BLACK PANTHER READY TO POUNCE
Much-anticipated Marvel movie finally arrives Friday, ChrisLackner writes.
Big releases Feb. 16: Black Panther; Early Man.
Big picture: Comic books continue to dominate the silver screen. After DC’s Wonder Woman introduced us to a secret, secluded island of beautiful, deadly amazons, Black Panther explores the secret, reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda. To the world, they’re about textiles and shepherds. But underneath the cloak of secrecy, they’re more like Atlantis meets Dune. Following the exploits of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa (Black Panther, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman) returns to his homeland to claim the throne, but soon finds himself caught up in a battle for power. It’s like Game of Thrones meets sci-fi meets Marvel’s Midas box-office touch in a jungle. Expect lines like, “The world is changing. Soon there will be the conquered and the conquerors.”
Meanwhile, Early Man follows another family clan fighting for survival — only with more one-liners and claymation than Black Panther. The animated epic delivers prehistoric family fun as it follows a brave caveman named Dug (voice of Eddie Redmayne) and his best friend Hognob (Nick Park) as they unite their tribe against a common foe — a big, bad Bronze Age city.
Forecast: I remember Early Man when it was done right: the 1960s version of The Flintstones. Meanwhile, the timing is right for a big-screen feature about the first mainstream AfricanAmerican superhero. This cat’s got claws, and Black Panther will be a fixture in future Avengers’ films. (Given that Disney owns just about everything and every character ever made — including Marvel — I predict an inevitable Black Panther vs. Pink Panther crossover.)
TV
Big events: The Bachelor Winter Games (Feb. 13, ABC); Everything Sucks! (Feb. 16, Netflix). Big picture: This reality TV miniseries — coinciding with the Olympics — will bring together 14 horny, drunk contestants from past bachelor and bachelorette contests around the globe. It’s basically like your average youth hostel only with less excursions. Set in Vermont, with a promise of plenty of snow time, this one should have Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye dreaming of a green Christmas from beyond the grave. Promo tag lines include, “winter tears are coming” and “bundled up and looking for love.” (Where are the White Walkers when you need them?)
Meanwhile, Everything Sucks! is My So-Called Life meets Glee meets Stranger Things. Set in a 1990s Oregon high school, this dramedy follows a crew of geeky teens in the A/V club and drama club as they navigate the monstrous world of ... puberty. Forecast: I would have preferred an honest TV series title for once: The Bachelor: Everything Sucks!
Honourable mention: The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (Feb. 18, Netflix). Apparently, you can enjoy seconds of The Soup. McHale’s new weekly series will build upon his former series’ format, serving a mix of celeb guests, sketches and clips from the world of entertainment, politics and sports. After the failure of the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors, the one-time Community star deserves a win.
MUSIC
Big releases Feb. 16: Belle and Sebastian (How to Solve Our Human Problems); Born Ruffians (Uncle, Duke & The Chief).
Big picture: I’ve spent most of my life looking for music to solve my problems, and finally an album promises to do just that. Scotland’s dynamic duo have been delivering emotional, dynamic, genre-bending music for almost two decades. This one is a combination of three fivesong EPs that play some strings while pulling on your heart strings. You’ll dance, you’ll cry. Enjoy. Meanwhile, Born Ruffians continue to be the best thing to ever come out of Midland, Ont. (which doesn’t sound like a real place).
The indie rockers release album No. 5, whose title sounds like the beginning of a bad walk-into-abar joke.
Forecast: Born Ruffians ’60sinfused single Miss You sums up how you should feel about both of these bands. They may not solve all of your problems, but I promise they’ll solve the problem of what new music to listen to this week and beyond.