May 15, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Abel Tesfaye, Barry Keoghan, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Hurry Up Tomorrow movie, Jenna Ortega, Riley Keough, The Weeknd, Trey Edwards Shults
Two people hurrying up (CREDIT: Andrew Cooper)
Starring: Abel Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough
Director: Trey Edward Shults
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rating: R for Some Language, a Few Drugs, and a Scuffle
Release Date: May 16, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: In the woozy fantasia Hurry Up Tomorrow, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd plays an alternate version of himself who’s really going through some stuff right now. His girlfriend has just left him, but he can’t focus on that right now, because he’s in the midst of a tour and his manager (Barry Keoghan) keeps hyping him up to go out and crush it. But what he really needs to do right now is slow down and rest his aching vocal cords. Into this psychological powder keg waltzes an unstable fan named Anima (Jenna Ortega) who’s introduced while burning down a house in the middle of nowhere. She and Abel hit it off, only to then dive headlong into a nightmare.
What Made an Impression?: To Be So Vain: When was the last time we were blessed to witness a vanity project as shameless as this one? I didn’t realize that The Weeknd even had the cachet to get a major theatrical release like this greenlit. (Although I suppose he did play the Super Bowl Halftime Show a few years ago.) Anyway, I’m not complaining. All artists should be given the space to let their creative ids run loose (even if the results are profoundly messy), just so long as nobody gets hurt.
Will You Let Us In?: Although I suppose the case could be made that some people could in fact get hurt by suffering through the experience of watching this movie. I wouldn’t go that far, but it would’ve been nice if it had been a little esoteric. I’m enough of a fan of The Weeknd that I’ve listened to all of his albums and sung him at karaoke once or twice, but not so big a stan that I’m attending concerts or scrubbing the lyrics for Easter eggs or whatever. Maybe his most ardent obsessives will find plenty to vibe with in Hurry Up Tomorrow. I however am perfectly okay with keeping all that at arm’s length. The Weeknd’s headspace is just too dang melancholic.
Letting a Little Bit Loose: Hurry Up Tomorrow isn’t too bad if you just treat it as a series of dreamy images washing over you and ignore whatever semblance of a plot there is. But within the chaos, there is one genuinely great scene in which Anima has Abel tied up Misery-style as she forces him to listen to her critical analyses of some of his recent songs. And yes, we do get a few new signature Jenna Ortega Dance Moves out of the bargain. It’s kinda stupid, but it breaks the tension nicely.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is Recommended If You Like: Being held hostage
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Phone Calls
January 31, 2025
jmunney
Broad City, Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Fargo (TV Series), HarmonQuest, Jeopardy!, Mulaney, Music, Song Reviews, Television
A Shaw Deal, Companion, Dog Man, Geologist & D.S., Grammys, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Love Me, Saturn Awards, The Weeknd
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Companion (Theaters)
–Dog Man (Theaters)
–Love Me (Theaters) – An experimental flick starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun.
TV
-67th Grammys (February 2 on CBS) – Trevor Noah hosts again.
-52nd Saturn Awards (February 2 on ElectricNOW and The Roku Channel – Hosted by Joel McHale for the third year in a row.
Music
-Geologist & D.S., A Shaw Deal – I think this is a super-duo.
-The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow
February 10, 2023
jmunney
Best of 2022, Best of Music 2022, Music
Albums, Best of 2022, Beyoncé, Cody Carpenter, Daniel DDavies, Firestarter, Florence + the Machine, John Carpenter, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Lizzo, Mandy Moore, Music, Santigold, Silversun Pickups, Soccer Mommy, Soft Cell, The Black Keys, The Weeknd, Tove Lo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Before publishing this list, I listened to each of these albums again to make sure that I still liked them. And I did! (But there was one other that I had on my preliminary list that I ultimately decided I didn’t like enough to include. Bonus points if you can guess what it was.)
More
February 2, 2023
jmunney
Best of 2022, Best of Music 2022, Music
Best of 2022, Beyoncé, Big Sean, Bob Moses, Chandrabose, Ellie Goulding, Kaala Bhairava, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Lizzo, M. M. Keeravani, Music, Naatu Naatu, Rahul Sipligunj, Regina Spektor, Steve Lacy, The Black Keys, The Weeknd, Tove Lo, Vedala Hemachandra, Weird Al Yankovic, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
CREDIT: Music Video Screenshots
Strong showing from movie tunes this year. And man, I just love it when those music-makers just jam out and go for it.
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January 7, 2022
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
A Discovery of Witches, A Hero, Pivoting, RuPaul's Drag Race, Search Party, Superman & Lois, The Righteous Gemstones, The Weeknd
Pivoting (CREDIT: FOX/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–A Hero (January 7 in Theaters, January 21 on Amazon)
TV
–RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 Premiere (January 7 on VH1)
–Search Party Season 5 (January 7 on HBO Max) – Final Season Alert!
–A Discovery of Witches Season 3 Premiere (January 8 on Sundance Now, Shudder, and AMC+) – I’ll probably wait until it airs on AMC proper, though.
–Pivoting Series Premiere (January 9 on FOX) – Eliza Coupe in a sitcom that looks like it has some bite to it.
–The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 Premiere (January 9 on HBO)
–Superman & Lois Season 2 Premiere (January 11 on The CW)
Music
-The Weeknd, Dawn FM
January 22, 2021
jmunney
Best of 2020, Best of Music 2020, Music
Ava Max, Bakar, Best Coast, Best of 2020, Bishop Briggs, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Cannons, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Hayley Williams, KennyHoopla, Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus, Pearl Jam, Run the Jewels, Shaed, Smashing Pumpkins, Tame Impala, Taylor Janzen, The 1975, The Weeknd, twenty one pilots, U.S. Girls
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
Damn, there were plenty of songs that made me go “Damn” in 2020. Check ’em out below!
1. U.S. Girls, “4 American Dollars”: What can I say, I love a good song about economic enlightenment that you can totally shake your little butt to.
2. Miley Cyrus, “Midnight Sky”: Miley is a rock star for the ages. It’s 100% official.
3. Doja Cat, “Say So”: Pure neon-soaked euphoria.
4. Cannons, “Fire for You”: Listen to the words she’s using: “I was on fire for you.” It feels like that to some of us sometimes, doesn’t it?
5. Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”: Oh wow, that’s a lot of disco in the top 5. It’s back, baby! “Don’t Start Now”? More like “Don’t Stop Ever!”
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June 25, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Music
Adele, Ariana Grande, Beck, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Beyoncé, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Childish Gambino, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Hans Zimmer, Janelle Monáe, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar, Kesha, Lady GaGa, Lana del Rey, Lizzo, Lorde, Major Lazer, Miguel, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Sia, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, Taylor Swift, Tegan and Sara, The Black Keys, The Weeknd, Tove Lo, Vampire Weekend, Weird Al Yankovic
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
One more list! One more list!
My Best of the 2010s list-making journey has finally come to a close! (Or has it? … For now, it has at least. The future will come as it may, and it may just surprise you, and me.) All this week, I’ve been posting my rankings of a few categories that I was inspired to put together after submitting them to a Best of the 2010s polls that I’m participating in with some of my fellow cultural aficionados. To wrap it all up, I guide you along to the realm of music and lyrics, as I present the Best Musical Artists of the 2010s.
My criteria was similar to that of my choices for Best Film Directors. I considered a combination of how much I enjoyed their musical output as well as how much – and how well – they influenced the industry at large.
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March 8, 2020
jmunney
Movie Reviews, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Daniel Craig, Elizabeth Warren, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL Season 45, The Weeknd
CREDIT: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
History shall remember that on March 7, 2020 (and in the wee hours of March 8), Daniel Craig hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time and The Weeknd performed as the musical guest for the third time. The last time March 7 fell on a Saturday, in 2015, Chris Hemsworth hosted and Zac Brown Band were the musical guest. And the last March 7 Saturday before that was in 2009, during which Dwayne Johnson hosted and Ray LaMontagne was the musical guest. (I was studying abroad in Australia at the time.) An encore presentation of that episode aired in the SNL Vintage time slot last night. Interestingly enough, Dwayne Johnson hosted once again on March 28, 2015, the very next episode after the Hemsworth/Zac Brown one. But right now, we’re here to discuss the Craig/Weeknd show. Let’s get to it!
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April 24, 2018
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Kendrick Lamar, Pray for Me, The Weeknd
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Drake – “Nice for What”
2. Drake – “God’s Plan”
3. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be”
4. Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Psycho”
5. Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey – “The Middle”
6. BlocBoy JB ft. Drake – “Look Alive”
7. Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
8. Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown – “Freaky Friday”
9. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin – “I Like It”
10. Nicki Minaj – “Chun-Li”
11. Migos ft. Drake – “Walk It Talk It”
12. Bruno Mars and Cardi B – “Finesse”
13. Camila Cabello – “Never Be the Same”
14. Bazzi – “Mine”
15. Cardi B – “Be Careful”
16. Rich the Kid – “Plug Walk”
17. The Weeknd – “Call Out My Name”
18. The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar – “Pray for Me”
19. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana”
20. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Pray for Me
2. Havana
3. Never Be the Same
4. Call Out My Name
April 18, 2018
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Kendrick Lamar, Pray for Me, The Weeknd
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.
Original Version
1. Drake – “Nice for What”
2. Drake – “God’s Plan”
3. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be”
4. Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Psycho”
5. BlocBoy JB ft. Drake – “Look Alive”
6. Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey – “The Middle”
7. Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
8. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin – “I Like It”
9. Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown – “Freaky Friday”
10. Bruno Mars and Cardi B – “Finesse”
11. Cardi B – “Be Careful”
12. Migos ft. Drake – “Walk It Talk It”
13. Rich the Kid – “Plug Walk”
14. Bazzi – “Mine”
15. Camila Cabello – “Never Be the Same”
16. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana”
17. The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar – “Pray for Me”
18. XXXTentacion – “Sad!”
19. Migos – “Stir Fry”
20. The Weeknd – “Call Out My Name”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Pray for Me
2. Havana
3. Never Be the Same
4. Call Out My Name
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