Two TV, movie recommendations that you should not miss
Apr 24, 2018, 2:19 PM
If you’re anything like me, when you sit down to watch a little TV, you spend most of your time just clicking around menus searching for something to watch. To that end, I’ve got a few recommendations. One on the small screen and one on the big screen.
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First the TV Show: “Westworld.” It might just be the best show in the last few years. Season 2 debuted on Sunday night, and it did not disappoint. You will need HBO, or (cough) an HBO GO password, if you know what I mean.
Based on a book by Michael Crichton, this is the second time it’s been adapted for the screen. From the HBO website: “Live without limits in a world where every human appetite can be indulged. This dark odyssey follows the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin.”
For this reboot, they handed the reins over to Johnathan Nolan. You may not be aware of him, but you’re probably aware of some work he’s done with his brother Christopher. Johnathan wrote the story that eventually became the cult classic “Memento.” He was also a part of what most consider the most epic Batman installments “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” Oh, and he did a little film with his bro called “Interstellar.”
Nolan brings the same complex narrative and stunning visuals to Westworld. It’s smart, layered, and you’ll find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish watching. One warning, there’s a lot of adult themes in this show, so it’s not for the little ones.
Big screen recommendations
Now let’s go to the big screen. I finally got my $7 a month unlimited MoviePass card, and used it for the first time this weekend to go see “Isle Of Dogs.” It’s Wes Anderson’s latest stop motion animated movie. I was a bit hesitant going in. For starters, it’s an animated stop motion movie. And sometimes Anderson can be a bit too cutesy and quaint for my taste. There’s still a lot of that Wes Anderson stuff in this movie, but it’s way better than I thought it would be.
It’s a tightly-made parable about modern politics around the world that uses dogs voiced by A-List Hollywood stars. The animation is stunning and expressive, and the story line is a brilliant canvas that allows audience members to project their own personal political biases and beliefs onto the story.
It’s a very satisfying movie. I think it’s one of those rare pictures that can play to kids and adults at the same time and be entirely different movies to each.
So pop some popcorn or sneak a snack into the theater and check these two out. You won’t be disappointed.
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