Levy leaves home; Apple changes course
“The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy” returns for a second season on Apple TV+. This allows the “SCTV” and “Schitt’s Creek” star to share his experiences in some of Europe’s finest hotels while all the time wondering why he left home in the first place. In one episode, he swills cocktails with Joan Collins on the Riviera.
Nice scenery doesn’t distract from the fact that some shows can actually damage an actor’s reputation. I never thought I would say or write this, but I find Levy less funny after watching this project.
In other Apple TV+ news, the platform is making a major change that reflects a new philosophy. Since its inception, Apple TV+ has projected a “curated” vibe, streaming only series and movies that it had developed. This stood in stark contrast to Netflix and Prime, which offer vast quantities of product to stream.
Apple will now offer a collection of 51 Hollywood movies, including “Titanic,” “Argo” and “The 300” under a new hub called “Great Movies on Apple TV+.”
› “Survivor” fans who want to take things to another dimension can now play “Survivor: Horizon Island,” dubbed an “interactive social VR experience.” All you need is one of those virtualreality headsets, the kind that works on the Meta (Facebook) wavelength. Apparently, this allows you to feel like you’re sitting around the campfire and interacting with other virtual participants, under the guidance of series host and VR camp counselor Jeff Probst.
› Max streams two big-budget reboots. Released last December and starring Timothee Chalamet, “Wonka” is the third iteration of the Roald Dahl story, after the 1971 musical “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder, and the 2005 Tim Burton hallucination “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp.
Also premiering on Max today is the fourth take on “A Star Is Born,” the 2018 version starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga as a fading idol and rising star.
› When you’ve got a niche, scratch it! Two horror spoofs with a very specific emphasis are now streaming. Shudder introduces “Satanic Hispanics,” beginning today. Not to be confused with “Cholo Zombies Monstro,” a shocker that can be rented on Amazon Prime.
› As we move into Oscar weekend, it’s always fun to debate which award winners hold up, what films were “robbed” and how the hype can often overwhelm the experience.
Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow star in the 1998 period romantic comedy “Shakespeare in Love” (6:55 p.m., HBO Signature).
The film has come to symbolize the Miramax touch, the ability of producer Harvey Weinstein to blend mass appeal with “classy” storylines and to lobby aggressively during awards season. The film won seven Oscars, including a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Judi Dench (as Queen Elizabeth I) who appeared on screen for only eight minutes.