These are troubling times we live in which means that reality is, most days, something not many of us really want to face.
Thank goodness then for TV and streaming shows and movies, all of which give us the sweet, SWEET chance to let lose the bonds of grinding humdrum and escape into stories where challenges may abound but they are not OUR challenges and so we can sit back and viscerally tell reality to take a hike for a while.
In this selection, you get to spend time with a dragon, a thief, a mischievously second in line to a galactic throne, a conman and possible murderer, hinted at upside down horrors and blind flesh-chomping aliens.
Hurrah! Okay admittedly some of them are kinda scary but they’re not reality scary so sit back and pretend the world is all made-up adventure just for a while.
It’s the best self care money can buy …
SNAPSHOT
In Sony Pictures Animation’s Wish Dragon, Din, a working-class college student with big dreams but small means, and Long, a cynical but all-powerful dragon capable of granting wishes, set off on a hilarious adventure through modern-day Shanghai in pursuit of Din’s long-lost childhood friend, Lina. Their journey forces them to answer some of life’s biggest questions – because when you can wish for anything, you have to decide what really matters. (synopsis courtesy Flickering Myth)
Wish Dragon premieres on Netflix on 11 June.
SNAPSHOT
Even a federal maximum-security prison can’t hold Richard Pace (Golden Globe nominee PIERCE BROSNAN), a brilliant international thief. But his daring escape and high-octane car chase, eluding the FBI and police, ends with him being scooped up by The Misfits, a band of modern-day Robin Hoods. Led by the eccentric and charismatic Ringo (NICK CANNON) with Violet (JAMIE CHUNG), the Prince (RAMI JABER), and Wick (MIKE ANGELO) with Pace’s daughter Hope (HERMIONE CORFIELD)- a mysterious group who do devious things for all the right reasons. The skilled group convinces Pace to join them to pull off the heist of the century: stealing millions in gold bars kept under one of the most secure prisons on earth, owned by rogue businessman Schultz (Tim Roth), and used for funding terrorist groups worldwide. Aside from the money, Pace wants revenge against Schultz, the man behind his incarceration. From LA to Abu Dhabi, it will take supercharged engines, forged identities, multiple cons, camels, nitro and massive explosions to succeed. (synopsis courtesy Flickering Myth)
The Misfits opens in Australia on 10 June and USA on 11 June.
SNAPSHOT
In this thrilling true crime story filled with twists, turns, and political turmoil Waltz stars as Ulrich Mott, an eccentric and smooth-talking social climber who seems to have everyone in Washington, D.C. wrapped around his finger. But when his wealthy, well-connected and much older wife (Redgrave) turns up dead in their home, her daughter Amanda (Bening) suspects Ulrich may not be all that he seems as the police investigation begins to uncover a larger deception that goes far deeper than anyone ever imagined. (synopsis courtesy Flickering Myth)
Georgetown opens 14 May USA with digital release following 18 May.
Marvel Studios’ Loki features the God of Mischief as he steps out of his brother’s shadow in a new series that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Loki features a cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sasha Lane and Richard E. Grant. (courtesy Flickering Myth)
Loki premieres on Disney Plus on 11 June.
STRANGER THINGS 4
SNAPSHOT
“We’re excited to officially announce that production for Stranger Things 4 is now underway—and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper! Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American’; [Hopper] is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, Russia, where he will face dangers both human… and other. Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long-buried, something that connects everything…” (synopsis from the Duffer Brothers via EW)
Production is ongoing and Stranger Things 4 will likely drop sometime in 2022, according to What’s on Netflix.
SNAPSHOT
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. (official synopsis via Wikipedia)
A Quiet Place II opens in Australia on 27 May and UK on 4 June.