Pop culture on my mind
Talking sequels, SHRINKING, TED LASSO, Stephen King and, um, Christian rock
Hey everyone.
I meant to do a post last weekend after the We’re Watching Here episode, but as I started to write it, I realized the only thing I was writing about was The Oscars and, well, that’s also the subject of that particular podcast episode. So, if you’re waiting to hear my thoughts on the Oscars – even though I’m well aware that’s like a dozen news cycles back by now – go on and give the episode a listen.
In the meantime, this week I thought I’d just go a little bit looser than normal and write about a variety of pop culture items on my mind. It’s been a while since I’ve done a brain dump, and there’s a lot I’m watching/thinking about. So, let’s get into it.
My original plan for this week was to bring back Franchise Friday, but I’ve been a bit too busy to sit down and get through an entire series. And the options I was looking to tie in to this month’s releases were hard to choose from. My original choice was to look at the Rocky franchise and let it coincide with the release of Creed III, but that’s nine films to sort through (I could have just done the Creed franchise, but doing that apart from Rocky seems to miss the fun). I considered the John Wick franchise but, again, time kind of got away from me. Both series are ones I want to eventually get around to; it’s just a matter of time. But my hope is to revive Franchise Friday in April, and I’ve got a few fun – and surprising — series in mind for the next few runs.
Honestly, though, I feel like every week at the movies lately has been Franchise Friday. Since mid-February, four of the six films I’ve seen in theaters have been sequels. And they’ve ranged from the really bad (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) to the great (Creed III and this week’s John Wick: Chapter 4). The other was Scream VI, which was kind of in the middle – it’s got some really great, thrilling moments, but I think the whole meta concept falls flat this time out. And that’s not even mentioning last weekend’s Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, which face planted at the box office. That’s kind of a bummer to hear; I really liked the first film and my son was curious about this. But we might be holding off until HBO Max.
It’s been fascinating to see which of these have succeeded at the box office and which have faltered. Had you asked a few months ago, I would have said that Quantumania would be the year’s first big smash, and that Shazam! would have built on the first one’s success with younger audiences. And listen, Ant-Man 3 is the highest-grossing 2023 release so far (Avatar: The Way of Water has still made more money in the last four months). But it’s not making Marvel money, and its drop off signals that either people are fatigued with the MCU or that this was just a case of audiences reacting to a bad movie (I think the latter is the case; the MCU is in danger of fatigue, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to clean up come May). And I think Shazam’s failure is also the case of a sequel not quite recapturing the magic of the original, at least if the reviews are any indication – the fact that James Gunn’s regime recently announced a reboot of the entire DC universe probably didn’t help.
Instead, we’re seeing bigger success with smaller, older franchises. Creed III is the ninth film in a franchise stretching back to 1976, yet this entry had the highest-grossing opening of any film in the series and is currently second only to Rocky IV as the saga’s highest grosser. Likewise, Scream VI is the latest in a series that debuted when I was in high school, and it also opened to the highest numbers of any film in the franchise. And notably, both Creed III and Scream VI are the first films in their respective franchises to lack the stars who were at the center of previous films – Sylvester Stallone and Neve Campbell. It’s interesting to see these franchises claimed by a new generation. I suspect we’re going to get several more Adonis Creed stories and that Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega won’t be done with Ghostface for awhile.
But what I also find fascinating is that while the big-budget superhero movies are struggling, it’s smaller-budget fare that is cleaning up. Creed III’s budget was only $75 million – not chump change, but paltry compared to the $200 million rumored for Ant-Man – and it’s already grossed $225 million worldwide. Scream VI’s budget was only about half of that, and it’s already topped $100 million around the world. And if you look at the top 10 for this year so far, it’s populated with several low- to mid-budget successes, like M3GAN, A Man Called Otto, Cocaine Bear and 80 for Brady. Heck, even Jesus Revolution sits at $45 million, which is a fantastic number for a faith-based film. Smaller films are succeeding at the box office in a way we haven’t seen since before the pandemic; for the first time since March 2020, it feels like the movies are truly back. Again, I’m not saying superhero movies are done – they’re not. But it’s encouraging that audiences are showing up for smaller films, and suggests a healthier industry than we’ve seen in a long time.
Let’s move on from movies to the smaller screen for a bit. Probably my favorite TV show of this year has been Peacock’s Poker Face, Rian Johnson’s episodic murder mystery starring Natasha Lyonne. The show aired its first season finale a few weeks back and I finally caught up. And I can’t wait for season two. I love the reassuring nature of the show’s weekly structure – the crimes and faces changed, but you could always be sure that you’d know who did it and then the show would double back to show how Lyonne’s Charlie was related to all involved, and then the show would let her see who’s lying and how she was going to nail them. The contained nature of each episode meant directors were free to experiment with tone and style, and I love how you never were quite sure what show you might get from week to week. Some episodes drew out the suspense and intrigue; others ladled on the humor. But the show’s reliably smart, Lyonne is fantastic, the series knew how to let directors bring their own sense of style, and there were some all-timers of guest stars, everyone from Lil Rel Howery to Adrien Brody, Nick Nolte, Ellen Barkin, Tim Meadows, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ron Perlman and, in one of the show’s best episodes, Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson. What a great show, and it ended with a fantastic way to kee Charlie on the run. I’m glad this was enough of a hit that everyone can come back for season 2.
I was a little more mixed on Apple TV+’s Shrinking when it debuted. I thought the show from Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein had a likable cast but that the premise was a bit messy. And while I still think the show is a bit shaky in places, it’s become one of my must-watches, mainly because watching this crew of broken characters come together each week makes me feel feelings. Jason Segel is an actor I just enjoy watching; he’s funny, but I think he’s also able to capture sadness, anger and vulnerability really well. Harrison Ford is showing comedic and dramatic chops that he hasn’t had the opportunity to in years, and I love this show’s supporting cast. The show veered away from its “psychiatrist tells it like it is” premise in the first two episodes and it’s become more a hangout comedy about broken people leaning on each other. It’s funny, moving and extremely likable. It was also recently renewed for a second season, which makes me very happy.
I’ve caught only the first episodes of two returning shows that I previously loved and, well, I don’t have the greatest feeling right now. I’m a few weeks behind on The Mandalorian season 3; we caught the season premiere when it aired and, to be honest, I haven’t felt a desire to jump back in. The show simply picking up after The Book of Boba Fett feels like a way to cheapen the entire cliffhanger from last season. Mando is still a compelling hero and Grogu is still the most adorable thing ever, but the show’s formula feels like it may have turned into a rut, with every episode finding Mando on a fetch quest. It’s still an entertaining show and I still appreciate that this series remembers that the greatest thing about Star Wars is its iconography; we’ll eventually jump back in and I hope that I’m proven wrong. It’s not bad (yet)...it just is hitting that franchise point of obligation.
As I’m writing this, there’s only two new episodes of Ted Lasso season 3, and I’ve only seen the first. As with Shrinking, this is a show that makes me feel things. And the season premiere definitely had its moments – Ted taking the high road after Nate verbally eviscerates him at a press conference is the highlight. I love Jason Sudeikis in this role and I think this whole cast is fantastic – but the easygoing energy and humor seemed to get buried a bit in the 45-minute season premiere, and while the core of the show remains good, there’s just too much (the fact that I simply turned off Apple TV+ when I saw episode two was also 45 minutes is not a good sign). Juno Temple is fantastic as Keeley, but the show seems to be treating her like an in-series spinoff. Brett Goldstein can always make me laugh by growling and swearing, but there’s the sense that the show is thisclose to turning him into a parody. Season premieres often have to do a bunch of table-setting, and it’s possible it’s just working the kinks out. There’s promising stuff here – mostly the tension between Nate and Ted. I just worry the show might be getting a bit too full of itself.
I’m also about ready to figure out the next series to dive into. Right now, I’m considering finally taking the plunge on The Chosen, but I also have heard fantastic things about The Last of Us (enough to make this non-gamer give it a shot), and Andor is still sitting there waiting for me. But I think next up might be finally pulling the trigger on season five of The Sopranos. I’d taken a break after the darkness of season four, but this show is too good to sit unfinished.
I don’t really write about books until I’m done reading them. But I just wanted to mention that I’m reading Stephen King’s latest novel, Fairy Tale, and it’s another great late-period release from him so far. As the title implies, it’s a bit of light fantasy – I’m about 150 pages in, but so far this doesn’t seem to have Dark Tower connections. Instead, it’s a charming little yarn about a teenage boy who befriends an old man and his dog, and finds a portal to another world under the man’s shed. It’s a bit of a slow burn at first, but it’s some of King’s most light and optimistic writing, focused on a kid who just wants to do the right thing. As ever, King’s knack with characters and language is second to none, and even without much of a supernatural element in the early go, I’m finding it hard to put down. Just more proof that King’s the master.
Finally, here’s one for my Christian music nerds. I’ve become way too invested in Eric McLanahan’s March Madness bracket to find the best Christian music artist/band. Heavyweights like Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and the Newsboys were knocked out several rounds back, and it was a genuine shocker to see dc Talk unseated by Five Iron Frenzy (I’m very happy about this, as FIF is one of my all-time favorite bands). As I’m writing this, the “competition” is gearing up for a truly shocking championship, with Five Iron going on to unseat Rich Mullins and going up against switchfoot, who beat MxPx, a band I honestly was surprised to go far at all. These are four bands/artists I quite like and have seen in concert, and it’s legitimately got me fascinated. It would seem obvious that Mullins – the poet who wore his prophetic voice on his sleeve – would have been the odds-on favorite; he’s greatly respected and died way too young. But then again, he never wrote a rock opera about pants. And I realize that the people who come here only for movie/TV news and never listened to a note of Christian music are likely confused right now, but that somehow makes this even more enjoyable. If Five Iron Frenzy – not just a ska band, but a Christian ska band – walks away with this, it’s going to be hilarious. And yet, I don’t think it would be wrong.
Alright, that’s where we’ll leave things this weekend. We’ll be back next week!