Welcome to a special, early edition of “The art of binge watching.” You can thank the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and their Thursday night conference tournament matchup against Louisiana Tech for getting your “what to watch” recommendations a day early this week.
Streaming
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu): At some point during the upcoming weekend, you’re going to need some time away from basketball. Why not help two comedians and a pop star solve a murder inside their ritzy, New York City apartment building? Like most of us, the three strangers are obsessed with true crime, and they suddenly find themselves involved in one. Steve Martin and Martin Short are absolute dynamite together in this comedy/mystery series brought to you by the folks at Hulu. This is the show that you’ve seen pop up on your suggestions 32 times and never watched. Thank me later.
Scream 5 (2022) (Paramount+): What’s your favorite scary movie? My answer is Scream (1996). If you didn’t make it to a movie theater to see the 2022 installment of the series that gave us Sidney Prescott, Deputy Dewey, Gale Weathers, and Ghostface, this is the next best thing. Paramount+ is streaming the new film temporarily, so here’s your chance, maybe with some help from Orville Redenbacher, to convince your significant other that staying home is just as good as going out this weekend. How is the movie? I’ll let you decide that one.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO Max): This one wasn’t listed last week because I wanted to watch the premiere before suggesting it to you in this column. I watched it, and I suggest it. It’s a dramatic mini-series about Magic Johnson, Dr. Jerry Buss, and the rise of one of the NBA’s great dynasties, the 1980s Showtime Lakers. The cast — featuring John C. Reilly, Sally Field, Jason Segel, Adrien Brody, and Quincy Isaiah — is incredible, and this show takes a grittier and sometimes hilarious look at what it took to establish the Lakers as not only the linchpin of the NBA but maybe the most marquee franchise in American professional sports.
Sports
Kentucky vs TBA (Friday, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network): March Madness is upon us. I’m hoping we will get three chances to watch the Cats this weekend as they will play the winner of the Alabama/Vanderbilt/Georgia section of the bracket. Most of you think we will surely play Alabama here, but I’m guessing Vanderbilt advances. If the Cats are successful on Friday night, they will then play at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) on Saturday afternoon in a far more challenging tilt. I’m looking forward to seeing Calipari’s crew make a strong March run led by (in my opinion) college basketball’s most outstanding player: Oscar Tshiebwe. Regardless of the Big O’s greatness, however, March belongs to the guards, so for the Cats to make a serious run, the playmakers need to step up and take some of the pressure off of Oscar.
Western Kentucky Vs Louisiana Tech (Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN+): No one was concerned about WKU’s postseason chances a month ago. Since then, the Toppers have reeled off 10 straight wins with their last loss coming in late January. Jamarion Sharp is 7”5 and the NCAA Division 1’s tallest basketball player. He’s part of a cast that’s getting hot at the right time as they look to bring home the Conference USA tournament crown in Frisco, Texas and stamp their ticket to the Big Dance. If WKU wins on Thursday, they will play at 11:30 a.m. on Friday on CBS Sports Network, and the C-USA championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, also on CBS Sports Network.
NCAA Tournament Selection Show (Sunday, 5 p.m., CBS): Find out where and when the Kentucky Wildcats and Murray State Racers will play in the NCAA Tournament. As mentioned earlier, the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky still have a chance but will need to win the Conference USA Tournament to be in the conversation come Sunday evening.
NASCAR Cup Series: Ruoff Mortgage 500 (Sunday, 2:30 p.m., FOX): NASCAR travels to the Phoenix Raceway this weekend. Alex Bowman stole one last week from Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, as “The art of binge watching” predicted them to be running in the front last week. Expect both Kyles to be back in front this week, but look for Joey Logano to make a push, especially considering his history in Phoenix.
In Theaters Now
The Batman (2022): If you’re looking for the kid-friendly version of Batman, this one ain’t it. The Batman is an even darker, visually pleasing film noir than we’ve seen compared to other film versions of the Caped Crusader. Insert shoutout to Heath Ledger for his past work here. The plot is focused on Bruce Wayne (Edward Cullen) and Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) as they track down the sadistic Riddler (Paul Dano). The Riddler is the star of the show and will not be wearing a onesie and be covered in question marks in this fresh new reboot. I feel the need to tell you that the movie clocks in at almost three hours, so you better bring some snack money for your return to the theater. The Batman is currently showing in Russell Springs, Campbellsville, Somerset, and Glasgow if you’re looking for something close.
Readers are encouraged to send suggestions for “The art of binge watching” and/or tell Jordan how you really feel about his what-to-watch picks via email at Jordanwillis5393@gmail.com.
