NEW TO STREAM
Rundown of what’s arriving on entertainment platforms
MOVIES
A song can transport you back to a different time
in your life with just a note. The new film “The Greatest Hits,” starring Lucy Boynton, draws on this idea and makes it literal for a woman mourning the death of her boyfriend (David Corenswet). The random bouts of time travel, which can happen any time a familiar song comes on the radio, make it tough for her to live in the present and move on. The film comes from writerdirector Ned Benson, who made the underappreciated “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” and of course boasts a great soundtrack including Beach House and Roxy Music. “The Greatest Hits” is streaming on Hulu.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal play cowboys
and former lovers in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange
Way of Life,” his 31-minute Western now streaming on Netflix. At the film’s Cannes premiere last year, Almodóvar, who famously turned down the opportunity to direct “Brokeback Mountain,” said unlike the characters in that movie, he imagined these guys were really gunslingers in the vein of “The Wild Bunch.” Associated Press writer Jake Coyle said at the time that “it’s delightful to see Almodóvar at work in a new genre, yet just as at home, filling the frame with pops of color (Pascal’s character wears a lime green jacket) and flourishes of emotion” and that it “extends yet another vibrant chapter in Almodóvar’s filmography, now in its fifth decade.”
Sixteen years after“Food, Inc.” changed the
way many think about where their food comes from, filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunited with “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” author
Michael Pollan and “Fast Food Nation” writer Eric Schlosser to take another look at the current state of food in the United States. With a special focus on the rights of farmworkers and the downsides of corporate consolidation and ultra-processed foods, “Food, Inc. 2” is available via video on demand.
— Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
MUSIC
There is peanut butter and jelly, bacon and
eggs, peace and love, and Billy Joel and Madison Square Garden in New York. Some things just go together.
Joel and MSG have long been synonymous; he has sold out more shows than any other performer at the venue, first performing there in 1978. To celebrate his triumphant run, a new concert special, “The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden — The Greatest Arena Run of All Time,” recently premiered on CBS and is streaming on Paramount+. It was filmed at Joel’s 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden on March 28. Prepare to watch the Piano Man at the height of his powers. And then consider seeing him live, because he won’t be at MSG for much longer: He will conclude his residency in July with his 150th lifetime performance at the venue.
One of the defining American rock bands
of the 2000s, Linkin Park has released its first career-spanning greatest hits collection, “Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000 — 2003).” Headbangers should expect a comprehensive retrospective from the band as well as a previously unreleased track, “Friendly Fire,” originally recorded around their 2017 album “One More Light” and featuring late vocalist Chester Bennington.
Rhiannon Giddens’ music and scholarship
has highlighted the contributions of Black Americans in folk and country. That work continues on “The Ballad of Sally Anne,” a remarkable Alice Randall cover and choice cut from the covers compilation “My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall,” out now. Randall is the author of a new book also titled “My Black Country” and the first Black woman to write a country No. 1 hit in Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl).” This compilation celebrates her legacy. Other contributors to the album include Leyla McCalla, Valerie June, Rissi Palmer and many other Black female country performers working to evolve the genre. “My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall” is a necessary listen for Randall and Giddens fans old and new. (And if you’ve just learned about Giddens through her contributions to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy
Carter” — well, welcome!)
— Maria Sherman, Associated Press
TELEVISION
Dating expert Patti Stanger has a new TV
show called “Patti Stanger: The Matchmaker” where she helps single people looking for love. On this show, Stanger teams up with former “Bachelor” Nick Viall, who was rejected twice on “The Bachelorette” and knows a thing or two about the ups and downs of dating. In each episode, the duo gives clients tips, tricks and brutal honesty to help them become truly ready to find a partner. The show airs Thursdays on The CW and also streams on The CW app.
“Dora the Explorer” debuted in 2000
as a groundbreaking, awardwinning children’s show about an adventurous young Latina. The character returns in a new CG animated series called “Dora” on Paramount+.
She has still got her purple backpack and sidekick monkey named Boots, but this “Dora” has evolved with the times. Dora has family from Peru, Mexico and Cuba, and the show celebrates a variety of Latin culture including music, folklore, architecture and food. Diversity exists behind the scenes as well, with a majority of the writing staff identifying as Latino.
HBO has adapted the Pulitzer-winning
novel “The Sympathizer” by
Viet Thanh Nguyen into a new series of the same name. It follows a North Vietnam plant known as the Captain (played by
Hoa Xuande) in the South Vietnam army who flees to the United States when the Vietnam War is ending. The Captain lives among South Vietnamese refugees and continues to spy on the community by reporting back to the Viet Cong. This leads to struggles as the Captain attempts to build a new life. Recent Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. plays multiple roles. “The Sympathizer” is airing Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max.
VIDEO GAMES
Ever since Baldur’s Gate III took the gaming
world by storm last year, players have been wondering: Where can I get more of this? Australian studio Drop Bear Bytes is hoping to scratch that itch with Broken Roads, citing classic role-playing adventures like Fallout, Wasteland and, yes, Baldur’s Gate as inspiration. Set in a post-apocalyptic Outback, Broken Roads leans heavily into its “Moral Compass,” with options that reflect four different philosophies: utilitarianism, nihilism, Machiavellianism and humanism. The developers, led by a veteran of the landmark RPG Planescape: Torment, promise you’ll be forced to make tough choices as your team explores the desolate continent. It’s available on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
The protagonist of Devolver Digital’s
Children of the Sun, known simply as the Girl, is bent on exacting revenge against the cult that ruined her life. She has a slick sniper rifle but one disadvantage: just a single bullet to use on each mission. On the other hand, she has psychic powers that allow her speed up, slow down or curve the bullet — and once it hits a target she can re-aim it toward another. The result is more of a tactical, pinball-like puzzle than the sort of chaos you’d expect from a modern shooter. It’s still gory, and solo designer René Rother’s visuals are stylishly haunting. The sun sets now on PC.