Weekend Preview for April 15

Nick Nunziata
TV Movies
TV Movies Games

Your time is valuable and at the end of a long week, the discretionary time must be spent to its maximum value. In order to help narrow choices down on the film and television front, every Friday we’ll give you the rundown of your options and an educated guess as to which ones make the most sense. There is a very complex formula involved. Usually, that formula includes us watching the things and then telling you if they’re good. OK, we admit it’s not exactly the recipe for Coke, but we’re trying to help.

I predicted the box office returns for these films last Sunday, but I must admit that my track record hasn’t been too accurate thus far.

On the Screen

The Jungle Book

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Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Voices of Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken
Current RT Meter: 94% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $46,000,000

Jon Favreau has taken a very familiar story and given it new life thanks to the best special effects and voice cast money can buy. A beautiful blend of live action and computer generated effects, this incarnation of Rudyard Kipling’s beloved classic hits every note on its way towards delivering top notch entertainment.

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The Verdict: Great stuff. A must-see.

Barbershop 3: The Next Cut

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Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Stars: Ice Cube, Common, Eve, Cedric the Entertainer
Current RT Meter: 91% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $22,000,000

The comedy series gets another go-around and some new blood. Franchise machine Ice Cube is back with his pals and the drama and strife that befalls everyone’s favorite barber shop. Don’t expect this to follow the horror trend and be in 3-D or take place in space. You know what you’re getting here.

The Verdict: This series has proven itself to be a lasting one. This should be no different.

Criminal

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Director: Ariel Vroman
Stars: Kevin Costner, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman
Current RT Meter: 54% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: I didn’t, I’m guessing $4,800,00

An interesting concept gets an A List-ish cast. Kevin Costner plays a ruthless convict who is given the consciousness of the recently departed Ryan Reynolds in order to stop a bunch of bad things happening. Stylish action follows. If any middle-aged actor could use a hit it’s the always reliable Costner but this doesn’t look like the one.

The Verdict: It’s getting shredded by most critics but I don’t think that’s they’re the target audience.

On the Console and PC

Fallout 4 “Wasteland Workshop” DLC

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As if you needed any more reason to spend time with Fallout 4, here’s a chance to really have some fun with the decrepid world Bethesda has created. As with the case with most DLC, it’s probably not going to lure in a bunch of new players on its own merits, but it provides so many more ways for the gigantic game to suck even more time from us all.

The Verdict: It looks too fun to ignore.

Dark Souls III

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The Dark Souls games are incredible and punishing experiences (here’s a helping hand for the new one) and the third installment is no exception. If you’re a fan of disturbing and atmospheric games, this is a lock. It’s been getting great reviews and the designs on the bad guys are always unique and terrifying. Hopefully you don’t get a lot of this in your regular life so there are worse ways to get rid of sixty bucks.

The Verdict: If you don’t mind dying thousands of times this is the game for you.

On the Tube

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

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Netflix’s best comedy is back and with it a whole new slew of jokes and examples of what Ellie Kemper is cute as a button if buttons were actually cute. Considering how many great moments the first season had, the sky is the limit for the second go around.

The Verdict: It’s a lock.

Nick Nunziata
Nick Nunziata created CHUD.com.