Fine bromance returns; Jack is back, too
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. 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.
Big release: 22 Jump Street (Friday)
Big picture: Summertime means sequels are on the menu! No matter how full they are, Hollywood always heads back to the buffet line for second and third helpings. Case and point is 22 Jump Street, the followup to the smart, funny, self-aware 2012 reboot of the not-so-funny ’80s drama starring Johnny Depp. After surviving their undercover high school stint, police officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) go undercover at college, where their crotchgrabbing, juvenile antics fit in all too well with dorm life. Will they ever grow up? Probably not. Will they ever decide to leave college? Of course! How else would we get more sequels? Personally, I can’t wait for 75 Jump Street, in which the dynamic policing duo is asked to infiltrate an underground Viagra ring at an old age home.
Movies
Forecast: The laughter isn’t undercover. It comes hard, fast and right on the mark. Hill and Tatum make offer a fine bromance due to their effortless comic chemistry. This sequel won’t suffer from the terrible hangover of other comedy follow-ups such as … The Hangover Part II.
TV
Big Event: 2014 MuchMusic Video Awards (MuchMusic, CTV, Sunday)
Big picture: I know what you’re thinking. “They still air music videos on MuchMusic?” Yes, they do! Well, occasionally anyway. (I believe the unscientific ratio is one video for every four sitcom reruns). But they certainly still air a music video awards show. The MMVA’s 25th anniversary is co-hosted by Kim Kardashian’s teenage halfsisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, a sisterly brand that spans everything from fashion and publishing to reality TV. (I don’t know how many different jobs these girls are holding down simultaneously, but the Jenners might be one of the leading causes of youth unemployment.) They’re essentially the new Olsen twins. As for the awards themselves, Hedley and Drake top the list of nominees. But the live performances and carnival atmosphere are always the real draw.
Forecast: This one is for the young and young at heart. The lively street party’s promising list of performers include Lorde, Sam Roberts Band, MAGIC! and Imagine Dragons. Don’t worry, these dragons come trained.
Music
Big releases on Tuesday: Jack White (Lazaretto); Big Wreck (Ghosts)
Big picture: Hard to argue with a musical genius. Jack White’s second solo album finds the shaggy-haired musical encyclopedia tapping into funk, soul, country, blues and garage rock — all while putting his signature guitar work front and centre. Like a deft stage magician, White pulls various rabbits out his musical hat at all the right moments, with the help of a stellar supporting cast of musicians. The organ, slide guitar and fiddle work are things of beauty. His country-tinged numbers such as Just One Drink and I Think I Found the Culprit put the average new country artist to shame. Meanwhile, Big Wreck returns with some ghosts of their own on their fourth studio album, led by Toronto vocalist Ian Thornley.
Forecast: Big Wreck’s album will surely haunt fans’ playlists, but White’s album will haunt critic’s end-of-year lists. White’s sophomore solo effort is better than 2012’s Blunderbuss. Next up, I expect White to get even more eccentric with a solo spoon album. If anyone can make playing the spoons cool, it’s White. Plus, it will give hipsters a whole new hobby to pursue.