You Need to Check Out 'Blade Runner 2049' and More This Weekend

Looking for some stuff to catch up on this weekend? Whether it's TV, movies, books, or anything in between—VICE has you covered. Read on for our staff recommendations on what to take in during your downtime:

This one's a gimme. All the entertainment world's been doing the last couple weeks is gushing about how beautiful and brilliant and cinematic or whatever Blade Runner 2049 is. Well, I saw it last night, and while I do think it's been over-hyped, the new movie is darn good sci-fi noir and looks f*cking gorgeous. And not just because you're ogling Ryan Gosling for nearly three hours. Do yourself a favor and take yourself to the movies this weekend, before you're the only person who hasn't seen the sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 classic. But before you do, treat yourself to Harrison Ford belly-laughing. —Kara Weisenstein

There's already Oscar buzz around Sean Baker's (Tangerine) latest film. And much of it's being directed at its seven-year-old star Brooklynn Prince. When I first saw the trailer, I was enchanted. The film centers on Florida's hidden homeless—impoverished families living in the shadow of the Happiest Place on Earth. But just like Beasts of the Southern Wild showed us Hurricane Katrina through the wide-eyed lens of childhood, The Florida Project crystallizes its world—a dingy motel on the outskirts of Disney World—into a garish, pastel purple wonderland. Kids are master world-builders, turning whatever circumstances exist into their own Magic Kingdom. I'm very excited to tag along on the summer vacation adventure that unfolds over the course of this film. —KW

If you're a fan of Blade Runner's grand, dystopian score, you'll probably also enjoy Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's The Kid. The prolific LA-based composer, singer, and synthesist just released her latest album, and it crafts a vibrant sonic world. Smith spins melody from voltage, but unlike a lot of electronic musicians, infuses her detailed pieces with richness and playfulness that feels more Avatar than replicant. The Kid's narrative charts the course of a life, from birth to adolescence to death, but is full of digestible singles that also stand up on their own. It's Smith's most accessible album to date and sounds far more optimistic than the Vangelis-esque Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch that also dropped Friday. —KW