Post-Election Stress Disorder

Drat.  Well, the Old White Men are surely rejoicing this weekend because they've still got Florida and Georgia... for now.  And, no need for a prolonged Brooks Brothers riot this time either!  And Roger Stone is still out of jail, and dressing fabulously.  Guy must be doing something right!  Meanwhile, I hope that Dish (TM) (R) (C) and HBO (C) (R) (TM) resolve their dispute real soon.  I think Dish (C) (TM) (R) wants more money probably.  That's usually how these things work.  Piracy is not a victimless crime, so why does it feel like I'm still in the sea, trying to fend off the sharks while staying afloat at the same time?
Oh well.  I complain too much as it is.  Meanwhile, at the Global Storytelling Factory, J. K. Simmons Rowling has clearly decided that giving away all that sweet, sweet "Harry Potter" money and writing non-fantasy YA novels for a hobby... was a really terrible idea.  Back to the Hollywood sulphur mines instead.  And so, the latest installment of Fantastic Beasts reigns supreme at #1.  And no mere Steve Kloves this time!  This time, the screenplay is J.K.'s and J.K.'s alone; but to let off a little anti-Hollywood steam, they're both actually going to consult on Season 7 of "Ray Donovan."  Go figure.
The second debut this week is called Instant Family, and I guess it means that Mark Wahlberg had so much fun on the two Daddy's Home movies that he's decided to keep working with writer-director Sean Anders.  Well, David O. Russell has moved on to greener pastures, and P. T. Anderson, well... that was another one-time thing.  Marky Mark will always be grateful for every auteur he's hitched his star to.  Even that hack Ridley Scott, that's right.  Even though he ended up having to donate his salary for charity, it was still so worth it.  As for Rose Byrne, well... I thought she was married to someone.  The IMDb has to scale back some of the information they give out for free, clearly.  When she goes to Spago's, she has to keep reminding people "I was in Brides Maids, you know!"  Even though she doesn't care for that kind of humour.
And finally, our third debut this week is a return for the new Steve McQueen, the Oscar-winning director of 12 Years a Slave.  His latest is called Widows and it's getting the critical acclaim and poor box-office performance you'd expect from something like that.  Another one of those movies I have to get to at some point.  What hole in the plot must I overlook in order to enjoy the critical height it reaches?  Speaking of which, what about the Coens' latest, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs?  Is it chopped liver?  No big ad campaign for it?