Stuck inside? Don’t know what to watch/read/play/listen to? ComingSoon.net has got you covered. In this week’s CS Recommends our staff gives you solid tips on the best media to consume during your downtime, including 2005’s Constantine starring Keanu Reeves & more. Check out our picks below!
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MAX EVRY’S RECOMMEND: The Weirn Books Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods
Click here to purchase The Weirn Books Vol. 1!
Click here to purchase Nightschool!
The first in Svetlana Chmakova’s YA graphic novel series is utterly charming and full of humor and colorful artwork. Essentially a more Americanized take on a Harry Potter-esque magical school drawn in an anglo-manga style, it takes place in a New England town where kids practicing witchcraft have little astral demon spirits attached to them. This book revolves around a teacher’s long-lost twin, a possessed classmate, and a possibly haunted house. If you like this book you can get the even thicker Collector’s Edition of Nightschool, also part of The Weirn Books series, which is drawn in a more traditional manga style in black & white by Chmakova. Check out a trailer below!
KYLIE HEMMERT’S RECOMMEND: Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal
Click here to purchase the complete series!
Part of my quarantine has been spent rewatching all three seasons of Bryan Fuller’s deliciously original and not-for-the-faint-of-heart series adaptation Hannibal that introduced the world to murder husbands and somehow gets even better every time I revisit it. Inspired by the characters from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, the show is the perfect psychological bloody crime drama that artfully explores the minds of disturbing individuals along with incredibly complex and codependent relationships, particularly between FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) — who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers — and Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).
The relationship between the two men is a fascinating mixture of cat-and-mouse meets genuine cravings for connection and understanding in the face of overwhelming loneliness with the constant threat of death and high-stakes consequences consistently lingering over every character. Hannibal is the perfect series to fall in love with and obsess over (if you can stomach the gore) and you might even pick up a few clever recipes along the way!
GRANT HERMANNS’ RECOMMEND: AMC’s Preacher
Click here to purchase Season 1!
Click here to purchase Season 2!
Click here to purchase Season 3!
Click here to purchase Season 4!
A few months back I recommended you step away from your screens and put your noses in a book with Vol. 1 of Garth Ennis’ Absolute Preacher, a collection of the first 26 issues of the Preacher comic line, and now I’m imploring you to power back up your TVs and dive into the darkly hilarious, gleefully bloody and exhilarating series adaptation from Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen. Masterfully cast and performed, wonderfully blending faithfulness to the source material and creators’ own take on the story and perfectly balancing its various tones, Preacher is one of the best graphic novel adaptations not only on TV but media as a whole and with only a four-season run is easy to fly through.
MAGGIE DELA PAZ’S RECOMMEND: Constantine (2005)
Before Keanu Reeves took on one of his most popular roles as the unbeatable assassin John Wick, he first starred in director Francis Lawrence’s live-action film adaptation of DC Comics’ Hellblazer. It featured Reeves as the fan-favorite anti-superhero John Constantine which I think is definitely one of his underrated roles to date. The 2005 film was actually Reeves’ first action project following The Matrix Revolutions.
In the film, Constantine is an occult detective who helps ordinary people with their supernatural problems including exorcising demons which is his way to gain Heaven’s favor. However, his job gets more complicated when a police detective tries to enlist his help to investigate her twin sister’s unusual death which is somehow connected to the upcoming doom of humanity. Despite receiving mixed reviews for not being truthful to its source material, the film has still amassed quite a cult following which is mainly attributed to Reeves’ performance. It also boasted a star-studded cast consisting of Tilda Swinton, Rachel Weisz, and Shia LaBeouf.
With recent rumors circulating that Warner Bros. is reportedly developing a new live-action Constantine film, now is the perfect time for you to check out or revisit Reeves’ first stint into the superhero genre.
JEFF AMES’ RECOMMEND: Alien: Isolation
For horror fans who are tired of hacking at repulsive zombies, I suggest you give Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation a whirl. Or, if you already have, go back and reexperience Amanda Ripley’s quest to survive the terrifying xenomorph moviegoers first encountered in Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction masterpiece, Alien. Thanks to its still astounding artificial intelligence, Alien: Isolation positions the titular slime infested baddie around your person at all times, which means you have to navigate the vast Sevastopol space station as quietly and alertly as humanly possible. The creature drops unscripted from ceilings, appears in dark hallways, and lies in wait in air ducts, ready to eviscerate its next victim.
Critics claimed the game was too long and intense to enjoy. F*#k that. Alien: Isolation rocks! I’ve played this game at least once a year since its release and find the ride just as terrifying (and satisfying) today as it was the first time I endured it back in 2015.
Not only is Alien: Isolation an amazing Alien game, it’s perhaps the best sequel to come out of the long-running franchise since James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens, and expands the mythos even further than ever before. The only question is: when will we get more?
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