Two down, 10 more to go… Yes, it’s already March.
On one hand, it is absolutely insane that two months of the year have already come and gone, but on the other hand, spring is getting closer by the day and that means summer isn’t too far away either.
This month is jam-packed for cool stuff to check out, so let’s stop wasting time and get to the goods.
Here is the March 2015 Primer.
Plenty of Good Reads (All Month)
The most intriguing title arriving this month might be The Wicked Will Rise, Danielle Page’s follow-up to her New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die, where fellow Kansan Amy Gumm is out to free Oz and kill Dorothy. Also hitting shelves this month are a number of offerings from a collection of prolific authors. Michael Connelly continues his Harry Bosch series with The Burning Room, David Baldacci’s John Puller collection keeps rolling with The Escape and Harlan Coban drops The Stranger.
Major League Baseball Spring Training (Starts March 3)
The boys of summer are back in Florida and Arizona, getting back into playing shape and meeting their new teammates as Spring Training kicks off. Last year’s World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants, remain solid, and closer to home, the Toronto Blue Jays had another active offseason. Will it be enough to bring an end to the team’s extended playoff drought? Ask us again in June.
Chappie (March 6)
South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp returns with his third film, Chappie. His first two feature films – District 9 and Elysium – were very good and addressed important societal issues, and this one should be no different. Starring Sharlto Coppley, Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman, there should be strong performances and plenty to think about when the final credits roll. Also opening this week: Unfinished Business with Vince Vaughan and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Patel, Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench and more.
New Netflix Originals (March 6 and March 20)
There are two new Netflix efforts available this month – one funny, one not so much. The first is The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock and starring The Office‘s Ellie Kemper as the titular character, who escapes from a doomsday cult to start a life for herself in New York. That premise alone makes it worth checking out.
The second (the not funny one) is Bloodlines “centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.” The cast includes Kyle Chandler, Linda Cardellini, Sam Sheppard and Sissy Spacek and the show was created by the people behind Damages. Consider this another binge-watch must.
Madonna Returns (March 10)
Rebel Heart, the 13th studio album from “The Material Girl” officially drops next week. Despite the fact that elements leaked early, Madge has been busting out performances of the lead single “Living for Love” at various awards shows in recent months and the early returns on the new effort look favourable.
Cinderella Returns (March 13)
Kenneth Branagh directs this latest adaptation of the classic fairy tale, with Lily James playing the titular role, Richard Madden (Robb Stark from Game of Thrones) as Prince Charming and Helena Bonham Carter as The Fairy Godmother. If you love the story, this version looks stunning from the trailers and HBC should be aces because she almost always is.
UFC 185 (March 14)
Even if you’re not a big MMA fan, you might want to find a way to watch the UFC 185 main event because lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is electric. Google “Showtime Kick” and you’ll see what we’re talking about. A packed main card and quality preliminary card action including Canadians Sam Stout and Elias Theodorou make this month’s UFC pay-per-view offering well worth the investment.
Gamers Get Ready (March 17 and March 31)
Battlefield Hardline drops midway through the month on all platforms to satisfy your first-person shooter needs, but the standout offering of March (if you’re a sports gamer, at least) is MLB 15: The Show, which is available exclusively on PlayStation consoles. As in-depth and detailed a baseball game as there has been, this year’s version features Yasiel Puig on the cover and gives armchair general managers and club owners even more elements to control.
The Divergent Series: Insurgent (March 20)
Tris (Shailene Woodley) is back for Round Two in the next installment in The Divergent Series, Insurgent. As you’d expect, this one picks up where Divergent left off, with Tris and Four (Theo James) look to foil the plans of Jeanine Matthews and the Erudite faction. Woodley is on the verge of superstardom and should be Jennifer Lawrence’s chief competition for years to come, with this series being her answer to J-Law and The Hunger Games.
More Good Music (Various Dates)
Madonna isn’t the only one dropping a new album in March.
Hip hop heavyweight Action Bronson delivers Mr. Wonderful, his major label debut that features production from The Alchemist, Party Supplies and Mark Ronson, while D.C. standout Wale returns with The Album About Nothing, the follow-up to his June 2013 release, The Gifted. Bellingham, Washington darlings Death Cab for Cutie drop Kintsugi, their first album produced by someone other than founding member and former guitarist Chris Walla, who announced his plans to leave the band during production of the album.
