That’s Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
I feel like that’s a perfect headline for this week’s column as it not only applies to the excellent Showtime documentary on John McEnroe that I’m planning to watch, but you could also apply it to the fact that Labor Day Weekend is already upon us.
Where did the summer go?
I’ll start by writing about “McEnroe – The Price of Perfection” that will be streaming On Demand for Showtime subscribers Friday, Sept. 2, and will premiere Sunday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. According to TV Insider, the documentary from director Barney Douglas is an intimate, candid exploration of McEnroe as revealed by the man himself as he walks the New York City streets at night. Featuring home videos and previously unseen footage from his epic matches at the US Open and Wimbledon, McEnroe is a journey into the heart and soul of an athlete whose quest for perfection took him to some very dark places.
“Thirty-seven psychologists and psychiatrists didn’t help,” McEnroe notes at one point in the doc, which sees him examine his memory to explore why a need for connection both drove him and nearly broke him. It also features contributions from his children and wife Patty Smyth, to take it beyond a sports biopic and instead into the realms of something deeply confessional, as well as icons such as Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, and Keith Richards.
“I was on such an unbelievable high,” McEnroe recalls of his time as the No. 1 player in the world. “Why does it not feel that amazing?”
The 63-year-old McEnroe was one of my favorite players to watch growing up, and yes, I’m serious! I seriously cannot wait to watch this documentary about the always entertaining John McEnroe.
Since I began with streaming, I might as well continue in that realm and discuss a few new things that are out, starting with “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” on Amazon Prime. After years of production, this new epic series finally begins on Thursday September 1st on Amazon Prime. The budget is said to be twice the amount that was spent on the entire Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The last of those three films took home Best Picture at The Oscars.
Plus, keep in mind that there are already dragons flying all over the place at HBO, which wisely premiered its “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” last week.
The first season of The Rings of Power was wisely shot in New Zealand to emulate the stunning cinematography of the Peter Jackson films. The Lord of the Rings in the title guarantees viewers for the first episode on the streamer, but after that?
According to advance reviews, the prequel is a brand-new story that takes place in the world of The Hobbit centuries earlier. As the title suggests, Sauron is busy creating the most potent rings to ever occupy the planet. We know how things eventually turn out, but now we’ll learn how that powerful jewelry was created… and why. Again, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” drops on Amazon Prime on Thursday September 1st.
Elsewhere in the streaming services, I’m looking forward to “The Patient” on Hulu starting on Tuesday August 30th. Steve Carrell stars as a psychiatrist held captive by one of his patients trying to be cured of his homicidal urges. This ten-episode thriller was created by the team who created “The Americans”, so the drama will be intense.
From the music world, they are planning on airing the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert on Paramount Plus on Saturday, September 3rd at 11:30 a.m. EST. The emotional outpouring from musicians around the world illustrates how beloved the late Foo Fighters drummer was. Music stars from around the globe gather in London to pay tribute to the most well-liked drummer in rock. If you can, spend your Saturday afternoon watching the live stream from Wembley.
If you liked the show “Bones”, you might be compelled to check out “Devil in Ohio” on Netflix starting on Friday September 2nd. Emily Deschanel (Bones) stars as a shrink whose family life unravels when she shelters a cult escapee.
Lastly, I have been a fan of the C.J. Box novels with the character Joe Pickett, who is a Wyoming Fish & Game Warden. There’s a 10-episode series on Paramount Plus where the show follows the life of a Wyoming game warden and his family in and around the small towns and surrounding wilderness of Yellowstone National Park. Pickett is known for coming from a violent upbringing, so he always tries to “do right” as the game warden and hold people to the highest standards. Most of the novels dive into murder & mayhem however. I’m only one episode in, but the visuals are stunning. The series was filmed in Canada with Calgary standing in for the town of Saddlestring, Wyoming always referenced in the books. The first season is an adaptation of two of the Joe Pickett books, Open Season and Winterkill. It’s already been renewed for a Season 2, which is nice!
Real quick, I watched the finale of Season 2 of “Only Murders In the Building” and found it to be very satisfying. The series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez has already been renewed for a Season 3.
At the box office, “The Invitation” topped a historically low weekend. The horror thriller racked up just $7 million, making it one of the lowest-earning #1 films in decades. According to Rotten Tomatoes, “the numbers turned out to be even lower than expected, at least in the context of history. What is more disconcerting is not that this has anything to do with streaming options outweighing theatrical ones; this summer helped quash that fear. But between the lack of films being released in the near future and those that are not pulling their own weight, we could be looking at a real drought over the next several weeks, if not the next few months.”
One thing I will highlight is that Saturday September 3rd is National Cinema Day. For one day only, more than 3,000 movie theaters across the US will offer a ticket to any movie or screening for $3 or less. There are around 40,700 movie screens in the US, and at least 30,000 of them will be participating. It reflects the lack of major movies in theaters after a promising summer; the next surefire hit likely isn’t until “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in November. Check with your local theater as National Cinema Day is brought to you by the Cinema Foundation, which is the National Association of Theater Owners’ nonprofit organization.
From “regular” TV, I’ve already put a few shows on the calendar on my phone as I want to check out NBC’s reboot of “Quantum Leap” when it debuts on Monday October 19th. Two days later, another season of “The Amazing Race” begins on CBS on September 21st at 10 p.m. EST. Former Jets and Bills coach, and current NFL football analyst on ESPN, Rex Ryan is partnering with a golfing buddy / probation officer on season 34 of the CBS reality competition series. Ryan and his partner will be one of 12 teams competing as part of a cast that also includes long-lost twins, former NFL cheerleaders, ballroom dancers, motivational speakers, and Big Brother season 23 stars Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss. I’ll be watching!
As always, if there’s something out there I’m not covering or discussing in this column, please feel free to email me at PBrooksT@aol.com
I’m very thankful for your readership and hope you will patronize the businesses you see in the pages here. The LOCAL in Shore Local comes from the support of those businesses, so please support them!
Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:00pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
