The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
New this week: ‘I Am Greta,’ Chris Stapleton & CMA Awards
— When Greta Thunberg began protesting outside Swedish Parliament two years ago, it only took days for director Nathan Grossman to start trailing her in her mission to prod government leaders on the climate crisis. “I Am Greta,” which premieres Friday on Hulu, documents the enormous movement fueled by Thunberg’s one-person school strike, and a few very surreal years for the Swedish teenager. Along the way, she meets world leaders, speaks at the United Nations and reckons with her newfound notoriety.
— Is there a more simply compelling equation for a documentary than Werner Herzog + meteorites? In “Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds,” Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer ponder the mythic, spiritual gravitational pull of meteors and comets on humanity — and on Herzog, himself. Having already surveyed volcanoes with his co-director in “Into the Inferno,” Herzog here turns his gaze to the cosmos to rhapsodize on the hunks of rocks hurtling through space. On Apple TV+ Friday.
— Three decades ago, Martin Scorsese founded the Film Foundation. Since then, it has been a critical bulwark of film preservation, saving an enormous number of movies from deterioration and illuminating the brilliance of countless others. Over 30 years, the nonprofit organization has aided in some 850 restorations. To celebrate the Film Foundation, the Criterion Channel on Sunday will begin a 30-film series, set to expand over the next year, featuring some of the titles given new life by Scorsese’s creation. Among them: “The Red Shoes,” “It Happened One Night,” “Ugetsu,” “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “Primary.”
MUSIC
— 2020 has been a rough year, and Andrea Bocelli has an album to help you feel better about life. The all-star Italian tenor will release “Believe” on Friday, and it is packed with songs set to soothe the soul.
— After releasing two chart-topping albums in 2017, superstar country singersongwriter Chris Stapleton is back with a new collection of songs coming out Friday. His fourth solo album, “Starting Over,” includes 11 original songs he co-wrote.
— You can always count on Grammywinning a cappella group Pentatonix to release Christmas music. The fivesome will release their sixth holiday album, “We Need a Little Christmas,” on Friday. Alongside Ben Bram, Pentatonix produced “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone),” the first single from the new album. TELEVISION
— First responders are back in force this week as a number of dramas make their pandemic-delayed season debuts (all times Eastern). NBC’s back-to-back franchise of “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” returns Wednesday starting at 8 p.m., while CBS’ “S.W.A.T” opens with a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
ABC’s “Station 19” sounds the alarm at 8 p.m. Thursday, while NBC warhorse “Law & Order: SVU” begins season No. 22 at 9 p.m. If you prefer courtroom action, CBS’ “All Rise” returns Monday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m.
— Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker host the CMA Awards, airing live from Nashville, Tennessee, at 8 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
— The OWN channel is ready to help with its first block of cooking programs, debuting Saturday. The daytime lineup features African-American chefs ready to share their expertise and recipes from different regions. Prepare for hunger pangs from noon to 2 p.m., starting with “Lovely Bites” with Chicago native Connie “Lovely” Jackson; “Tregaye’s Way” with Atlanta chef Tregaye Fraser; “Food Fantasies” with various celebrity chefs, and “Tanya’s Kitchen Table” with Tanya Holland of Oakland, Calif.