Here are our picks for what you should watch this week.
The Skeleton Twins
Most Saturday Night Live stars have a rough transition to the realm of movies (looking at you, Adam Sandler). Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig have had much better luck than most of their fellow alumni, in part because they’re two of the most talented actors to step outside of Studio 8H. Put them together, paired with up-and-coming writer and director Craig Johnson, and you get a quietly brilliant film called The Skeleton Twins.
Wiig and Hader play two estranged twins who are brought back together by dueling suicide attempts. Seeing each other for the first time in ten years, the two become reacquainted and deal with demons they never fully exorcised from their lives. For a film starring two top-notch comedians, it’s packed full of drama and emotionally trying moments — but Hader and Wiig still manage to mine laughs from the material when the time calls for it. Their improv skills are on display as well, creating clever conversations and interesting moments that would have never existed otherwise.
Comet
Justin Long seemed destined to be a movie star after landing some major roles, but lately he’s been having a blast back to the indie leagues. Comet is one of his more recent forays, and he stars alongside Emmy Rossum. The two play star-crossed lovers — and those words are pretty literal here. After meeting during a meteor shower, the two characters begin a six-year long relationship. The story unfolds in a unique way, jumping back and forth between meaningful moments over the course of their courtship, as a full picture starts to unfold.
Behind the Candelabra
HBO tends to get the most out of the people involved in its occasional forays into filmmaking. Behind the Candelabra is no exception, though it helps that it starts with an all-star cast. Starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas, the film is directed by Steven Soderbergh. It tackles the story of Liberace and his secret relationship with his much younger lover Scott Thorson. Based on an autobiographical novel by Thorson, it deals with moral questions, but remains entertaining.
Entourage
Depending on who you ask, Entourage was either the most loved or most hated show on television. It definitely had a loyal bunch of followers that tuned in every week, but some of those dedicated watchers were doing it to laugh at the absurdity. You can be the judge yourself, now that all eight seasons of the HBO series are available to stream. You never know, you might find yourself watching the movie that came out this year just to get closure on the whole thing.
The Wrecking Crew
Turn on your local oldies station, and you’ll probably hear a song recorded by the Wrecking Crew. The thing is, you’d never know it. The collection of session musicians performed in Los Angeles in the 1960s and ’70s, helping some of the biggest acts of the time record their music. The film pays tribute to the otherwise unheard of performers who were responsible for the backing tracks on beloved songs like Good Vibrations, Be My Baby, and These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, among many others.
