Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Daring ‘Damsel’: Millie Bobby Brown leads new fantasy adventure
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “Damsel” (2024)
Make your own destiny with the fantasy adventure film “Damsel,” making its debut Friday, March 8, on Netflix. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown (“Enola Holmes,” 2020) as Elodie, a dutiful damsel who agrees to marry a handsome prince. But Elodie’s hopes of a fairytale soon shatter around her when she learns that the whole proposal was a trap, with the royal family planning to use her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, Elodie learns who she truly is as she uses nothing but her wits and her will to live. From director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“28 Weeks Later,” 2007), “Damsel” is written by Dan Mazeau (“Wrath of the Titans,” 2012). Robin Wright (“Forrest Gump,” 1994), Angela Bassett (“9-1-1”), Nick Robinson (“Love, Victor”), Brooke Carter (“The Peripheral”), Ray Winstone (“Sexy Beast,” 2000) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (“The Expanse”) also star.
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU “Extraordinary” - Season 2
Learn to make the most of an ordinary life when Season 2 of “Extraordinary” premieres Wednesday, March 6, on Hulu. From creator Emma Moran (“Have I Got News for You”) and “Killing Eve” executive producers Lee Morris, Charles Dawson and Sally Woodward, the series is set in a universe where everyone over the age of 18 develops a unique superpower. Everyone, apparently, except Jen (Máiréad Tyers, “Belfast,” 2021), who, already in her mid20s, feels like she’s been completely left behind while she waits for her own power. Now, the new season picks back up with Jen on her journey as she enrolls at the power clinic, hoping they can finally help her figure out what her elusive power is supposed to be. Meanwhile, her “ex-cat, now-boyfriend Jizzlord [Luke Rollason, “Jack,” 2021] has had an unexpected revelation about his past, and Kash [Bilal Hasna, “Layla,” 2024] and Carrie [Sofia Oxenham, “Poldark”] are attempting to be totally mature and dignified about their breakup, which is not easy when they’re still living under the same roof” (per Disney+). As Jen and her friends deal with the trials and tribulations of making it on their own as young adults, Jen continues trying to be OK with her ordinary self. Also starring Siobhán McSweeney (“Derry Girls”), Robbie Gee (“Snatch,” 2000), Julian Barratt (“The Mighty Boosh”), Rosa Robson (“Buffering”), Kwaku Mills (“The Trouble With Jessica,” 2024) and Derek Jacobi (“Murder on the Orient Express,” 2017), “Extraordinary” is directed by Toby MacDonald (“The Duchess”) and Jennifer Sheridan (“Rules of the Game”).
“Queens”
Explore the stories of some of the Earth’s most powerful female leaders when “Queens,” the new limited series from National Geographic, premieres Tuesday, March 5, on Hulu (also streaming on Disney+). Fierce, smart and resilient, the matriarchs and female leaders featured in “Queens” come from all around the world as cameras capture their unique stories. “Helmed by a female-led production team from around the world — groundbreaking in the natural history space — the seven-part series leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead” (per National Geographic). Narrated by Angela Bassett (“Black Panther,” 2018), “Queens” takes a deeper look into the family structures of animals, including hyenas, elephants, ring-tailed lemurs, insects, primates and orcas. Sophie Darlington (“Our Planet”) and Justine Evans (“Great Migrations”) are series directors of photography, while Chloe Sarosh (“Earth From Space”) serves as showrunner and writer. Bassett, Vanessa Berlowitz (“Frozen Planet”) and Pamela Caragol (“Secrets of the Whales”) are executive producers.
WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+ “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy” - Season 2
A self-confessed creature of comfort who faced some of his long-held traveling fears in Season 1, Emmy-winning multihyphenate Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) gets ready to head back out on the road once more when Season 2 of “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy” premieres Friday, March 8, on Apple TV+. Taking a grand tour of Europe this time around, Levy works his way from the continent’s most northern countries to the sunny south over a seven-episode run. Diving headfirst into local experiences and cuisine everywhere he goes, this season sees Levy “preparing for Midsummer in Swedish tradition with a moose-tracking adventure, visiting his mother’s childhood homeland of Scotland for the first time, dining with a luminary and taking a bite out of French cuisine in Saint-Tropez, embracing wellness with a hay bath under German thatched roofs on the island of Sylt, voyaging on a Greek fishing expedition around Milos, learning medieval customs and harvesting grapes in Italy, and playing soccer with an iconic Spanish star in Seville, Spain” (per Apple TV+). Produced by Twofour, “The Reluctant Traveler” is executive produced by Levy, director David Brindley (“Educating Yorkshire”), Nic Patten (“The Real Marigold on Tour”) and Sara Brailsford (“The World According to Jeff Goldblum”).
WHAT’S NEW ON ALLBLK “Supa Girlz”
Premiering Thursday, March 7, on ALLBLK, the brand-new docuseries “Supa Girlz” dives into the passionate world of high school dance teams. The Miami Northwestern “G Girls” are one of the best high school dance teams in the country, and have also become a trendsetting viral sensation. Led by “boldly unapologetic and visionary director” (per ALLBLK), Traci Young-Byron, this cinéma verité series follows Young-Byron and the G Girls through a tumultuous school year. While the team’s “successes and struggles reflect those of the neighborhood they call home: Liberty City, Miami” (ALLBLK), the series sees Young-Byron attempting to rebuild her team to their towering past success with an entirely new group of young dancers, including Kiara Laster, Kevonni White, Jaida Sumlar and Jayla Dorsett. Directed and executive produced by Trishtan Williams (“America’s Next Top Model”).
New Releases for the week of March 3 - March 9 Wonka
Based on the character from the 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, “Wonka” is the origin story of Willy Wonka (Chalamet) as he chases his dream of becoming an inventor and chocolatier. Upon arriving in Europe, Wonka is quick to fall prey to the unsavory likes of Mrs. Scrubitt (Colman) and the longreaching influence of the Chocolate Cartel, led by Arthur Slugworth (Joseph). With the help of street-smart fellow outcast Noodle (Lane), Wonka may yet succeed in his dream of establishing his own chocolate factory.
Director: Paul King. Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, KeeganMichael Key, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Natasha Rothwell, Charlotte Ritchie. 2023. 116 min. Fantasy.
Lord of Misrule
Rebecca Holland (Middleton), the new minister of a rural English village, is just settling into her role when her daughter, Grace (Templeton), goes missing during the harvest festival. A desperate search commences, but as more secrets are uncovered about the village’s dark past, the more imminent the danger grows. Rebecca becomes uncertain of who or what to trust, and her faith is tested as she witnesses that gods and demons can be one and the same. Director: William Brent Bell. Stars: Tuppence Middleton, Evie Templeton, Alexa Goodall, Rosalind March, Anton Valensi. 2023. 104 min. Horror Thriller.
Paprika
In this futuristic animation, the invention of a device called the DC Mini allows users to view people’s dreams. The head of the research team working with the DC Mini, Dr. Atsuko Chiba (Hayashibara), is a psychiatrist who illegally uses the device to help patients outside of the research facility. Upon entering their dreams, she becomes “Paprika,” a ginger-haired woman. When prototypes of the DC Mini are stolen, people begin dying after being attacked in their dreams. Chiba, disguised as Paprika, uses the DC Mini to investigate the cases.
Director: Satoshi Kon. Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Furuya, Toru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera. 2006. 90 min. Sci-Fi Thriller.