Watchlist: Star Wars rehash, Jackie Kennedy, McDonald’s and Hulu’s ‘Shut Eye’
If a ploy to cash into Star Wars isn’t your thing, we have the best of the rest to watch.
By Bryan Morell
As we all eagerly await whatever particular holiday it happens to be that you celebrate at the end of this month, the entertainment gods will be gifting us with a slew of new distractions to keep us occupied. I know for many of you the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story later this month, is a holiday all by itself.
If droids and Wookies ain’t your thing and you’re looking for something a bit more festive, the comedy Office Christmas Party might be more your cup of eggnog.
Or if you’re feeling more nostalgic this season, perhaps Natalie Portman starring as former First Lady Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy in the biopic Jackie, would be for you.
There’s also the all-too-American tale of the founding of the most famous burger joint of them all, McDonald’s, as Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc in The Founder. And we’ll get to see how a phony, psychic deal with the sudden onset of real psychic powers in the new Hulu series. Shut Eye. So I hope you all thoroughly enjoy the spoils of the holidays, and remember, binge-watch responsibly.
Film: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
In Theaters December 16
As much as my original-trilogy-fan-heart is aching to end each sentence of this review with the bitter words “I don’t give an f — -,” I’ll do my solemn duty to review this unnecessary waste of film.
Ever since the Star Wars universe was hijacked and Disneyfied, and the rest of originality out in Hollywoodland has seemed to have been snuffed out by an addiction to the safety of reboots, an overblown spin-off (and yes, the correct term is spinoff, regardless of whatever semi-clever buzzword they attempt to use to package this pony show) of an existing film franchise was the next inevitable step in this unoriginal evolution.
So, to plunge the knife further into the corpse of my childhood, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios tapped director Gareth Edwards to bring the world the first on the set of a new stand-alone Star Wars Anthology of films. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story tells the tale of a group of spies working for the Rebel Alliance, on a dangerous mission to steal the plans of the newly constructed Death Star.
The idea for the story was conceived by the film’s visual effects supervisor John Knoll and features Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, and Forest Whitaker. Chinese martial arts actor Donnie Yen portrays a blind character who, while lacking in the abilities of the force, believes that all things are connected through its powers.
This episode even has its own Jar-Jar Binks in the form of a character by the name of Boston, which is referred to as a Space Monkey. And you know it’s always the hallmark of quality when a sci-fi flick uses the prefix “space.” It is nice to know that the unreplaceable voice of James Earl Jones will be returning to lend his voice to the Lord Vader role. And other familiar characters from the past such as Jimmy Smits and Genevieve O’Reilly will be reprising their roles as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma respectively.
I’m well aware my feeble protest of sitting this one out, will not stop this flick from becoming an international blockbuster of monster proportions. But it does make me hold my original trilogy collection a bit closer to my heart and appreciate it even more. Rogue One opens in theaters Friday, December 16.
Film: Jackie
Release Date: December 2
How do you do it? How do you dust yourself off after being involved in a televised national tragedy and let the entire world know that you are okay? That is precisely just what former First Lady Jackie Kennedy had to do in the wake of her husband President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963.
Only one week after the murder of the man she loved, the First Lady sat down in her Hyannis Port home with a journalist and photographer from Life Magazine. The soul-baring interview she gave, granted still shocked readers a rare glimpse into her much-guarded life. As much as she opened up that day, she still left plenty of mystery behind for the ever-curious public to ponder.
Director Pablo Larrain attempts to decipher some of the enigmas with his new film Jackie, starring Natalie Portman in the titular role. The film delves into the Camelot world of the Kennedys and takes an unflinching look at the tragedies that ultimately defined the First Lady’s life. Showing how with every misfortune thrown her way, Jackie was able to rebound and survive with a grace seldom seen.
With Awards Season just around the corner, there’s already been much buzz circulating Portman and her turn as the beloved First Lady. The actress has already won an Academy Award in 2011 for her chilling role in the psychological thriller Black Swan. And many are placing their bets on Portman to take home some gold again. Jackie opens in theaters Friday, December 2.
Film: Office Christmas Party
Release Date: December 9
A good number of us have been there before. We’ve worked some soul-sucking office job, where we’re stuck listening to non-threatening soft rock hits poison our ears for eight hours. We’ve spent days laboring over some menial tasks, making us wonder if there is something more meaningful we should be doing with our lives. The only thing is shattering the monotony of the long day being the precious lunch break. That and the yearly holiday party. But what if your boss decided to cancel the festivities unless you hauled in a big client? That’s exactly what bitch-of-a-boss Jennifer Aniston does to her employees in the new film Office Christmas Party.
Aniston plays the tough CEO who barges into her irresponsible brother’s (T.J. Miller) office and lets him and his coworkers Jason Bateman, and Kate McKinnon know that unless they can secure the $14 million account of one Walter Davis (Courtney B. Vance), the party is off, and their jobs are finished. And with that, Miller and the rest of his underachieving co-workers set off to not only secure the sweet sought after the contract that would ultimately save their jobs, but also attempt to throw a bombastic holiday bash that would make a scene from Caligula seem tame. Co-directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, the wild romp features a slew of players including Olivia Munn, Rob Cordry, and SNL’s Vanessa Bayer.
As the holiday movie floodgates are about to be sprung open, it’s good to know there’s an adult option out there for us who decided on skipping Bad Santa 2. Office Christmas Party opens Friday, December 9.
Film: The Founder
Release Date: December 16
We’ve all been there. Unless your parents were anal-retentive health freaks, that is. But I have a feeling we’ve all happily enjoyed our fair share of Happy Meals when we were kids. I, myself have many memories of mornings full of stuffing myself with hotcakes and sausage served in a styrofoam container. I fondly remember the joy of sticking my hand inside my drive-thru bag to grab a fist full of still-hot salty French Fries. And I have one man to thank for all of this gastronomical delight (often followed by dismay) and that man is Ray Kroc. Well, that is if I do not count the McDonald brothers, who were the original founders and operators of the first Mickey D’s. And that tangled little story on the origin of the world’s largest fast food giant, is the story
The Founder attempts to sort through. Starring Michael Keaton as the uber-ambitious Kroc, the film shows us how the modest McDonald bros. got their foot in the burger biz in post-WWII San Bernardino, California. After a successful start, the brothers were approached by Illinois business man Kroc, who, after visiting the bros. California establishment saw the potential for the business to go nationwide. The down-to-earth McDonald’s didn’t see much sense in messing with success they were already having, and ultimately preferred quality over quantity. After finally striking a deal with Kroc, a deal in which the bros. took less because they thought it seemed greedy of them to take more (yes, that’s how salt-of-the-earth they were) the business became the multi-national burger conglomerate that it is today. And as the McDonald’s were left with their paltry payoff, Kroc was left with the opportunity to make a molehill into a mountain. A greasy, cheese topped mountain. The Founder opens in theaters Friday, December 16.
Series: Shut Eye
Network: Hulu
What happens when a strip-mall psychic begins to receive real visions of the future? We will get to see when the new series Shut Eye debuts on Hulu.
Starring Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) as Charlie Donovan, a failed former magician turned con-man psychic, who suddenly starts to see what may or may not be visions of things to come. Having his cynical world rocked by the unexpected onset of possible future sight, he decides to use his newfound metaphysical abilities to tap into the seedy underbelly of the strip-mall psychic con game. Beginning to believe there is something more sinister behind the shops with their flashing neon storefront signs advertising a glimpse of your destiny, Donovan starts to step into an underworld of organized crime and meets the myriad of creepy players who control the cash flow of the crystal ball.
He also gets a good look at the everyday folks who throw their hard earned money away on these scams, all in the hopes of obtaining some sign or answer from another world or a passed loved one. And the deeper he digs, the more Donovan has the chance to reflect upon those he has swindled in the past. He slowly realizes his days as a half-assed magician and a phony fortuneteller are not that different.
And as has been the trend as of late, Hulu has jumped on board the bandwagon of releasing all episodes at once, to further enable binge watching. No more waiting on Hulu for the next episode, when you can enjoy the entire first season of Shut Eye, as it premieres on Hulu Wednesday, December 7.
