It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week we’ll pull together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.
SEE: West Side Story
1961’s West Side Story is a classic Hollywood movie musical, a film so widely beloved that it would take a director with a LOT of guts to decide to make a new movie version of this Broadway smash. Enter: Stephen Spielberg. Featuring dazzling new choreography, intense passion, and dynamic energy, Spielberg has yet again knocked this one out of the park. This is not just one of the best movies this year, but one of the Spielberg’s best movies in years. Out today, only in theaters.
BINGE: Pen15: Season 2.5
Since it’s premiere on Hulu a couple of years ago, Pen15 has been one of the funniest and most heartbreaking comedies on TV. Steeped in ’90s nostalgia, this is a show about two awkward middle-schoolers (played by show creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, both in their 30s… and yet it works!) struggling with puberty and boys and friend-drama and keeping their tamagotchis alive. Erskine and Konkle decided to end the show on their own terms, and these episodes, technically season 2.5, will be their final batch. Out now on Hulu.
PLAY: Halo: Infinite
After a year-long delay, the grand-daddy of console shooters is finally back — and hoo boy, it is goooood. For the first time ever, the single-player campaign incorporates a more free-form open world element — something unexpected for a Halo game, and yet it works fantastically. Multiplayer is as thrilling as ever, and best of all, it’s completely free to play for everyone. Infinite is a shot across the bow, a game clearly designed to pull players from Call of Duty and Fortnite and Battlefield — and based on what I’ve played thus far, it’ll be doing so for a long time. The most fun Halo has been in years. Out now on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Gamepass.
READ: Jeremy Strong Doesn’t Get The Joke
I’m a huge Succession fan, but even if you’ve never seen the show and don’t give two licks about the Roy family’s internecine squabbling, this profile of Succession star Jeremy Strong is fascinating and reads more like a character study from a true crime podcast than a celebrity profile. Part of this is because Strong is… odd. And part of this is because Strong’s “creative process” tends to involve driving his fellow performers absolutely bananas. The results are undeniable, and yet I can’t help but wonder: was it really necessary to put a fart machine under Frank Langella’s desk in order to “get into character”? Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.
LISTEN: Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan
With 2021 rapidly coming to a close, music critics are now releasing their end-of-year best-of lists — and I’ve found myself shocked at just how much amazing music came out this year that I completely missed. I didn’t catch Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales when it came out in January, but boy am I glad that I found it now. A record that uses soul, R&B and hip-hop to explore characters navigating shame, self-loathing, and sex and trying to find self-love, this is one of the most thrilling albums I’ve listened to in a long time.
About the author: Michael Robin is an LA-based television writer and tutoring company co-Founder. When he’s not working away on his latest pilot script, you can find him scuba diving, hosting Shabbat dinners, or goofing off with his goldendoodle, Biggie Lebowski.