A Grimm offering and a new psychopath
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” sang Bob Dylan, 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 coming week.
MOVIES
Big release: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Jan. 25) The big picture: We are deeply indebted to the Brothers Grimm. Without their painstaking collection of folk tales in the 16th century, our only movies today would be based on 1980s Hasbro toys (i.e. Transformers and G.I. Joe), comic books and Channing Tatum’s abs. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton play adult versions of Hansel and Gretel — years removed from their legendary encounter with a vicious, sweettoothed forest witch. And, of course … they’ve become professional witch hunters. Forecast: Witches on broomsticks, witches being decapitated, witches being gunned down by machine guns, Siamese twin witches, sexy witches, ugly witches, sexy ugly witches … this movie’s got it all covered. The dialogue looks as dicey as some of the hunted witches.
TV
Big Event: The Following (Jan. 21, FOX, CTV, CTV Two, 9 p.m.) Big picture: When I first heard the title of this series, I thought it was a reality show about Justin Bieber’s Twitter followers. When I heard Kevin Bacon was starring in it, I assumed it was a documentary series explaining how everyone on the planet can be related to the Hollywood actor by only six degrees. Turns out the The Following is a promising, dark new drama in which Bacon plays former F.B.I. agent Ryan Hardy, a broken man lured back into the field to apprehend his arch nemesis: a charismatic, brilliant serial killer called Joe Carroll.
Forecast: The Following deserves far more followers than your average network police show. James Purefoy is a scene-stealer as the magnetic killer and Bacon’s weathered features and restless energy fit the bill perfectly.
MUSIC
Big release on Jan. 22: Ra Ra Riot (Beta Love) Big picture: In their first album as a four-piece, the band explores a new sound and unlikely source material: the works of cyberpunk novelist William Gibson and futurist Ray Kurzweil. It may sound heavy, but the music will do anything but drag you down. Forecast: Ra Ra Riot has a lot to live up to following their critically acclaimed 2010 release The Orchard, but Beta Love will prove that this Riot has no end in sight.