Your weekend 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, television, and gaming fronts, every Friday the Weekend Preview gives you the rundown of your options and an educated guess as to which ones make the most sense.
Nick Nunziata and I predicted the box office returns for these films last Sunday.
At the Movies
Blair Witch
Director: Adam Wingard
Stars: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid
Current RT Meter: 41% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $26,000,000
Nick’s box office prediction: $30,000,000
Is Blair Witch the event horror film of the year? The fervor seems real. The surprise reveal at Comic-Con was a great marketing strategy, and it pays off with a movie that is a real treat to horror fans. Trust me. The creators behind this new installment are at the top of their game, as well as being genuine fans of the genre and the property. This is not one to miss.
The Verdict: Don’t trust the Tomatometer. This is a pure horror movie by fans, for fans. Go see it!
Bridget Jones’s Baby
Director: Sharon Maguire
Stars: Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent
Current RT Meter: 78% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $14,000,000
Nick’s box office prediction: $16,000,000
The supposed end to the Bridget Jones trilogy seems to be warmly received by critics. That says something considering the previous sequel was panned. The marketing has been appropriately humorous and heartwarming in equal measure. This will be a pleasant distraction for many this weekend, though how much prior knowledge you’ll need going in is a little unclear.
The Verdict: A safe bet for those of you who are too scared to go see Blair Witch.
Snowden
Director: Oliver Stone
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo
Current RT Meter: 56% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $8,000,000
Nick’s box office prediction: $7,000,000
Oliver Stone returns with another hypercharged and overly produced piece of historical fiction. The subject matter is important but divisive, and critics seem to be split down the middle with this one. Will Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance be enough to draw in audiences? IS this really something worth spending your weekend seeing?
The Verdict: This can wait to be seen at home. Instead, go see Blair Witch in a packed theater.
On the Tube
Fleabag
Amazon is premiering this brutally honest comedy about an unhappy woman living in modern London. The show definitely has the bluntness of something like Louie, and that kind of shameless humor is always welcome. The show has been getting solid reviews and it’s easy to see why. This looks like the kind of fare that lovers of cynicism will eat up.
The Verdict: Definitely worth checking out.
High Maintenance
This critically acclaimed web series has moved to HBO. The series focuses on a pot dealer in Brooklyn and his eclectic ensemble of clients. There’s some dry humor here but it also looks a little hipster gauche. This might be what HBO wants to replace with Girls once that show has exited next season. They are both aiming for similar audiences.
The Verdict: You can tell if this is something you’d be into.
For the Gamers
BioShock: The Collection
The acclaimed trilogy gets an HD remaster with some new bonus content. The BioShock series is one of the strongest in all of gaming history, and a chance to own them all together and relive some favorite BioShock moments with some new bells and whistles should be palatable to fans. You probably shouldn’t expect a whole heaping amount of new things here, but what you’re getting is just as solid as these games have ever been. Take a look at our impressions of the game.
The Verdict: You love the BioShock games? You’re gonna get this.
ReCore
The sci-fi actioner that was such a hit at E3 sounds like it might have disappointed. Reviews have been middling at best, and it sounds like ReCore doesn’t offer quite enough to justify itself. The world and style seem derivative, and the word is that the gameplay gets flat and repetitive pretty quickly. Too bad since this looked like it could have been a fun one.
The Verdict: Don’t always trust those E3 sizzle reels.
