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Between the Streams: ‘Dark Tower’ falls, Star Trek II returns, best of Comic-Con

DT’s weekly entertainment show, Between the Streams, is your guide to all of the hottest, most important, and (of course) dumbest new developments in streaming and entertainment, providing a handy recap of the week that was, and a preview for what’s ahead. Follow us here at 2 p.m. PT every Friday, or add us via RSS, iTunes, or Stitcher at the links below to take BtS on the road!

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Well, it’s been a few weeks since we’ve graced your screens and, as you might imagine, a whole lot has happened in the entertainment world in the meantime. We’ll start off this week with the topic of the hour, namely the cinematic tarnishing of everyone’s favorite sprawling horror fantasy saga, The Dark Tower. We have to say, it wasn’t too hard to see the writing on the wall on this one — after decades in limbo, and multiple directors, writers, and actors attached, it seems even the combined star power of Idris and McConaughey couldn’t save this turkey. Still, it’s a little shocking to see The Dark Tower fail this hard, garnering a 17 percent rating on RottenTomatoes. It’s not Emoji Movie bad, but it’s bad.

Luckily, there’s a sterling alternative at the box office this weekend, though it’s anything but a popcorn flick. Director Katheryn Bigelow’s (Hurt Locker, Zero Dark ThirtyDetroit, starring John Boyega (aka Finn from Star Wars), is getting excellent reviews for its accurate and gritty (in true Bigelow fashion) portrayal of the 1967 Detroit riot that killed three African American teenagers. Not exactly a fun ride, we’re guessing, but at least there will be good story telling.

There are plenty of alternative ways to get your kicks this weekend, including a much more lighthearted romp into the newly serialized world of Wet Hot American Summer. The latest offshoot of the cult comedy, Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later, went live on Netflix on Friday, and fans of the all-star comedy melee will no doubt know what to expect after the last Netflix revival, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. It’s silly, it’s raucous it’s … well, campy. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Of course, there’s plenty of other news to discuss on the show this week, including (as usual) plenty more from Netflix. Perhaps most interestingly, we got our first glimpse of the new David Fincher-produced series from Big Red this week. Mindhunter, which stars Hamilton’s Jonathan Goff (who played King George III) in a very different turn as one of the first serial-killer profilers. The chilling first trailer previews good things to come for the series, which premieres October 13.

Also this week, we’ll discuss the latest news on the Wonder Woman sequel, the new Westworld season 2 trailer, the Death Wish remake trailer, the theatrical return of Star Trek II (Khaaaaaaan!), our Comic-Con recap, and much more.

So tune in and engage with us live today at 2 p.m. PT, or take us along for the ride with our podcast version by following the links above.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
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