End Credits - April 10, 2019 (The Beach Bum)

This week on End Credits, we'll mark the return of warmer weather and the start of summer vacation at the U of G by heading to the beach. Cinematically speaking. We'll review the new indie comedy, The Beach Bum, and also talk about the "Clash of Kings." Yes, that's a Game of Thrones reference, but it's also a reference to the fight between Hollywood writers and agents. On top of that, we'll talk about the Joker movie, and a pair of killer doll flicks! 

This Wednesday, April 10, at 3 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and Peter Salmon will discuss:

Agents of Yield? In Hollywood right now, there's an epic stand-off happening between the Writers Guild of America, the union that represents all screenwriters, and the Association of Talent Agents, which is the organizing body for agencies who represent writers (and other talent). The fight has been brutal, and both sides seem intractable in their positions, but in the days to come, the movie and TV business might change radically. We'll explain how.

Doll-a-rama! This summer, it's not about the superheroes, monsters, and live-action Disney characters, it's about the killer dolls. In one corner, we've got the latest instalment in the Conjuring universe, Annabelle Comes Home, and in the other corner, we've got the remake of Child's Play, the 1988 movie that launched a seven-film franchise. Is there enough room at the box office for two killer dolls, and if not, which one will win the summer? `

Joke Look. The first trailer for Todd Phillips' movie about the origins of the Clown Prince of Crime was released last week, and it got a lot of interest because it looks fascinatingly good. Phillips' manages to channel the Batman villain through what looks like an elaborate remake of Taxi Driver, and it features what might be a very magnetic performance by Joaquin Phoenix, which makes us ask the question: Might The Joker end up being great?

Game of Predictions. HBO's Game of Thrones returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday in what is one of the most anticipated pop culture events of the year. There's only six episodes left to wrap up the tangled web of stories and characters, so we're going to take some time this week to make some wild and not-so-wild predictions about who will live, who will die, and who will win the Iron Throne, if there's anyone left to win the Iron Throne at all.

REVIEW: The Beach Bum (2019). Harmony Korine is no stranger to testing audiences tolerance for distaste and corruption, but can they take all that in the form of Matthew McConaughey as a  loutish and lazy beat poet who spends too much time getting high that he can't string three words together? Korine brings together a great cast including Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, and Zac Efron to test patience and tolerance as we spend 90 minutes watching McConaughey's bum get in one kind of trouble or another. But what does it all mean?

End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 2 pm.