WEEKLY PICKS – SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

Another week brings another round of new media releases and we’ve narrowed down the best of the best.

We’ve selected our recommendations for best new media dropping this week. Here’s a rundown of what deserves your time and dollars:

MOVIE PICK – HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

Kiwis have a way with humor and director Taika Waititi (What We Do In Shadows, Flight of the Concords) is their pride and joy. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a charming, hilarious fish-out-water story revolving around Ricky (Julian Dennison), a mischievous, city-bred foster child forced to live with a family in rural New Zealand. A sudden tragedy leads to Ricky and his cranky foster dad Hec (Sam Neil) running off to survive in the bush to avoid authorities who’ve orchestrated a country-wide manhunt for their capture. It’s a lovely film about finding your place in the world and the real meaning of family, played out through hip-hop references and gun fights. It’s available on DVD and Blu-Ray September 28.

TV PICK – LUKE CAGE

The moment has finally come. Marvel’s next hotly anticipated Luke Cage drops this weekend on Netflix. After the events witnessed in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) relocates to Harlem to keep a low profile, but when nefarious gang leaders and crooked politicians threaten to tear the community apart, Luke must make the decision to be the protector the neighborhood needs. Already garnering critical praise (93% Certified Fresh rating on RT) Luke Cage looks like another knockout from the Marvel/Netflix tag-team. The series stars Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, and Rosario Dawson. You can binge all 13 episodes on Netflix starting September 30.

COMIC PICK – NIGHTHAWK #5

Marvel’s Nighthawk, first debuting in the pages of Squadron Supreme back in the 80’s, has been reinvented as a modern-day social justice warrior, literally. The new series finds Nighthawk on the streets of Chicago, where he battles violent crime and civil injustice with the same brutal tactics. The character is essentially a black Batman that must find a way to use his economic influence  and vigilante alter ego to quell racial unrest before the Windy City rips itself apart. Nighthawk features the creative team of David Walker and Martin Morazzo, who’ve paired for a title that pulls no punches with social commentary. Nighthawk #5 hits shelves September 28.