This week’s show begins with a childhood fantasy for thirtysomethings everywhere that has finally (or will finally) come true. That’s right, we’re talking about the long-awaited, tediously speculated, never-thought-we’d-see-it Top Gun sequel. And according to Mr. Tom “Dances on the couch” Cruise himself, it’s a go! Frankly, it’s a really strange time to go back to the Top Gun well, but also a very timely one, what with the political scene turning to the theme of age-old Cold War adversaries on a daily basis. And while the rumored plot details surrounding drone warfare make us a little nervous about the potential lack of massive turbines blasting gorgeous hunks of bullet-shaped steel into the stratosphere, we’re still pretty stoked about this one.
Unfortunately, Top Gun 2 is still a long ways off, and that means we’ll have to deal with this week’s mealymouthed offering of big budget fare, which includes two apparent duds. Pirates of the Caribbean 97, Dead Man Tell No Tales, looked like it had some potential thanks to the deployment of the delightfully sinister Javier Bardem as the antagonist, but it seems this movie serves up just as many surprises as you’d expect: Effectively zero. On the flip side, the new Baywatch movie never looked like Shakespeare, but it appeared the hot bodies mixed with the charisma of The Rock and the affable comedy chops of Zack Efron might bring it home. Unfortunately, critics are saying the script is a mess, and the laughs are few and far between. It’s still got the hot bodies though, right?
Frankly, we’d suggest you look elsewhere this week if you’re thinking about hitting the theater, and we’ve got some suggestions, including Alien: Covenant. After seeing the film last week, we can safely say that, while it doesn’t reach the heights of the classic films in the franchise, it’s a fun and brilliantly shot space side adventure, with plenty of carnage and intrigue to keep your popcorn-packed face happy.
We got new Star Wars news this week, as Vanity Fair revealed new shots from The Last Jedi, including newcomers Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern in costume. It’s sort of odd to see either in a Star Wars film, as they’re not prone to hiring big-name actors past or present outside the original cast. However, it’s interesting to see the new look from the film that could decide the overall grandeur and quality of the entire sequel series. Rian Johnson, the fate of the empire lies on your shoulders.
And speaking of old stories born anew, we’ve got plenty of choices for our reboot recap this week, including a new Charlie’s Angels movie (aka, a reboot of a reboot), a new Jetsons movie from the director of Sausage Party, and some branding for Universal’s new monster cinematic universe that will kick off (for a second try) with The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Sofia Boutella.
Elsewhere in the entertainment world, HBO finally let fly a trailer for Game of Thrones season 7, and it’s pretty great. Dragons, drama, and all your favorite characters are back (the ones who didn’t fry in a green ball of hellfire anyway), and it’s just what we needed to stoke our interest as we gear up for the premiere July 16.
Also this week, we’ll talk about the new Castlevania trailer, news about the New Mutants X-Men spinoff, a spoiler-free review of Bloodline season 3 ahead of its premiere, and more. So tune in at 2 p.m. PT, or take our podcast on the road via the links above!
