Patty Smyth, ‘The Right Stuff’ and ‘Time’
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
Movies
■ Writer-director-star Radha Blank’s witty and vibrant directorial debut, “The Forty-Year-Old Version” made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where she won the directing prize and earned comparisons to a young Spike Lee. Available on Netflix, the black and white film follows a struggling New York playwright (a semi-fictionalized version of Blank) who was featured on a 30-under-30 list but is now on the edge of 40 and needing a hit.
■ “Time,” another black and white Sundance breakout, is on Amazon Prime Video, but the similarities between Garrett Bradley’s documentary and Blank’s film end there. Bradley’s film looks at Sibil Fox Richardson, a mother of six who has worked for two decades to try to get her husband released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary where he’s serving a 60-year sentence. The documentary combines home videos and new footage in what’s been described as an “impressionistic” portrait of family, race, the American justice system and the passage of time.
■ “Charm City Kings”: This coming-of-age drama from director Angel Manuel Soto takes audiences into the world of West Baltimore’s dirt bike scene via a middle schooler played by Jahi Di’allo Winston (in a standout performance) who is conflicted about his future and whether or not he should stay on track to become a veterinarian or make fast money with the Midnight Clique biking crew. Although a work of fiction, it is based on the documentary “12 O’Clock Boys.” “Charm City Kings” is on HBO Max.
Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
Music
■ Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company has curated an album focused on social justice to be released today. The 12-track “REPRISE” project – including songs by Rapsody, Buju Banton, Vic Mensa, Jorja Smith and more – was created to bring awareness to social justice issues and a portion of the proceeds will be benefit victims of police brutality, hate crimes and more.
■ It’s taken nearly three decades but Scandal rocker Patty Smyth is releasing her first album of original material today. The appropriately titled “It’s About Time” includes six new songs produced in Nashville with Dann Huff, who has worked
for Taylor Swift and Faith Hill. Smyth also covers Bobbie Gentry and Tom Waits on the album.
Brothers Osborne – the country music duo made up of brothers T.J. Osborne and John Osborne – have consecutively earned Grammy nominations since 2015 thanks to their first two albums and hit singles like “Stay a Little Longer” and “It Ain’t My Fault.” They can expect even more nominations, and
maybe even a win, with the release of their third album “Skeletons,” out today. They’ve once again teamed up with producer Jay Joyce for the project, which features the single “All Night.”
Remastered by Sade at Abbey Road Studios, the special box set titled “This Far” featuring all six of Sade’s albums will be made available today. It includes the albums “Diamond Life” (1984), “Promise” (1985), “Stronger Than Pride” (1988), “Love Deluxe” (1992), “Lovers Rock” (2000) and “Soldier of Love” (2010). The band — which includes Sade (vocals), Stuart Matthewman (saxophone/guitar), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul Spencer Denman (bass) — spent time at Abbey Road Studios alongside mastering engineer Miles Showell and their longtime co-producer Mike Pela to remaster their classic songs, including “Smooth Operator,” “The Sweetest Taboo,” “No Ordinary Love” and more.
Television
■ Miss “Mad Men”? Fans of that show will find similar style, cars, clothes and alpha male energy in “The Right Stuff,” an eight-part series based on Tom Wolfe’s book. It looks at the 1960s space race with the Soviet Union and the formation of NASA, told through the eyes of seven men who made up the original astronaut program. Think “Mad Men” in space. The National Geographic series will premiere on Disney+ today.
■ The truncated swan song of “Supernatural” kicked off Thursday with the final seven episodes airing on the CW. “Supernatural” has been a cornerstone of the network for 15 seasons, beginning when the network was still known as The WB. The final season was originally intended to wrap up back in the spring, but the pandemic forced the series to suspend production before the final episodes were completed. The series finale will air on Nov. 19 after a retrospective special, “Supernatural: The Long Road Home.”