Stuck inside? Don’t know what to watch/read/play/listen to? ComingSoon.net has got you covered. In this week’s CS Recommends our staff gives you solid tips on the best media to consume during your downtime, including Astromythos and more! Check out our picks below!
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MAX EVRY’S RECOMMEND: Astromythos
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I’ve known illustrator Jon Sideriadis for over 15 years, having worked with him on several projects. In all that time he’s been consistently working away at this incredibly complex illustrated mythological poem called Astromythos. I am thrilled that he has finally completed his masterpiece, and now you can take part in the -already way way funded- Kickstarter campaign and get a copy of the book (and maybe some other goodies) for yourself! If you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic The Gathering, Beowulf, Brian Froud (who wrote the intro) or any kind of fantasy illustration then this is right up your alley. Even Samwise and Frodo themselves, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, have participated in the campaign!
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KYLIE HEMMERT’S RECOMMEND: Amazon’s Sneaky Pete
Click here to watch the series now!
Giovanni Ribisi remains one of my favorite actors and he really gets the chance to shine in Amazon Prime Video’s crime drama series Sneaky Pete. In the show, Ribisi plays a con(fidence) man named Marius Josipovic who takes over the identity of his old cellmate, Pete Murphy, as he spends the first season on the run from a vicious gangster played by the show’s co-creator Bryan Cranston. “Pete” reunites with Pete’s estranged family who hasn’t seen the real Pete since he was a kid, welcoming Marius into a colorful, dysfunctional group that threatens to drag him into a world as dangerous as the one he’s trying to escape, but at the same time, offering him a taste of the loving family he’s never had. Sneaky Pete only ran for three seasons, but every episode is better than the last as the audience is introduced into the twisty and clever world of con artists on top of the heartwarming exploration of found family.
GRANT HERMANNS’ RECOMMEND: Goon
Seann William Scott has over dozens of great performances and films to his name, but arguably one of his least-revisited efforts out there is the 2011 sports comedy Goon. Inspired by the story of former minor league hockey player Doug Smith, the film centers on the exceedingly nice but dimwitted Doug Glatt as his fighting skills are discovered by various minor league teams and he’s recruited as an enforcer for a struggling team. With a script co-written by Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel, with the latter also co-starring in the film, it brilliantly blends its raunchier sensibilities and gritty on-ice violence with sweeter and more thoughtful humor, with Michael Dowse directing the fight scenes in thrilling fashion and the supporting cast all proving to be wildly entertaining, namely Allison Pill as Doug’s love interest Eva. This is one of the best sports films ever made and the funniest and most heartwarming films of Scott’s career, easily holding a top five spot in his filmography.
MAGGIE DELA PAZ’S RECOMMEND: Anastasia
Loosely based on real historical events, the film tells an alternate history timeline where the youngest Romanov princess of Imperial Russia was able to escape her family’s sudden execution. Set ten years after the downfall of the Romanovs, the story begins when Dowager Empress Marie, who is the last known living member of the Russian Family, has offered a huge sum of money to any person that would be able to safely return her granddaughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia to her in Paris. Because of that, two con-artists named Dmitri and Vlad have devised a plan to win the reward by finding a girl, who looks like the lost princess. Through their search, they’ll meet 18-year-old Anya, an orphan girl who doesn’t remember anything from her past life before growing up in an orphanage. She seeks Dmitri and Vlad’s help due to her dream of going to Paris and leaving Russia. When they see Anya’s striking resemblance to the young photo of Anastasia, they’ve immediately agreed that she’s the perfect one for their scheme. Unbeknownst to all them, Anya is actually the real long-lost Grand Duchess.
This 1997 classic film is 20th Century Fox’s first ever animated film. Since its theatrical release, it has garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences which are mainly attributed to the film’s themes, beautiful animation and catchy soundtrack. In addition, the movie also featured a stellar voice cast led by Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Angela Lansbury and Kirsten Dunst. I know that it has always been a tough job to adapt historical events, especially something as dark as the demise of the Russian Empire. Despite this challenge, directing duo Don Bluth and Gary Goldman have still managed to produce a well-crafted and endearing storyline that also cleverly combined magic with its dark aspects in order to be able to tell the story to a younger audience. Anastasia is definitely an underrated gem which often gets forgotten or mistaken for being a Disney film because of its animation style similarities with the House of Mouse’s iconic films such as Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast. Even though the Millennial generation might be more familiar with this film, I’m sure that it’s charming story and high-quality animation will still be able to appeal to younger generations who are fond of animated musicals or Disney films.
JEFF AMES’ RECOMMEND: Sneakers
Yes, Sneakers. Yes, It’s old. An amazing bit of 1990s tech thriller directed by the guy who made Field of Dreams and starring a who’s who of your grandpa’s favorite stars — Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier, David Strathairn, River Phoenix and Mary McDonnell. Yes, the film completely fall apart in the final 15 minutes or so, exchanging action thrills for comedy bits that undermine the intensity of the final set piece during which our heroes must infiltrate a facility to obtain the codebreaker. Yes, it makes no sense that so many guards would randomly appear and subsequently disappear during said climax. And yes, some of the “high tech” gadgetry no longer works. But damn it all, Sneakers still holds up as an entertaining caper with fine performances, a few clever twists and a fantastic score by the late James Horner. Call it a relic of its time, or a quasi-masterpiece, but Sneakers rocks as fun bit of pop cultural entertainment. Plus, what other film so perfectly encapsulated the paranoid madness of Dan Aykroyd?
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