On streaming: Zac Efron and Anne Hathaway
■ Whether or not you know anything about the tragedies that befell the Von Erich family wrestling dynasty, “The Iron Claw” is well worth a watch. Zac Efron stars as one of the brothers, Kevin, in an ensemble cast that includes Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White as his brothers, Lily James as his wife, and Holt McCallany and Maura Tierney as his parents. In her AP review, Jocelyn Noveck wrote that “Efron, with his rock-hard physique and ’70s mullet, turns in some of the most affecting work of his career. White, too, is excellent if more inscrutable as Kerry, initially the golden boy until his own brush with disaster sends him into a downward spiral.” It became available on MAX on Friday.
■ Brooke Shields is the titular mother of the bride in a new romantic comedy on Netflix. The conceit here is that her daughter (Miranda Cosgrove) is getting married and she doesn’t find out until she arrives at the island resort where it’s happening that the groom is the son of the guy who broke her heart in college, played by Benjamin Bratt. “Mother of the Bride” was directed by Mark Waters (“Mean Girls” and “Just Like Heaven”).
■ “The Idea of You” is good fun and Anne Hathaway looks incredible in it, but it’s on the lighter side. If you want to continue a Hatha-thon with something dark and moody, look no further than William Oldroyd’s “Eileen,” now on Hulu. Hathaway is otherworldly as the glamourous, martini-swilling Rebecca Saint John, an endlessly quotable Hitchcock blonde with a doctorate from Harvard, in this stylish adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel. She becomes an object of fascination for Thomasin McKenzie’s mousy Eileen when she glides into the dreary juvenile detention center where they both work one winter, in Massachusetts 1964. The deranged, noir cousin to “The Idea of You,” there is also some flirting and dancing and drinking in “Eileen,” but with a shocking twist looming.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
New shows to stream
■ Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly star in the new limited series “Dark Matter.” Edgerton plays Jason, an unfulfilled physics teacher who is attacked one night by a masked man who also drugs him. When he comes to, Jason finds himself in an alternate timeline of his life where he’s a world-famous physicist. Jason’s wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son don’t exist in this alternate version, and he fights to return to them. “Dark Matter” is based on the book by Blake Crouch.
■ The nearly unbelievable true crime story of freelancers looking for their big break in Hollywood who get duped by a long con is the subject of a new docuseries for Apple TV+. Dubbed the “Hollywood Con Queen” in an article for The Hollywood Reporter and a book by Scott C. Johnson, the three-part series of the same name details both his and an investigator’s work on the case, interviews victims, and features the actual con artist.
■ “A People’s History of Black Twitter” examines both the rise and influence of Black Twitter on both culture and politics. It also addresses backlash to its prominent voices and commentary. The series is inspired by a threepart article for WIRED by Jason Parham. “Black Twitter” streams Hulu.
■ Sparks fly between two students at an elite school in “Maxton Hall: The World Between Us.” Ruby comes from a working-class family while James is wealthy, entitled with a big ego. The story is based on a YA German book series called “Save Me” by Mona Kasten. The series will be available in German with English subtitles or dubbed in English on Prime Video.
■ If you’re counting down the days until school’s out for summer, the new “Pretty Little Liars” returned Thursday on Max. The teen slasher series picks up at the beginning of summer vacation where our five final girls have to attend summer school for falling behind while they were being targeted by a serial killer. The “Liars” do find time for summer jobs and summer romances. New cast members include Antonio Cipriano (“National Treasure: Edge of History”) as a love interest for Bailee Madison’s Imogen.
■ In Netflix’s “Bodkin,” a podcaster, a journalist and her researcher team up to solve a decades-old murder in a small town in Ireland. Each has their own reason for needing to crack the case. As they get closer to the truth, the trio learns some people prefer to keep secrets buried in the past. The dark comedic mystery series is the first narrative project from the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground.
■ Fire up the TARDIS, Ncuti Gatwa is the 15th Doctor Who now that the series made its Disney+ debut Friday. Gatwa’s Doctor is accompanied on his time-traveling adventures with companion Ruby Sunday, portrayed by Millie Gibson.