV
Big events: This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy (Amazon Prime, Feb. 22)
Big picture: I’ll take anything new in week that finds CBS delivering Season 38 of Survivor, aptly subtitled Edge of Extinction. Case in point, Funny or Die’s docuseries, This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy, is the brainchild of the odd combination of Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice), Will Ferrell and journalist Adam Davidson. Hosted by Kal Penn, it takes a humorous, accessible, informative look at various aspects our global economy.
Forecast: Laugh and learn.
MUSIC
Big releases on Feb. 22: Gary Clark, Jr. (This Land); The Claypool Lennon Delirium (South of Reality); Big picture: Soulful blues-rocker Gary Clark, Jr. gets political and powerful on This Land. Just head to YouTube and watch the title track, an emotional, honest, personal take on racism in America. Meanwhile, Primus’s Les Claypool and Sean Lennon (yup, that Lennon) team up for their second collaborative bounty of prog rock. Claypool describes the duo’s musical motivation as “the desire to sit in a room and make space sounds again.” So this one is for all those “space sound” lovers out there.
Forecast: This land is Gary Clark, Jr.’s land.