The Rewind: A galaxy far, far away feels a little too close to home in 'Andor'
Plus "The Reharsal," "Sunrise on the Reaping," "Mission: Impossible 2," "The Righteous Gemstones" and more!
It’s Tuesday morning and two banger trailers just dropped. What a day.
It’s hard to imagine a world in which the sentence “The Rock looks unrecognizable” makes any sense, considering Dwayne Johnson is one of the most recognizable men in the world, but “The Smashing Machine” has achieved the impossible.
I’m fired up to see Johnson take on serious role, and based on this trailer, he’s really going for it. We’ve seen fellow wrestler-turned-actors Dave Bautista and John Cena flex their dramatic chops while The Rock churns out “Jumanji 7” and “Fast XIV: Even Faster.” Now it’s time for Dwayne to make the jump.
On the flip side, Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” dropped its first trailer after weeks of cryptic teases. You had me at “From the director of ‘Barbarian,’” but the footage sealed the deal – it looks like another twisted, gnarly thriller is coming our way.
Let’s rewind and take a look at what else went down last week.
⏪ Rewind: A galaxy far, far away feels a little too close to home in 'Andor'
“Andor” is back for its second season and through three episodes it is once again proving everything “Star Wars” has the potential to achieve.
It’s thrilling, it’s terrifying, it’s politically charged – it’s prestige TV disguised as a “Star Wars” show.
This week on the pod we dove deep into the first chapter of the new season, exploring some topics that may take place in a galaxy far, far away, but feel way too close to home in this galaxy.
Tune in to the full episode:
▶️ Play: Nathan Fielder, the man that you are
Zach: I’m not sure words can really do justice to the latest episode of “The Rehearsal” – but here we go anyway. Nathan Fielder somehow managed to cram a fake singing competition, the world’s worst pilot (seriously, keep him away from planes and dating apps), and a version of Paramount Plus headquarters straight out of Nazi Germany... all into one episode. I still can’t fully wrap my head around it – but at the same time, I’m certain of one thing: it’s brilliant. No one’s cooking like Fielder right now. Not even close.
“The Rehearsal” airs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.
⏸️ Pause: ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ makes major casting moves for ‘Hunger Games’ prequel
I’ve long been on the record saying that if they make 75 “Hunger Games” movies, I’ll be seated for all 75.
If “The Hunger Games” has a million fans, then I am one of them. If “The Hunger Games” has ten fans, then I am one of them. If “The Hunger Games” has only one fan then that is me. If “The Hunger Games” has no fans, then that means I am dead.
A few weeks back, I fully channeled my middle school self and tore through the latest prequel, “Sunrise on the Reaping” – the story of Haymitch Abernathy’s original Games. (For the non-obsessed, that’s Woody Harrelson’s character from the originals.)
And we didn’t have to wait long to start fantasy-casting the inevitable film adaptation, because this week Lionsgate dropped major casting news for our next trip to Panem.
Read the full casting breakdown:
⏺️ Record: ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ turns up the action, steam and Tom’s luscious locks
Part 2 of Johnny’s “Mission: Impossible” rewatch series:
New millennium, new Mission! John Woo’s melodrama and unabashed romantic style swings the series to the other side of the stylistic spectrum. Who needs De Palma paranoia when you have Woo aura?
While the flick moves closer to the lighthearted fun of later entries, it does feel a bit too much like Woo’s take on James Bond. Ethan Hunt is smiley, sexy and as charismatic as ever, with the most suave locks of the series pairing well with Woo’s eye for glamour shots.
Read the full breakdown + ranking:
⏩ Fast Forward: So long, ‘Righteous Gemstones’
Jesus wept.
The time has come to say goodbye to our favorite money-hungry, God-fearing, chaos-courting megachurch pastors. This Sunday’s Season 4 finale marks the end of HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” – and what a hell of a run it’s been.
Week after week, Danny McBride and Co. have delivered the most out-of-pocket show on TV, blessing us with a steady stream of unhinged plot twists and never-before-uttered expletives that feel like scripture in their own right.
Here’s hoping we get an Uncle Baby Billy spinoff – or at the very least a full-fledged “Teenjus” series – because I’m nowhere near ready to say goodbye to Walton Goggins’ iconic, batshit creation.
Other Recs This Week: “Andor” Ep. 4-6 (Tuesday, Disney+) “The Studio” Ep. 7 (Tuesday, Apple TV+), “Survivor” Ep. 10 (Wednesday, CBS), “Hacks” Ep. 5 (Thursday, MAX), “The Last Of Us” Ep. 4 (Sunday, HBO), “The Rehearsal” Ep. 3 (Sunday, HBO)
That’s a wrap on this week of The Rewind!
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Stay tuned for more!