Ethermac Exchange-What to watch: Cate Blanchett gets in the game

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Cate Blanchett as a world-class orchestra conductor? Sure, makes sense. Video-game bounty hunter? Well, that's new.

The Oscar-winning actress joins a starry cast including Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black (as a sidekick robot) in the sci-fi action comedy "Borderlands," based on the popular game franchise. Meanwhile a couple of other Academy Award honorees, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, team up for a buddy heist flick, "The Instigators." And Golden State Warriors three-point menace Stephen Curry crosses over from the basketball court to the small screen in a new sitcom. (What's next, a Caitlin Clark police procedural? Who am I kidding, would totally watch that.)

And have I told my Watch Party crew how much I appreciate them lately? I do! I dig you the most. (Yes, you.) Tell a friend, spread the love and let's grow this thing. Now on to the good stuff:

Check out Cate Blanchett getting weird in video-game adaptation 'Borderlands'

There are massive "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Suicide Squad" vibes with "Borderlands," director Eli Roth's take on the dystopian gaming franchise starring Blanchett as an outlaw who teams with a bunch of misfits to find the missing daughter of an intergalactic bigwig. (I haven't seen the flick yet because it's "opening cold," meaning it didn't screen early for critics. Which isn't the greatest sign but, hey, it's August and sometimes you take the wacky popcorn movies you can get.)

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Blanchett is also doing her part to tamp great expectations. “I mean, it’s not ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’ It’s not ‘Blade Runner.’ It’s its own strange, weird thing, and when you look at the casting, there’s a motley quality to it," says the actress, who chatted with our Patrick Ryan about what it was like playing the game and how she found it "liberating" to prep for her musical drama “Tár” while making "Borderlands."

Stream Apple TV+ heist film 'The Instigators' with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck

Damon and Affleck are back at it! Not Matt and Ben, though – Matt and Casey. Heist dramedy "The Instigators" (streaming now on Apple TV+) casts Damon as a desperate father and Affleck as a snarky ex-con, and the pair wind up unlikely partners on a robbery job that goes very much off the rails and involves an exploding bar and some light hostage-taking. The tone's all over the place and character development is an issue, but the leads are fun together and you can't beat a supporting cast that includes Hong Chau, Ron Perlman, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina and Michael Stuhlbarg. (Fun fact: Damon's bestie/Casey's big bro Ben Affleck is an executive producer.)

In an interview by my pal Marco della Cava, Casey Affleck said that he's "always looking for things to do" with Damon. "I sent a lot of things to Matt, and somehow he just takes a really long time to get back to me." Marco also chatted with Damon about his memories of friend Robin Williams, who died 10 years ago this Sunday. "It is surprising how serious and quiet and very shy he was, compared to that expectation he created − the expectation being that he was there to make you laugh," Damon said.

Hoop it up with Peacock comedy 'Mr. Throwback,' starring Stephen Curry

Curry is well-known for his hoops skills; "Mr. Throwback" lets him stretch his acting chops. The new basketball comedy (streaming now on Peacock) features the shooting guard starring as himself alongside "Happy Endings" alum Adam Pally, who plays a washed-up memorabilia dealer and Stephen's sixth-grade teammate.

The Curry in the show is "definitely an exaggerated, satirical version of me," the NBA star and current Olympian told my colleague Bryan Alexander in a fun Q&A. Curry also harked back to the 1990s Burger King commercials featuring him, brother Seth and dad Dell, including a take where his sibling looked directly into the camera. "They had to use that cut. That thought still pops into my brain every time and makes me laugh," he says.

Even more goodness to check out!

• The Summer of Shyamalan is coming to an end, but I chatted with dad M. Night and daughter Saleka about their "Purple Rain"-inspired movie/music collaboration "Trap."
• Peep an exclusive trailer debut of Netflix's upcoming "Rebel Ridge" and get some intel on the "throwback" action thriller with Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson.
• David Lynch is one of our finest filmmakers, from "Mulholland Drive" to "Dune" (and don't forget "Twin Peaks"!), and although he can't work in person anymore after an emphysema diagnosis, the director vows to "never retire."

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.