5 things to know this weekend: Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg made another movie!

When good directors and their muse actors get together, excitement happens.

While the majority of the human population tries to understand that you don’t have to break so hard when making a right turn, let’s talk about a few things that could be of interest to you.

Cardinals fans, I would advise you to relax as a general party of sports consumers. The season is a week old and there have been two rainouts, so hold onto the sky is falling comments until the third week of the season at least. Or later, maybe May 15-30. Give the team some time to get the engine firing, especially after the shortest spring training session in decades.

Yes, there’s been some bad. Steven Matz couldn’t shut the Pirates down, and Miles Mikolas only lasted 3.2 innings. Yadier Molina has two hits in 15 at-bats, and fans have already launched a rebellion warning if Albert Pujols collects more starts against righties. (He’s hitting .333 by the way.)

Look, the front office would like to win a World Series. You can know that and go to sleep at night safely believing it. But they, like 99% of sports team owners, are business-savvy minds first and want to make money. The Cardinals are more serious about Pujols getting to 700 home runs than he is, and they are gambling on him surprising the more patience-lacking fanbase a few times.

Outside of that, they don’t care. Busch was packed for Opening Day and the first few games of the season, even in colder temps. They have your attention for another year, even if their rotation is scary in a bad way and their bullpen could be cooked by June 1. That’s the Albert effect. My advice is to let it roll over you now and don’t get too mad until the season grows a five o’clock shadow. It’s only advice.

Movie fans, David Cronenberg and his favorite muse, Viggo Mortensen, are making another movie together and that should get you excited. History of Violence and Eastern Promises are down and dirty back alley cult classics, so one should expect the same from “Crimes of The Future.” As the voice in the trailer proclaims, it is time to start listening.

The Mortensen/Cronenberg combo and the wicked “Blade Runner: 2049” meets “Minority Report” science fiction setup isn’t all there is to love here. Lea Seydoux from Inglorious Basterds and No Time To Die and the Oscar-nominated Kristen Stewart co-star.

The “Blade Runner” flavor comes from the central plot, with the movie taking place in a futuristic society that is slowly but surely introducing synthetic upgrades as well as advanced mutations in human beings. Mortensen’s celebrity performance artist-along with Seydoux’s assistance-showcases the transformation in his live shows, but Stewart’s investigator pokes holes in their show and finds an even bigger conspiracy at large. Are your lips wet yet?

The real juice here is that it doesn’t look like a normal Cronenberg, whose films are like David Lynch joints with an extra weird exclamation point attached. It’s a step above aesthetically and plot wise. The score alone has my attention.

Television show fans, Josh Brolin’s new Amazon Prime series, Outer Range, also dips into the otherworldly sci-fi blend of life. He’s a farmer who starts noticing changes around his city and world, which brings several people and things around him into question. Brolin convinces easily on screen and this seems to be his show, so I’m jumping on its premiere today. There’s a sly M. Night Signs meets Yellowstone vibe here.

Tom Pelphrey, scene stealer from Ozark and Banshee, co-stars along with Imogen Potts.

Amazon Prime Video customers, there’s a new release schedule for their shows. For example, they released two episodes of Outer Range today, and they’ll release two more next Friday. This was done with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as well, and works better. I don’t need to be overwhelmed with eight hours of a new show, something that can seem daunting in today’s era of multiple releases each day via streaming channels.

This way, we essentially get a two-hour movie introduction to Outer Range, and can make our own decision over a week if we want more. Works for me.

Rock music fans who like a little psychedelic twist to the genre, The Dead Weather should be your next music binge. Jack White brought together a super group of musicians and they made three albums together: 2009’s Horehound, 2010’s Sea of Cowards, and 2015’s under-the-radar Dodge and Burn. Along with Alison Mosshart’s haunting vocals, Dean Fertita’s layered guitar and keyboard genius, and Jack Lawrence’s bass--White’s mad drum skills create a completely authentic sound.

Songs to download: Hustle and Cuss, Die by the Drop, I’m Mad, No Horse, So Far from Your Weapon, Will There Be Enough Water, and Hang You From the Heavens should get you started.

Photo Credit: Neon