Maze Runner reaches the exit
Pop forecast: What to expect in movies, television and music
Movies
Big release on Jan. 26: Maze Runner: The Death Cure.
Big picture: Sure, the subtitle could double as an indie band, or a wonkish government report on euthanasia. But this is grand finale of the Maze Runner saga, based on James Dashner’s dystopian novels. At its core are Gladers — young, attractive types who awoke in a deadly maze in the original. They’re like Tributes without the hair, makeup and fashion budget, and this franchise is essentially Saw meets Hunger Games meets David and Goliath.
In this instalment, they take the battle against the villainous WCKD in the legendary Last City, which will likely just be another elaborate maze. Aidan Gillen plays the lead baddie of WCKD (i.e. the World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department), which was created to battle “the Flare,” a deadly plague. Then things got ugly. For Game of Throne fans missing Petyr Baelish’s evil smirk, Gillen’s performance will be worth the price of admission. The trailer intones “What are you willing to do to survive and at the same time saving the world?” No pressure, kids.
Public advisory: No minotaurs (I think) were hurt during the filming of this trilogy.
Forecast: I can’t be the only one who would have preferred Maze Runner: The Cure, in which Robert Smith leads his legendary band against WCKD.
TV
Big events: Mosaic (Jan. 22, HBO Canada, 8); A Futile and Stupid Gesture (Netflix, Jan. 26).
Big picture: Mosaic, which launched as an interactive smartphone app, promises “a new storytelling experience.” The app is like TV choose-your-own-adventure, allowing users to follow their own characters and plot threads involving a complex murder case — jumping back and forth in time at will to plot their own interactive story and sleuthing.
The series reassembles the app’s scenes into conventional form. This six-part miniseries from director Steven Soderbergh stars Sharon Stone as murder victim Olivia Lake (conjuring shades of her iconic Basic Instinct character). Her co-stars include Garrett Hedlund, Beau Bridges, Paul Reubens, Jennifer Ferrin, Devin Ratray, Michael Cerveris and James Ransone. The miniseries airs throughout the week. Meanwhile, A Futile and Stupid Gesture tells the true story of National Lampoon co-founder Doug Kenney, played by Will Forte.
Forecast: Mosaic’s original format, the app, will be the future of TV. Meanwhile, Netflix’s new biopic is anything but stupid. Anyone who gave us both Animal House and Caddyshack is worth two hours of your viewing time.
Music
Big releases on Jan. 26: Calexico (The Thread that Keeps Us); Django Django (Marble Skies).
Big picture: Django Django helps us escape with rock ’n’ roll psychedelia (along with genreveering experimentation in dance, pop and jazz beats) in this followup to their 2015 sophomore album. Here’s hoping Marble Skies is a 21st-century full-length version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s ever-dependable wonder group, Calexico “explores the contrast between bright and dark, hope and fear.” Kind of like reading your socialmedia news feed or watching cable news — only with less dark and fear. Track titles like End of the World with You strike that lyrical balance, while the band’s deft instrumentation supports a fuller, louder, lush soundscape on this effort.
Forecast: Take two.