Tag: Lindsey Bahr

What to Stream: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Mickey 17,’ Kevin Hart and ‘A Grand Ole Opry Christmas’

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Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17,” a new batch of “Stranger Things’” final season and Kevin Hart debuting a new comedy special on Netflix are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Everybody Loves Raymond” gets a 30th anniversary special on CBS, the Hallmark’s special “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” with Brad Paisley and Mickey Guyton, and a new Beatles documentary series hits Disney+.

New movies to stream from Nov. 24-30

—Taiwanese filmmaker Shih-Ching Tsou, known for collaborating with and producing several Sean Baker films including “Tangerine” and “The Florida Project,” makes her solo directorial debut with “Left-Handed Girl,” about a single mother and her two daughters who return to Taipei to open a stand at a night market. Netflix acquired the film after it was warmly received during the Cannes Film Festival and Taiwan has already selected the film as its Oscar submission. It begins streaming on Netflix on Nov. 28.

—Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” arrives on Prime Video on Thursday, Nov. 26, for some dystopian holiday viewing. In her review for The Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck praised Robert Pattinson’s performance (or, rather, performances) as an expendable who is constantly being reprinted anew. She writes, “It’s his movie, and he saves it from Bong’s tendencies to overstuff the proceedings. In an extremely physical, committed, even exhausting performance, Pattinson takes what could have been an unwieldy mess and makes it much less, well, expendable.”

—OK, “The Last Duel,” streaming on Hulu on Sunday, Nov. 30 might be four years old but it’s a far better option than, say, “Flight Risk” (on HBO Max on Wednesday). Ridley Scott’s medieval tale, written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, is a brilliant spin on the historical epic told from three different perspectives, Damon’s Jean de Carrouges, Adam Driver’s Jacques Le Gris and Jodie Comer’s Marguerite. In his review for the AP, film writer Jake Coyle wrote that it “is more like a medieval tale deconstructed, piece by piece, until its heavily armored male characters and the genre’s mythologized nobility are unmasked.”

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

New music to stream on Nov. 24-30

— In 2021, over Thanksgiving, Disney+ released Peter Jackson’s six-hour “The Beatles: Get Back” to its streaming platform. The gargantuan project provided fans with a deep-dive into the band’s “Let It Be” sessions – including footage of their entire rooftop concert, shared in full for the first time. It was an ideal release date, to say the least. After all that delicious food, who doesn’t want to settle in for a lengthy journey into one of the greatest musical acts of all time? Well, in 2025, there’s yet another reason to be grateful: Starting Wednesday, “The Beatles Anthology” documentary series hits Disney+. That’s nine episodes tracing their journey. Lock in.

— ’Tis the season for Hallmark holiday films. And for the country music fanatic, that means “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.” The film follows a woman forced to confront her musical past and heritage in the esteemed venue – and there may or may not be some time travel and Christmas magic involved. Stay tuned for the all-star cameos: Brad Paisley, Megan Moroney, Mickey Guyton, Rhett Akins, Tigirlily Gold and more make an appearance. It starts streaming on Hallmark+ Sunday.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Nov. 24-30

— It’s hard to believe that “Everybody Loves Raymond” has been off the air for two decades. The multicamera sitcom starred Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton as Ray and Debra Barone, a young married couple whose daily lives are interrupted regularly by Ray’s meddling parents, played by Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts, who live across the street. CBS recently taped a 30th anniversary special to air Monday which will also stream on Paramount+. Hosted by Romano and creator, Phil Rosenthal, it recreates the set of the Barone living room and features interviews with cast members including Romano, Heaton, Brad Garrett and Monica Horan. There will also be a tribute to Boyle and Roberts who died in 2006 and 2016, respectively. It’s fitting for the special to come out around the holidays because its Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes were top-notch. All nine seasons stream on both Paramount+ and Peacock.

— ” Stranger Things” is finally back with its fifth and final season. Netflix is releasing the sci-fi series in three parts and the first four episodes drop Wednesday. Millie Bobby Brown says fans will “lose their damn minds” with how it ends.

— Also Monday, Kevin Hart debuts a new comedy special on Netflix. It’s called “Kevin Hart: Acting My Age.” The jokes center around, you guessed it, aging.

— A new “Family Guy” special on Hulu pokes fun at those holiday movies we all know, love and watch. It’s called “Disney’s Hulu’s Family Guy’s Hallmark Channel’s Lifetime’s Familiar Holiday Movie” and pokes fun at the commonly-used trope of a big city gal who ends up in a small town at Christmas and falls in love. It drops Friday, Nov. 28 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from Nov. 24-30

— Artificial intelligence: friend to all humanity or existential threat to the planet? In A.I.L.A, Brazilian studio Pulsatrix leans toward the latter. You play as a game tester who’s asked to try out an AI-created horror story. But while you’re busy fighting off ghosts, zombies and ax murderers, the AI may be up to something more nefarious in the background — which could be bad news if you own a smart refrigerator. It all has the potential to be very meta, whether or not you welcome our new robot overlords. It arrives Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

— Lou Kesten

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November 24, 2025
What to Stream: ‘Freakier Friday,’ NF, ‘Landman,’ ‘Palm Royale’ and Black Ops 7

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Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-teaming as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday” and albums from 5 Seconds of Summer and the rapper NF are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys team up for the new limited-series thriller “The Beast in Me,” gamers get Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back.

New movies to stream from Nov. 10-16

— Richard Linklater’s love letter to the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” “Nouvelle Vague,” will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 14. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle writes that, “To a remarkable degree, Linklater’s film, in French and boxed into the Academy ratio, black-and-white style of ‘Breathless,’ has fully imbibed that spirit, resurrecting one of the most hallowed eras of movies to capture an iconoclast in the making. The result is something endlessly stylish and almost absurdly uncanny.”

— Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-team as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to their 2003 movie, streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck writes, “The chief weakness of ‘Freakier Friday’ — an amiable, often joyful and certainly chaotic reunion — is that while it hews overly closely to the structure, storyline and even dialogue of the original, it tries too hard to up the ante. The comedy is thus a bit more manic, and the plot machinations more overwrought (or sometimes distractingly silly).”

— Ari Aster’s latest nightmare “Eddington” is set in a small, fictional New Mexico town during the coronavirus pandemic, which becomes a kind of microcosm for our polarized society at large with Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff and Pedro Pascal as its mayor. In my review, I wrote that, “it is an anti-escapist symphony of masking debates, conspiracy theories, YouTube prophets, TikTok trends and third-rail topics in which no side is spared.”

— An incurable cancer diagnoses might not be the most obvious starting place for a funny and affirming film, but that is the magic of Ryan White’s documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” about two poets, Andrea Gibson, who died in July, and Megan Falley, facing a difficult reality together. It will be on Apple TV on Friday, Nov. 14.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

New music to stream from Nov. 10-16

— There’s nothing worse than a band without a sense of humor. Thankfully 5 Seconds of Summer are in on the joke. Their sixth studio album, “Everyone’s a Star!,” sounds like the Australian pop-rock band are having fun again, from The Prodigy-esq. “Not OK” to the self-referential and effacing “Boy Band.” Candor is their provocation now, and it sounds good — particularly after the band has spent the last few years exploring solo projects.

— The R&B and neo soul powerhouse Summer Walker has returned with her third studio album and first in four years. “Finally Over It,” out Friday, Nov. 14, is the final chapter of her “Over It” trilogy; a release centered on transformation and autonomy. That’s evident from the dreamy throwback single, “Heart of A Woman,” in which the song’s protagonist is disappointed with her partner — but with striking self-awareness. “In love with you but can’t stand your ways,” she sings. “And I try to be strong/But how much can I take?”

— Consider him one of the biggest artists on the planet that you may not be familiar with. NF, the musical moniker of Nate Feuerstein, emerged from the Christian rap world a modern answer to Eminem only to top the mainstream, all-genre Billboard 200 chart twice, with 2017’s “Perception” and 2019’s “The Search.” On Friday, Nov. 14, he’ll release “Fear,” a new six-track EP featuring mgk (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) and the English singer James Arthur.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Nov. 10-16

— Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back just in time for a new social season. Starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Kaia Gerber, Ricky Martin AND Carol Burnett, the show is campy, colorful and fun, plus it has great costumes. Wiig plays Maxine, a woman desperate to be accepted into high society in Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1960s. The first episode streams Wednesday and one will follow weekly into January.

— “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Heather Gay has written a book called “Bad Mormon” about how she went from a devout Mormon to leaving the church. Next, she’s fronting a new docuseries that delves into that too called “Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay.” The reality TV star also speaks to others who have left the religion. All three episodes drop Wednesday on Peacock.

— Thanks to “Homeland” and “The Americans,” Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys helped put the prestige in the term prestige TV. They grace the screen together in a new limited-series for Netflix called “The Beast in Me.” Danes plays a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who finds a new subject in her next door neighbor, a real estate tycoon who also may or may not have killed his first wife. Howard Gordon, who worked with Danes on “Homeland,” is also the showrunner and an executive producer of “The Beast in Me.” It premieres Thursday.

— David Duchovny and Jack Whitehall star in a new thriller on Prime Video called “Malice.” Duchovny plays Jamie, a wealthy man vacationing with his family in Greece. He hires a tutor (played by Whitehall) named Adam to work with the kids who seems likable, personable and they invite him into their world. Soon it becomes apparent that Adam’s charm is actually creepy. Something is up. As these stories go, getting rid of an interloper is never easy. All six episodes drop Friday, Nov. 14.

— “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” returns to Fox Nation on Sunday, Nov. 16 for a second season. The premiere details the story of Saint Patrick. The show is a passion project for Scorsese who executive produces, hosts, and narrates the episodes.

— Billy Bob Thornton has struck oil in the second season of “Landman” on Paramount+. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the show is set in modern day Texas in the world of Big Oil. Sam Elliott and Andy Garcia have joined the cast and Demi Moore also returns. The show returns Sunday, Nov. 16.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from Nov. 10-16

— The Call of Duty team behind the Black Ops subseries delivered a chapter last year — but they’re already back with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The new installment of the bestselling first-person shooter franchise moves to 2035 and a world “on the brink of chaos.” (What else is new?) Publisher Activision is promising a “reality-shattering” experience that dives into “into the deepest corners of the human psyche.” Beyond that storyline there are also 16 multiplayer maps and the ever-popular zombie mode, in which you and your friends get to blast away at relentless hordes of the undead. Lock and load Friday, Nov. 14, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.

— Lumines Arise is the latest head trip from Enhance Games, the studio behind puzzlers like Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite and Humanity. The basic challenge is simple enough: Multicolored 2×2 blocks drift down the screen, and you need to arrange them to form single-color squares. Completed squares vanish unless you apply the “burst” mechanic, which lets you build ever-larger squares and rack up bigger scores. It’s all accompanied by hallucinatory graphics and thumping electronic music, and you can plug in a virtual reality headset if you really want to feel like you’re at a rave. Pick up the groove Tuesday on PlayStation 5 or PC.

— Lou Kesten

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November 11, 2025
What to Stream: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ Tracy Morgan, Kim Kardashian and ‘Downton Abbey’

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The earnest superhero team-up tale “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and Tracy Morgan returning to TV with a new comedy called “Crutch” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The upstairs-downstairs drama “Downton Abbey” bids farewell in a final movie, Kim Kardashian plays a divorce attorney in Hulu’s “All’s Fair” and Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of yet another new album this year.

New movies to stream from Nov. 3-9

— Guillermo del Toro realizes his long-held dream of a sumptuous Mary Shelley adaptation in “Frankenstein” (Friday Nov. 7 on Netflix). Del Toro’s film, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monster, uses all the trappings of handmade movie craft to give Shelley’s classic an epic sweep. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote: “Everything about ‘Frankenstein’ is larger than life, from the runtime to the emotions on display.”

— Matt Shakman’s endearingly earnest superhero team-up tale “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Wednesday on Disney+) helps alleviate a checkered-at-best history of big-screen adaptations of the classic Stan Lee-Jack Kirby comic. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn play Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Thing and the Human Torch, respectively. In 1964, they work to defend Earth from its imminent destruction by Galactus. In my review, I praised “First Steps” as “a spiffy ’60s-era romp, bathed in retrofuturism and bygone American optimism.”

— “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Friday, Nov. 7 on Peacock) bids goodbye to the Crawleys 15 years after Julian Fellowes first debuted his upstairs-downstairs drama. The cast of the third and final film, directed by Simon Curtis, includes Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Paul Giamatti. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the film gives “loyal Downton fans what they want: a satisfying bit of closure and the sense that the future, though a bit scary, may look kindly on Downton Abbey.” Peacock is also streaming the two previous movies and all six seasons of “Downton Abbey.”

— “The Materialists” (Friday, Nov. 7 on HBO Max), Celine Song’s follow-up to her Oscar-nominated 2023 breakthrough “Past Lives,” stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a romantic triangle. The New York-set film adds a dose of economic reality to a romantic comedy plot in what was, for A24, a modest summer hit. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it “a smart rom-com that tries to be honest about life and still leaves us smiling.”

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

New music to stream from Nov. 3-9

— The legendary Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of yet another new album this year. “Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle,” out Friday, Nov. 7, is exactly what it sounds like: Nelson offering new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard. And we mean classics: Check out Nelson’s latest take on “Okie From Muskogee,” “Mama Tried,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” and more.

— Where’s the future of the global music industry? All over, surely, but it would be more than just a little wise to look to Brazil. Not too dissimilar to how Anitta brought her country’s funk genre to an international mainstream through diverse collaborations and genre meddling, so too is Ludmilla. On Thursday, she will release a new album, “Fragmentos,” fresh off the heels of her sultry, bilingual collaboration with Grammy winner Victoria Monét, “Cam Girl.” It’s a combination of R&B, funk and then some.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Nov. 3-9

— Tracy Morgan returns to TV with a new comedy called “Crutch.” Morgan plays a widowed empty-nester whose world is turned around when his adult children move home with his grandkids in tow. The Paramount+ series debuts Monday.

— Kim Kardashian says she will soon learn whether she passed the bar exam to become a lawyer, but she plays a sought-after divorce attorney in “All’s Fair,” her new TV series for Hulu. Kardashian stars alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Teyana Taylor in the show about an all-female law firm. Ryan Murphy created the show with Kardashian in mind after she acted in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” It premieres Tuesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

— The old saying about truth being stranger than fiction applies to Netflix’s new four-episode limited-series “Death by Lightning.” It’s a historical dramatization (with some comedy thrown in) about how James Garfield became the 20th president of the United States. He was shot four months later by a man named Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who was desperate for Garfield’s attention. Two months after that, Garfield died from complications of his injuries. It’s a wild story that also features Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford and Shea Whigham. The series premieres Thursday.

— HBO offers up a new docuseries about the life of retired baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez. “Alex Vs. A-Rod” features intimate interviews with people who are related to and know Rodriguez, as well as the man himself. The three-part series premieres Thursday.

— The next installment of “Wicked,” called “Wicked: For Good,” flies into theaters Nov. 21 and NBC has created a musical special to pump up the release. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” a concert event that premieres Thursday on NBC and streams on Peacock Friday, Nov. 7. Additional film cast members like Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater appear as well.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from Nov. 3-9

— It’s going to be a while until the next Legend of Zelda game, but if you’re craving some time with the princess, check out Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. In this spinoff, a prequel to 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda travels back in time to join forces with the Six Sages in a war against the invader Ganondorf. You can also drag another human into battle with split-screen or the GameShare feature on Nintendo’s new console. Like the previous collaborations between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, it’s more hack-and-slash action than exploration and discovery. It arrives Thursday on Switch 2.

— Lou Kesten

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November 3, 2025
What to Stream: Vanessa Kirby, Maroon 5, Madden NFL 26, Alicia Silverstone and ‘The Chicken Sisters’

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Vanessa Kirby starring in a gritty film about the aspirations of home ownership, “Night Always Comes,” and Maroon 5 releasing their eighth studio album with songs featuring Lil Wayne and Blackpink’s LISA are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Alicia Silverstone leading a new TV crime drama called “Irish Blood.,” the multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark and EA Sports jumps aboard the artificial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26.

New movies to stream from Aug. 11-17

— Isaiah Saxon’s “The Legend of Ochi” (streaming Friday on HBO Max) is a handcrafted fantasy throwback seeking to conjure the kind of magic once found in movies like “The Never Ending Story.” The A24 film stars Helena Zengel as Yuri, a girl who runs away from the forest home she shared with her father (Willem Dafoe) and brother (Finn Wolfhard). She leaves with a baby Ochi, a creature hunted by her father. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that “The Legend of Ochi” “has the feeling of a film you might have stumbled on and loved as a kid.”

— Vanessa Kirby may be one of the standout performers of the summer blockbuster “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but she also stars in a gritty new film about the aspirations of home ownership. In “Night Always Comes” (Thursday on Netflix), Kirby plays a woman going to extreme lengths to secure a home for her family. The movie, directed by Benjamin Caron and adapted from Willy Vlautin’s best-selling novel, takes place over a single night.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

New music to stream from Aug. 11-17

— Maroon 5 will release their eighth studio album, “Love is Like,” on Friday via Interscope Records. Expect smooth, funky pop music — like the sultry “All Night.” Singer Adam Levine and Co. continue their trend of unexpected and delightful collaborations as well, with songs featuring Lil Wayne, Sexyy Red and Blackpink’s LISA. You read that correctly.

— Clifford Antone opened Antone’s, one of the most storied music venues in Austin, Texas, with an inaugural performance by the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier in 1975. In the decades since, Antone’s has become the stuff of mythology; a performance space that embraces its history and looks towards its future. A new box set out Friday from New West Records seeks to celebrate Antone’s legacy with “Antone’s: 50 Years of the Blues.”

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Aug. 11-17

— The multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark. The series stars Schuyler Fisk, Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick and Genevieve Angelson as family members in a small town divided over their rival fried chicken businesses. It’s based on a novel of the same name. The series streams new episodes beginning Monday on Hallmark+.

— Alicia Silverstone leads the new crime drama called “Irish Blood.” She plays Fiona, a woman who has been led to believe her father abandoned her as a child — and has carried around some heavy emotional baggage ever since. When she learns the truth is more complicated — not to mention dangerous — she heads to Ireland to investigate. The premiere of the six-part show drops Monday on Acorn TV.

— A new one for the kiddos is the Disney Jr. series “Iron Man and his Awesome Friends,” coming to Disney+. The first 10 episodes drop Tuesday. The show follows besties and fellow geniuses, Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho, who team up to solve problems.

— Chris Hemsworth continues his quest to live a healthier, more present, and longer life in a second season of “Limitless,” now called “Limitless: Live Better Now.” The three-part docuseries sees Hemsworth learn more about brain power (with help from his friend and recording artist Ed Sheeran), risk and pain. The three episodes stream on Hulu and Disney+ beginning Friday.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from Aug. 11-17

— EA Sports is jumping aboard the artificial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26, promising “a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade.” The most intriguing additions are QB DNA and Coach DNA — so, for example, if you’re playing the Kansas City Chiefs, you’ll see the kind of moves you’d expect from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. As always, the goal is to get ever closer to real-life football, with more dynamic weather effects, more details from pro stadiums and the return (at last!) of team mascots. The cover model this season is Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who’ll be ready to start leaping over defenders Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

— Lou Kesten

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August 11, 2025
What to stream: ‘Warriors’ album, ‘The Dating Game’ killer, ‘NCIS: Origins’ and Travis Kelce’s games

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Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume with “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Anna Kendrick stars in a movie about the time a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game,” Nintendo fans get Super Mario Party Jamboree and “NCIS” looks back at character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original.

NEW MOVIES TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

— In 1978, a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game.” Rodney Alcala was already a murderer by the time he appeared on the show as one of three bachelors seeking a date with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. He even won. Had they done a background check, they might have discovered that he’d been on the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives list and already been imprisoned for violent crimes against an 8-year-old. In the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” streaming on Friday, Oct. 18, Anna Kendrick (also making her directorial debut) stars as the woman on the show (spelled Sheryl here) and puts the attention back on the victims. “Woman of the Hour” received good reviews out of the Toronto Film Festival last year.

— If fake serial killers are more your style, “MaXXXine” starts streaming on MAX on Friday, Oct. 18. The third film in Ti West and Mia Goth’s unlikely trilogy (following “X” and “Pearl”) takes the audience to the sleazy underground of 1980s Hollywood. Goth’s Maxine Minx is an adult film star hoping for a big break in mainstream movies. She gets a shot from Elizabeth Debicki’s refined director. But she’s also running from her past and a killer terrorizing the town. It’s very stylized and a little silly and underdeveloped but it’s a fun watch with a fun, extended Lily Collins cameo.

— And for those looking for a comedy, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play brothers, and former partners in crime in a starry new movie coming to Prime Video on Thursday. Brolin is the one trying for a more normal life when Dinklage convinces him to embark on a road trip to a promised big score. “Brothers,” directed by Max Barbakow (who made the delightful time loop romantic comedy “Palm Springs”) also features Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Taylour Paige in its big ensemble.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

NEW MUSIC TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

— On Friday, Oct. 18, Lin-Manuel Miranda — in his first full post-“Hamilton” musical — and the award-winning actor and playwright Eisa Davis will release “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film that follows a street gang as they make their way from the Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island amid an all-out blitz. There are some notable departures here, including some gender-flipping and inventive genre-melding, no doubt an extension of its all-star cast, which features everyone from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony to Colman Domingo, Busta Rhymes and more. Last month, the duo told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that their version of “Warriors” is about unity and peace. But it sounds full of action.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

NEW SHOWS TO STREAM OCT. 14-20

— Austin Stowell plays a younger version of Mark Harmon’s “NCIS” character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original. We meet this Gibbs as he’s beginning his career as a naval investigator. “NCIS: Origins” debuts Monday on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

— A new Peacock docuseries digs into the wild but true story of Elizabeth Finch, a former writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Finch wrote storylines she claimed were inspired by her own life and medical history, including a battle with bone cancer. She later admitted to lying. The three-part docuseries also tells the story of Finch’s ex-wife, who was the one to expose her deceit in the first place. “Anatomy of Lies” streams Tuesday on Peacock.

— Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume. The Kansas City Chiefs tight-end hosts “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” beginning Wednesday on Prime Video. On the show, adult contestants answer elementary grade questions with a pool of celebrities on standby ready to help.

— In the Apple TV+’s dramedy “Shrinking,” Jason Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and trying to navigate being a single parent to a teen daughter. In season one, he begins to give his patients unorthodox advice, like inviting one (Luke Tennie) to move into his home. We also saw a new kind of family blossom between Jimmy, his colleagues (Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams), and neighbor (Christa Miller). Season two of the heartwarming comedy premieres Wednesday on the streamer.

— In season three of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Mickey Haller is rocked by the murder of his former client Gloria Days (Fiona Rene), but he also agrees to defend the man accused of killing her. The story is based on No. 5 of Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer book series called “The Gods of Guilt.” It premieres Thursday on Netflix.

— The “Sheldon-verse” continues with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” debuting Thursday on CBS. The series stars Montana Jordan as Sheldon’s older brother George “Georgie” Cooper and his new bride Mandy, played by Emily Osment. It’s a sequel to “Young Sheldon” which wrapped last May after seven seasons. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.

— “Hysteria!”, coming to Peacock on Friday, Oct. 18, follows members of a high school band who pretend to be in a Satanic cult for attention. Their plan falls apart when town members target the teens in a witch hunt. The series stars Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell.

— Alicia Rancilio

NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

— Holiday season is almost here, and for Nintendo fans, there’s no party like a Mario Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree follows the classic formula: It’s a virtual board game in which most of the spaces lead to a multiplayer contest. Up to four people can play in-person or online, though one online mode lets up to 20 compete in a hectic “Koopathlon.” There are 22 characters, seven different boards and more than 110 minigames covering the gamut of Mario Party silliness, from races to brawls to minigolf. And there are few cooperative challenges, like a cooking game where four chefs try to slice and dice in rhythm. The festivities start Thursday on Switch.

— Barcelona-based Nomada Studio gained plenty of fans and a handful of awards with 2018’s stylish Gris, a haunting tale in which a young girl worked through grief by solving puzzles and collecting stars. The indie developer’s Neva starts in a similarly gloomy place: A warrior named Alba sets out with a white wolf, Neva, to explore a dying world. Nomada calls it “a love song dedicated to our children, our parents and our planet,” and the arresting, painterly landscapes will look familiar to fans of Gris. The journey begins Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.

— Lou Kesten

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October 15, 2024
Borscht Belt comedian Freddie Roman dies at age 85

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Comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died. He was 85.

Roman died Saturday afternoon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, his booking agent and friend Alison Chaplin said Sunday. His daughter told the entertainment trade Deadline that he suffered a heart attack that morning.

Roman made his name performing at hotels and resorts in the Catskill Mountains, also referred to as the Borscht Belt for the largely Jewish crowd that vacationed there and the comics such as Mel Brooks and Don Rickles who entertained them. He later performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Bally’s Grand in Atlantic City, and he roasted the likes of Rob Reiner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and Hugh Hefner. He also conceived of “Catskills on Broadway,” where he and his friends Dick Capri, Marilyn Michaels and Mal Z. Lawrence brought their nostalgia-tinged, Catskills-flavored standup to New York. He also appeared in various television shows and films over the years, including “Red Oaks” on Amazon.

“A great loss to the world of comedy,” Paul Reiser wrote on Twitter. “He was such a huge supporter & mentor when I was starting out. A GREAT comic, the ultimate pro with the biggest heart. I will miss our phone calls and his big, beauty laugh.”

Born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Roman got a taste for stand-up comedy early thanks to his family. His uncle and grandfather owned the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills, where Roman started emceeing at age 15.

In “Catskills on Broadway,” Roman commented about everything from his childhood in Queens to his “retirement life” in Florida.

“I took a cholesterol test,” Roman quipped. “My number came back 911.”

The New York Times, in its review of the show in 1991, wrote, “Catskill resorts may be fighting the recession, but Catskill comedy has not lost its flair.”

The show, he’d later say, changed his life. It went to Broadway and then toured around the country, and Roman would continue performing for years to come. He was also made Dean of the New York City Friars Club, where he mentored many aspiring comedians and infused the private club with young talent.

One of those young comedians was Jeffrey Ross, who said of Roman in 2003 that, “When I was becoming a member, there weren’t many of us who were younger. … But Freddie would always come over and spend time with me and my friends and be real lovable.”

Capri, in the same interview, said Roman was the perfect comedy ambassador.

“He’s the social director of the world,” Capri said. “And he loves every second of it.”

The stint lasted a bit longer than he expected. Roman joked of his tenure that, “Eleven years ago I became president for two years. I’m like the Fidel Castro of comedians. I’m president for life.” In 2014, he was succeeded by Larry King.

But, he told Atlantic City Weekly in 2011, the greatest job he ever had was opening for Frank Sinatra, when his regular opening comedian Tom Dreesen wasn’t available. Roman learned about the opportunity on a layover in Chicago, left the plane and boarded another for Philadelphia to make the show in Atlantic City with just a few hours to spare.

He left the stage to see Sinatra laughing. The singer even called him back for another bow.

“Frank hugged me, and I saw my wife and daughter and they were crying,” Roman said. “It was unbelievable. … Nothing ever topped working with Sinatra.”

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November 27, 2022
‘Black Adam’ takes top spot at box office again

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“ Black Adam,” the Dwayne Johnson-fronted DC superhero film, kept its hold on the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. Down 59% from its launch, and facing little new competition, “Black Adam” added $27.7 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic total to $111.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Johnson spent a decade trying to bring the character to the big screen and has visions for follow-ups involving Superman. But the future of “Black Adam” is not written quite yet, though it’s earned $250 million worldwide. The Warner Bros. film carried a hefty price tag of $200 million, not including marketing and promotion costs, and a sequel has not been officially greenlit.

But big changes are afoot at DC—the studio just announced a new leadership team of Peter Safran and James Gunn, whose love for propping up little-known comic book characters is well-documented. And on Sunday, Johnson posted a note to his 344 million Instagram followers about the end of the world press tour, thanking those who worked behind the scenes to launch “our NEW DC FRANCHISE known as BLACK ADAM.”

Bucking recent romantic comedy trends, moviegoers remained curious about “Ticket to Paradise,” Universal’s Julia Roberts and George Clooney destination romp, which fell only 37% in weekend two to claim second place. The genre has not been the most reliable bet at the box office lately, with films like “Bros” stumbling in theaters, but the star power of Roberts and Clooney is proving hard to resist. “Ticket to Paradise” added $10 million from 3,692 North American theaters, bringing its domestic total to $33.7 million. Globally, it’s grossed $119.4 million to date.

Horror movies, meanwhile, claimed spots three through five on the weekend before Halloween on Monday. Lionsgate’s “Prey for the Devil” opened in third place with $7 million from 2,980 theaters. Notably, it is the only of the three horror films that carried a PG-13 rating. The others were R-rated.

Paramount’s “Smile” took fourth place in its fifth weekend with another $5.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $92.4 million (on a $17 million budget), while “Halloween Ends” landed in fifth place in its third weekend with $3.8 million. “Ends,” which has grossed $60.3 million in North America, was released simultaneously on NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock.

“This is just another mandate in favor of horror,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “It’s not just about being in October, horror movies have played well throughout the pandemic. It’s a genre that continues to kill it at the box office time and again.”

Chinonye Chukwu’s Mamie Till-Mobley film “Till” went wide this weekend, adding $2.8 million from 2,058 locations to take seventh place. Boasting a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, the United Artists Releasing film has gotten good word of mouth with much of it centered on Danielle Deadwyler’s performance.

This weekend also saw the expansion of several notable films, like Todd Field’s “ Tár,” which expanded to 1,087 theaters nationwide where it grossed $1 million and landed in 10th place. Cate Blanchett’s performance as a renowned composer and conductor won her a top acting prize from the Venice Film Festival last month.

Another Venice-winner, “The Banshees of Inisherin” widened to 58 theaters and 12 new markets over the weekend. The Martin McDonagh film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson earned $540,000. The Searchlight Pictures release will expand to around 800 locations next weekend.

Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” expanded to 17 locations where it earned $75,242, bringing its cumulative grosses to $166,030. The A24-released father-daughter film starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio will continue to expand throughout awards season.

James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” opened in six theaters in New York and Los Angeles, to $72,000. Gray mined his own childhood to tell the story about an 11-year-old in Queens in the fall of 1980. The film, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, stars Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins.

But as far as blockbusters are concerned, things will be somewhat slow-going until “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” arrives on Nov. 11.

“That’ll get the box office going again in a way that feels more like summer,” Dergarabedian said.

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Black Adam,” $27.7 million.

2. “Ticket to Paradise,” $10 million.

3. “Prey for the Devil,” $7 million.

4. “Smile,” $5.1 million.

5. “Halloween Ends,” $3.8 million.

6. “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” $2.8 million.

7. “Till,” $2.8 million.

8. “Terrifier 2,” $1.8 million.

9. “The Woman King,” $1.1 million.

10. “Tár,” $1 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

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October 30, 2022
Q&A: Todd Field and Cate Blanchett go deeper into ‘Tár’

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When Cate Blanchett stepped out of her first screening for “ Tár,” she wanted to immediately go back and watch it again.

Sure, she might be a little biased considering she stars in the film ( and learned how to speak German, conduct an orchestra and play piano for the role ), but it’s not an uncommon sentiment either. Writer-director Todd Field’s dense, literate drama about the fall of an artistic genius in a #MeToo scandal is one that begs discussion and another viewing. As Field has said, he sees a new film every time he watches it.

This weekend, “Tár,” which is sure to be a top contender this awards season, is expanding in theaters nationwide. Field and Blanchett spoke to The Associated Press about the inscrutable Lydia Tár, their inspirations and NOT showing her hands playing the piano.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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AP: The film introduces Lydia at a New Yorker Festival-type event, with Adam Gopnik reading her introduction to a big auditorium. Was that just a way to give us her bio or is this commenting on the ideas conference industry and its complicity?

FIELD: The important thing was how do we meet her? You know, if you meet her at her very height, in a very public way, there’s an opportunity to see it in the same way that we’re in this interview right now, like we’re trying to have an honest conversation, but we’re performing for you.

BLANCHETT: Hey! This is ME. This is who I am.

FIELD: It’s an aspect of her. Then we see her sitting with her business partner, this investment banker and would be conductor (Mark Strong), and you can tell she doesn’t want to be there. Then you see her roll up your sleeves and she’s teaching, which is the thing that she truly, truly loves doing. But it’s not until 40 minutes into the film that we see her brushing her teeth. Then it’s, “Ah, she’s like me.” We learn a lot of back story about her, but it’s really about how and when we meet the person. There are all kinds of narrative rules about when we’re supposed to meet the person. Syd Field would tell you we have to know by page ten. But that’s not how this thing works. It was important to meet the character as they’re perceived in these other ways before we were allowed to have access to her.

AP: At one of the screenings in Venice, the audience was cheering for Lydia when she’s dressing down her Julliard student for dismissing Bach as irrelevant to him, which I don’t think they’d do on a second watch. Does that response surprise you?

FIELD: I don’t think it surprises me. But what you’re saying, that I don’t think that they would do that on the second watch, that’s kind of the idea. That scene can be seen through many lenses. The lens that we started with was simply the age-old question, if you could speak to younger self, what would you say? I think that this character, when she was 24 years old and in a similar position as Max is at Juilliard when she was at Harvard, she was trying to break the boundaries that were set up in terms of the German Austro canon. But she’s not 24 years old anymore. She’s turning 50.

AP: Though she pushed boundaries, is she also a woman who maybe only achieved this kind of success by playing within the rules of the patriarchy too?

BLANCHETT: That’s part of it. But she believes in the power of her being the exception. Once you surmount a mountain, you think, God, it’s beautiful up here. And the beauty makes you forget how difficult the journey was. She’s a consummate musician. And she’s a believer, a great believer in the grand narratives, in the grand tradition. She’s earned the right to play those big works. It’s the same thing that they teach at college. It’s like, sure, you can abstract, but first you have to learn how to paint the form. You’ve always got a buck against your teachers. But you forget.

AP: This film does a good job at making you feel like an insider in the world of classical music too.

FIELD: There’s not a lot of footage of conductors doing extensive rehearsals and it’s so much more interesting watching them rehearse than watching a performance. Our goal was can we take the viewer and make them feel like they’ve been in the front of the house, in the back of the house, and that they that they’re going through some kind of process with this character?

BLANCHETT: I learned a lot from watching the documentaries (on the likes of Carlos Kleiber, Herbert von Karajan). There are all of these backstage moments I found really fascinating. Abbado, after his first concert when he took over the role of principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, he came off and someone went to talk to him. He was covered in sweat and he moved away and he walked way up the corridor and just stood really still and put one hand against the wall. It was such a lonely, lonely image. You felt the burden that he was carrying, the responsibility for creating the sound and carrying that orchestra to the to that audience.

FIELD: We stole that image for the end.

AP: You cast some professional musicians here, but you also made the radical choice to have your actors, like Cate and Nina Hoss, learn how to play as well.

FIELD: The finest actors I have known and the finest musicians I have known are very similar because they understand very practical principles about touch and tempo and dynamics and sound. It was important that everyone who makes music on screen makes the music. There’s a kind of long-standing sort of joke, well I call it a joke, but maybe Cate feels differently about this, where she get rather bothered that I don’t show her hands at the Julliard scene playing the Bach.

BLANCHETT: (laughs)

FIELD: If it was Leonard Bernstein or somebody like that, you wouldn’t feel obliged to do it. If you go back and look at those Young People’s Concerts that he did in the 50s at Carnegie Hall, they’re not showing his hands. My point was that the only time we ever feel obliged to show actors hands on pianos is when they’re faking it.

BLANCHETT: Or if it’s for Academy consideration.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

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October 27, 2022
Keeping history alive in legal thriller ‘Argentina, 1985’

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The 1985 Trial of the Juntas was a seismic moment in Argentina’s history, helping to solidify the country’s democratic future after seven years of military dictatorship. But when filmmaker Santiago Mitre started talking about making a classic political thriller about the David vs. Goliath trial, in which public prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo tried former military leaders for war crimes, including the torture and disappearance of thousands between 1976 and 1983, he was surprised to learn that few of his peers knew much about it.

Mitre was only four years old at the time of the trial in 1985, but through his mother — who worked in justice her whole life — he’d grown up hearing stories about the trial, its importance for Argentina and anecdotes about Strassera’s unique personality (grumpy, but full of humor).

Strassera was the veteran prosecutor who reluctantly took on the case, fearful for his family and himself. Ocampo was younger and more idealistic, but also risked alienating his own prominent family, who had significant military ties. Mitre was certain that the personalities and drama of the situation would make for a great film in the vein of classic political thrillers like “All the President’s Men” and “Judgement at Nüremberg.”

“Argentina, 1985,” which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, chronicles the momentous trial, which took place under a cloud of extraordinary uncertainty and unease only two years after the dictatorship fell.

With a death toll that human rights organizations estimate at 30,000, Argentina’s dictatorship is considered Latin America’s deadliest of the 1970s and ’80s. Less than half of the dead have been recognized at the official level, however, because the military made the bodies of most of its victims disappear.

Across five months in the courtroom, during which the prosecutorial team received constant personal threats, 833 witnesses testified. Several of those testimonies are used verbatim in the film to great dramatic effect.

“It was super important to have direct contact with the people that worked on the trial,” Mitre said. “I spoke to as many as it was possible for me, because I felt that the film needed like to have this stronger human perspective. I spoke to the judges, to the people who gave testimony in the trial and of course to the people that were part of the prosecutorial team. It was very important for me for not only for knowing the facts, but to understand what they were feeling.”

He met Ocampo, portrayed by Peter Lanzani in the film, many times, and Strassera’s son, who though young at the time, was enraptured by his father’s work. The supportive, engaged Strassera family is a main focus of the narrative.

“They were all involved with Julio’s trial,” Mitre said. “It was something that was very sweet.”

Upon hearing about the project, Ricardo Darín — who had worked with Mitre before — wanted not only to play Strassera, who died in 2015, but to produce as well. Being slightly older than Mitre, he remembered the trial well, and wanted to help younger generations who were born into democracy in the country understand what happened.

“It was a very, very big deal,” Darín said through a translator. “Let’s not forget that a lot of people in a lot of parts of the society in Argentina back then, they had no idea of the horrors that had happened. This is something that was not talked about and something that was not shared. So for a lot of people, being able to see witnesses come forward and being able to hear the family members of people who were killed or tortured was an eye opener.”

The film has been well received around the world at various festivals, recently picking up the audience award in San Sebastian, and in Argentina, which submitted it to compete for best international film at the Oscars. The Oscars will narrow the international submissions to a 15-film shortlist in December, which will inform the final nominations in January.

For Mitre, though, it’s more than awards on his mind. He’s trying to help preserve and build a society’s memory.

“It was important for me as a citizen to do this film, not only as a filmmaker,” Mitre said. “It was the base of the new democracy. It was a point of reunion of the society. Many people don’t remember how hard it was to get our democracy and how important is to keep defending democracy.”

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

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October 21, 2022