Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 19, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A11 winnipegfreepress. com ENTERTAINMENT WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015 A 11 Compiled by CHRIS LACKNER / Twitter: @ chrislackner79 Arcade attack Old video- game characters aren't here to play in Pixels ' You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,' but these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop- culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what's on the radar in TV, music and film for the coming week. MOVIES BIG RELEASE FRIDAY: Pixels BIG PICTURE: Good news: arcade- game lovers haven't wasted countless hours of their lives. Their " skills" may finally come in handy if space invaders attack Earth ( or so goes the premise of Pixels ). After NASA sends a cultural time capsule into space in 1982, aliens misinterpret our classic video games as a threat to their existence. Cue an unlikely invasion: giant video- game characters - from Donkey Kong to Pac- Man - on a mission to destroy humanity. The U. S. president, played by Kevin James ( dystopian fiction at its most frightening), enlists his slacker childhood best friend and former videogame champion ( Adam Sandler) to lead a motley crew of old- school gamers ( Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to save the planet. FORECAST: As far as I'm concerned, any planet in need of saving from Adam Sandler deserves its fate. I'm rooting for the aliens. From my perspective, the best reason to watch Pixels is the prospect of a giant Pac- Man eating people like white pellets. ( Perhaps I should talk to someone?) HONOURABLE MENTION: Southpaw . At this point, more people are interested in making and watching boxing dramas than actual boxing. Billy ( the Great) Hope ( Jake Gyllenhaal) plays an unorthodox champ and a doting husband and father until his wife ( Rachel McAdams) dies tragically. A trail of substance abuse leads to Billy losing custody of his daughter. At rock bottom, he turns to an old boxer to train his body and mind for a comeback, both in the ring and as a father. Cue the feel- good comeback story; Billy is a 21st century Rocky with a bigger vocabulary and better diction. TV MUSIC BIG RELEASE FRIDAY: Old Man Luedecke ( Domestic Eccentric ) BIG PICTURE: Don't let this banjo player's name fool you: he's Canada's most talented young folk musician. His latest was recorded in a hand- built cabin behind his rural Nova Scotia home in the dead of winter. Luedecke again pairs up with Grammy- winning multi- instrumentalist Tim O'Brien. The duo's last collaboration, Tender is the Night , earned Juno and Polaris nods, and Album of the Year honours at the East Coast Music Awards. As you can guess from the title ( not to mention the recording location), this effort is all about hearth and home. The Early Days may be one of the most moving songs about parenting you'll ever hear. FORECAST: His stage name may be Old Man, but Luedecke will be a musical mainstay for decades to come. On a side note, if I was trying to calm a hysterical crowd ahead of a real- life sharknado, I'd play one of this man's albums. HONOURABLE MENTION: Madchild ( Silver Tongue Devil ). The Swollen Members member returns with another solo rap album. Not sure if he's silvertongued, but he may need his mouth occasionally cleaned out with soap. BIG EVENT WEDNESDAY: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! ( Wednesday, Space, 8 p. m.) BIG PICTURE: First L. A., then the Big Apple, and now the biggest sharknado ever threatens to devour " the entire East Coast." A conspiracy theorist might wonder if Republicans are behind this strange weather phenomenon. Need further proof? Conservatives Michele Bachmann and Ann Coulter both make cameos in this edition of the campy TV movie franchise. Was a third movie necessary? Oh hell yes! After all, Ian Ziering ( Beverly Hills 90210 ) and Tara Reid ( American Pie ) need to earn a living somehow. Even David Hasselhoff gets a paycheque this time around. ( Am I the only one who'd like to see Sharknado 4 set in the Canadian Senate? The quick road to meaningful reform!) FORECAST: Ever wanted to see a flying shark ravage one of Florida's theme parks or land on Honest Abe's lap at the Lincoln Memorial? Of course you have. Ever wanted to see a pack of flying sharks cut to ribbons by chainsaws and every kind of bullet imaginable? Ditto. ( You know, these movies could easily double as recruitment videos for the National Rifle Association. Firearm restrictions in an age of Sharknadoes? That would never... fly.) HONOURABLE MENTION: Knock Knock Live ( Fox, Tuesday, 8 p. m.). This live show promises ubiquitous host Ryan Seacrest and his co- hosts could show up randomly at the front doors of American homes with dream prizes such as US$ 10,000, a new car or a celebrity guest. What an amazing coincidence: my dream has always been to clock the vacant smile off Seacrest's face. I'll be spending most of my time on the 21st listening for the doorbell in the faint hope of a cross- border " dream prize." SONY Michelle Monaghan ( from left), Adam Sandler, Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage star in Pixels. SYFY / BELL CANADA Cassie Scerbo and Ian Ziering in a scene from Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Old Man Luedecke A_ 11_ Jul- 19- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A11 7/ 18/ 15 6: 19: 44 PM ;