The 168 Turnaround: Beware The Sharktopus

THIS WEEK: Mar 13 – Mar 19, 2011

MICHAEL GOUGH: Despite having appeared in over 150 films, you probably remember Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler in Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin.  Sadly, Gough died this week at his home in the U.K. (though he had been ill for over a year, no cause of death has been released).  The 94-year-old actor had a prosperous career that spanned 65 years, including credits in film, television, and stage productions.  Personally, I prefer Gough’s Alfred to Michael Caine’s—Gough’s portrayal was always a little softer, a little more subtle; it was the kind of performance that was quiet, and yet powerful.  For more info, click here.

COFFEE: THE MUSICAL: If you ask me, tea is the way to go.  Still, most of the people I know prefer coffee.  Good news for them, their favourite brew is now headed to the stage, and perhaps even to Broadway.  Coffee: The Musical is currently in production, and hoping to debut later in the year.  Producer Robert Galinsky writes, “the show is set in a warm inviting coffee shop, stocked with six dynamic characters, an incredible original musical soundtrack of a dozen songs, dancing, singing, an abundance of topical coffee talk, love stories and of course…coffee brewing and drinking!”  Sounds…curious.  At the very least, I’ll be interested to see if they actually make it to Broadway.  For their sakes, I hope they do.  To hear their opening number, click here.  For more info, click here.

SHARKTOPUS VS CONAN: When it comes to bad movies, I think the more outrageous the better.  So when the first teaser trailer for Conan the Barbarian (originally Conan 3D) hit the net earlier this week, I was truly disappointed.  No one expected a Conan reboot with Baywatch and Stargate Atlantis star Jason Momoa to be good, but if it had to be bad, couldn’t it at least be entertainingly so?  From the looks of things, this flick will be a whole lot of ho hum.  But the week’s not a complete throwaway, what with Sharktopus now out on DVD and Blu Ray.  That’s right—a movie about a killer Shark/Octopus hybrid.  I dare you to find a better way to spend an evening (while stoned, probably, but still…).  In any event, be sure to check out the trailer below.

THE WOLVERINE: Dreams don’t come true.  Case in point, the one chance we had of ever seeing a great Wolverine (i.e. X-Men) film hit the big screen is now all but a lost hope.  When Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky signed on to direct the next Wolverine film, X-Men fans rejoiced.  Finally, they said, a director who will do the Wolverine story justice.  But, alas, Aronofsky has left 20th Century Fox’s The Wolverine.  Aronofsky explains, saying, “as I talked more about the film with my collaborators at Fox, it became clear that the production of The Wolverine would keep me out of the country for almost a year.  I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time.”  Apparently, Fox and Hugh Jackman are still committed to doing the movie.  The more important question: is anyone still committed to seeing the thing?  For more info, click here.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Mommy’s Nose Is Scary
Go on, say it: small minds are amused by small things.  It’s okay; I’m not proud.  I’ll go on record and say that babies overreacting to everyday events is often hilarious.  And this is one of those times.  This short video of a baby recoiling in terror when his mother blows her nose is one of the best of the…well, genre, you might say.  Enjoy.

The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If I’ve overlooked an important news item, or if you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.