NEW TO STREAM
Rundown of what’s arriving on entertainment platforms
MOVIES Just in time for the Academy Awards,
Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” is now available on Hulu. At the Oscars, it’s nominated for 11 awards, including best picture, best actress for Emma Stone and numerous nods for its fantastical craft. In the Victorian-set film, adapted from Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, Stone plays Bella Baxter, a woman brought to life by a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe) with a childlike brain and an adult body. In her review, Associated Press writer Lindsey Bahr called “Poor Things” “among the year’s most sumptuous visual delights.”
While he’s off wrestling sand worms in
“Dune: Part 2,” in theaters, Timothée Chalamet’s last box-office hit, “Wonka,” can now be seen on Max. Fashioned as a musical prequel to the Roald Dahl-scripted 1971 original, Paul King’s film stars Chalamet as a young, wide-eyed Wonka setting out to establish his candy empire. Though the film benefits greatly from Chalamet’s charisma and King’s “Paddington”-like designs, in my review I wrote that the film “is lively but too neutered to do Dahl justice.”
In “Ricky Stanicky,” a trio of friends have long
relied on a made-up pal named Ricky Stanicky for excuses to keep them out of trouble with their spouses. When their families get suspicious, the three friends (Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino) hire a struggling actor known as “Rock Hard” Rod (John Cena) to impersonate the fictional Stanicky. The film, directed by Peter Farrelly, is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
— Jake Coyle, Associated Press
MUSIC Four years ago, Ariana Grande was switching
up “Positions.” Five years ago, she changed the language around breakups with “Thank U, Next.” Then there were the earlier albums: “Sweetener,” “Dangerous Woman,” “My Everything,” and “Yours Truly.” And now, there is “eternal sunshine,” out today. Grande has returned to her rightful place atop pop music’s throne with a new full-length release. Of course, absence makes the heart grow fonder: her lead single “Yes, And?” brought her into new sonic territory — house-informed pop music — and immediately shot up to No. 1.
The only thing that could make it better? A Mariah Carey remix, which quickly followed.
When he is not producing with Taylor Swift,
Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Florence and the Machine, Clairo and many, many others, Jack Antonoff fronts the New Jersey band Bleachers. The group’s self-titled fourth studio album, out today, is a continuation of their previous work: ascendant pop-rock, deeply indebted to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (the saxophones that kickoff the single “Modern Girl” alone are evidence enough.) It’s good time live band music for those aching to hear another side of Antonoff ’s work.
Kim Gordon, known for her work in the
pioneering noise rock band Sonic Youth, is preparing to release her second solo album, “The Collective” — an exercise in no wave modernity. The album, now available, is stacked with spoken-word vocals (known as Sprechgesang to those with their pinkies extended), placed atop explosive and asymmetrical production — like the hip-hop beats and glass shattering sounds of the near-nu metal “Bye Bye,” or on the album’s best track, “I’m A Man,” a gothic assault on traditional images of masculinity under late capitalism. Decades later, and forever, Gordon’s art is not for the faint of heart.
Moor Mother, the musical moniker of
Afrofuturist poet-artist Camae Ayewa, has always considered Black history and Black music history in her work — creating albums that grapple with diasporic realities while entertaining listeners with their beauty and discomfort. Today she returns with a fifth studio album, “The Great Bailout,” an experimental album that examines the ever-present effects of British colonialism — and the relationship between displacement and liberation. There are gorgeous moments here. Strings crescendo beneath sweet, almost whispered harmonies — interrupted by her rich, deep voice loud in the mix, detailing some of the effects of slavery — as in the first single “Guilty” featuring Lonnie Holley & Raia Was.
— Maria Sherman, Associated Press
TELEVISION All hail the queens. A new docuseries on
National Geographic follows female leaders of the animal kingdom. Narrated by Oscar winner Angela Bassett, the seven-episode series was filmed over four years in 12 countries by a female-led production team. Animal queendoms filmed include insects, orcas, hyenas and lions. The seventh episode focuses on women who dedicate their lives to documenting wildlife and contributing to conservation efforts, as natural history is typically a male-dominated field. “Queens” is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
Theo James stars in Guy Ritchie’s new TV
series “The Gentlemen,” a spinoff of the 2019 film of the same name. James plays Eddie, whose late father has bequeathed him the title of Duke, along with a run-down country estate that he views as a money pit and a major burden. Eddie is thrown for a loop when he discovers his homestead has also operated a marijuana-growing business for years, and he has inherited that, too. “The Gentlemen” droppe Thursday on Netflix.
“Friends in Low Places” is arguably Garth
Brooks’ best song, as it never fails to get people to smile, sing along and have a great time. That’s the vibe Brooks is hoping for when he opened the Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky-Tonk in Nashville on Thursday. That same day, a “Friends in Low Places” docuseries about the making of the bar premieres on Amazon Prime Video. Cameras rolled as Brooks, his wife, Tricia Yearwood (who has hosted a popular Food Network show and knows a thing or two about hospitality), and their team created this new business.
A critically acclaimed BBC dramedy called
“Boarders” is coming to the U.S. via Tubi. The show is about five Black teens from the inner city who receive scholarships to St. Gilberts, one of the oldest and most posh boarding schools in Britain. Adjusting to change is never easy and adjusting to St. Gilbert’s is even harder. All six episodes are now available on Tubi.
— Alicia Rancilio, Associated Press
VIDEO GAMES Who is The Thaumaturge? Basically a miracle
worker, according to the dictionary. In this particular case, he’s Wiktor Szulski, and he has the power to detect “salutors” — supernatural creatures that prowl the streets of 1905 Warsaw. Wiktor can help some of the locals by exorcising their demons, but he can also summon salutors to help him fight the imperial Russian soldiers who control the city. Polish studio Fool’s Theory, led by veterans of the beloved Witcher series, describes The Thaumaturge as a role-playing game with “morally ambiguous choices,” and its blend of alternate history and metaphysical mystery looks intriguing. Available on PC.
Atlus’ Unicorn Overlord is the early front-runner
for title of the year. The protagonist is an exiled prince named Alain who’s fighting to reclaim his empire from the backstabbing General Valmore. Alain may have lost his throne, but he does have a magical ring that helps him recruit allies — humans and elves, angels and beasts — across a sprawling fantasy world called Fevrith. Unicorn Overload comes from Japan’s Vanillaware, the developer of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and fans of that cult favorite will recognize the studio’s blend of colorful storytelling and realtime tactical battles. Saddle up today on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S or Nintendo Switch.