Pan prequel

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This article was published 04/10/2015 (3650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MOVIES

BIG RELEASE FRIDAY: Pan

BIG PICTURE: Long before Peter Pan became a creepy, pointy-eared, ageless child abductor, he himself was stolen away to Neverland. This is Pan’s origin story, the tale of a rebellious London orphan (Levi Miller) kidnapped by Blackbeard on a magical, flying ship. Stranded in a new land full of fairies, pirates and tribal warriors, Pan learns to fly and befriends James Hook (Garrett Hedlund) — destined to replace Blackbeard as the mystical land’s big baddie — and Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara). Hugh Jackman chews up so much scenery as Blackbeard you half-expect to spot flora in his facial hair.

FORECAST: This Neverland is a visual feast and will cast a spell over audiences. Expect other Disney origin stories to follow, such as Genie (the story of how Aladdin’s wish-granting pal got stuck in a bottle) and Pinocchio: The Sapling Years.

 

TV

BIG EVENTS: The Walking Dead (Oct. 11, AMC, 8 p.m.); American Horror Story: Hotel (Wednesday, FX Canada, 9 p.m.)

BIG PICTURE: Rick Grimes and his merry-less men and women are back to face off against zombies and the dregs of humanity as The Walking Dead returns. The 90-minute Season 6 première promises extra blood and gore. This season, I’m really hoping they cure the zombie virus and use their weapon skills to open up one of those hipster axe-throwing spots that are all the rage — and maybe add archery to the mix. Daryl can teach college kids how to notch a crossbow while hopped up on craft brews. A happy ending for all. Meanwhile, the Countess (Lady Gaga) makes Norman Bates look like a Boy Scout and Anne Rice’s vampire Lestat look like a vegetarian in the latest season of American Horror Story. The mysterious, fangs-free bloodsucker and proprietor of the Hotel Cortez is committed to customer service — that is, servicing her patrons’ veins and arteries. The hotel, built by a crafty serial killer named James March (Evan Peters), was constructed to conceal and facilitate evil activity. Secret rooms, hidden passageways, torture chambers and peepholes abound. It’s no wonder everything from demons and ghosts to bogeymen are ordering room service. Today’s astute traveller already knows to be afraid of the complimentary hotel breakfast; here, they could end up on the menu. The serial drama brings back regulars including Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Chlo´ Sevigny and Angela Bassett. While irreplaceable frontwoman Jessica Lange is gone, casting Gaga in the lead delivered plenty of buzz. It makes me wonder if an all-musician cast can save next season’s True Detective. Cop partner ideas: Taylor Swift and Kanye West (imagine a full season of ill-timed interruptions); Bruce Springsteen and Courtney Love as rough-and-tumble New Jersey investigators; and the May-December, all-Canadian pairing of Justin Bieber and Neil Young.

FORECAST: The Walking Dead will keep shuffling and stumbling toward greater success. Meanwhile, Gaga’s monsters aren’t so little anymore — they’ve grown up and checked into the Hotel Cortez. AHS: Hotel will cause you many sleepless nights. (I can’t wait for Canadian Horror Story: The Hockey Sweater, about an earnest young Habs fan mistakenly sent a Maple Leafs jersey, then haunted by the ghosts of their decades of futility. Truly chilling.)

 

MUSIC

SPACE-THEMED RELEASE FRIDAY: Chris Hadfield (Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can). Nobody knows how to prolong 15 minutes of fame better than Canada’s omnipresent space cadet. This 12-track album recorded on the International Space Station makes you wonder if he did any actual astronaut stuff during his stint orbiting the Earth. I expect more space-mission products: Space Cuisine: Cooking From a Tin Can, Universal Poetry: Haiku from a Tin Can, Space Routines: Cardio from a Tin Can and Cosmos Cosmopolitans: Cocktails From a Tin Can (which would explain a lot).

OTHER RELEASES FRIDAY: City and Colour (If I Should Go Before You), Selena Gomez (Revival)

BIG PICTURE: After collaborating with Pink, Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green heads back to the City on his colourful new album. It includes the sprawling nine-minute track Woman. (Clearly, The Girl from 2008’s Bring Me Your Love is all grown up). Speaking of, former Belieber Selena Gomez looks to complete her trek from teenybopper to adult pop queen. The 23-year-old shows artistic growth on her latest effort, delving into disco and R&B sounds. She also gets suggestive on tracks such as Good for You, in which she brags about leaving her “dress a mess on the floor.” Eat your heart out, Justin.

FORECAST: Green is poised for more love at the Juno Awards. Meanwhile, Gomez will earn some critical love — possibly a career first. (On a side note: I shouldn’t be so hard on Hadfield. The Pope is releasing a rock album in November. Seriously. No holy word of a lie. Look it up).

HONOURABLE MENTION: Corb Lund (Things That Can’t Be Undone); Toby Keith (35 MPH Town). A bona fide Alberta cowboy with a classic alt-country stomp versus Keith’s wafer-thin shlock-country and patriotic Pablum. Strange that the better Americana is from north of the border.

 

Twitter: @chrislackner79