THE SMALL SCREEN
NEW STREAMING MOVIES AND TV THIS WEEK
“Tick, Tick ... Boom!”: If you’re a huge — and I mean huge — fan of musical theater, “Tick” will be your jam. It’s a poppy love letter to that uniquely American art form and to tireless composer Jonathan Larson, who died shortly before his “Rent” became a smash. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film version is messy and overwrought in the same way “Rent” is, but Andrew Garfield is an energy machine as Larson and it’s fun to spot the cast of Broadway elites (icons Bernadette Peters and Chita Rivera pop up alongside original “Hamilton” and “Rent” stars in a song that pays homage to Stephen Sondheim, played by Bradley Whitford). Available today on Netflix.
“In the Arena”: Tom Brady is the main protagonist in the nine-part series about his journey to becoming the GOAT. But in the first three episodes, he’s kind of a bore. While the quarterback’s accomplishments are awesome, it’s the supporting characters like Drew Bledsoe, Rodney Harrison and Lawyer Milloy who will grab your attention. Now streaming on ESPN+. “Procession”: In Robert Greene’s unconventional documentary, Greene gathers a group of six now-adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse by Midwest priests. Seeking some sense of closure, they write, direct and perform their stories in a therapeutic exercise of filmmaking. Greene ultimately shares authorship of “Procession,” a collaborative effort of catharsis, with the film’s subjects. Available today on Netflix. “Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight”: Carole Baskin is getting a second act on discovery+. In Netflix’s hit “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” she was the nemesis and would-be victim of Joe Exotic, who was sentenced to prison in 2020 after being convicted in a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting Baskin. In the two-part documentary debuting Saturday, the animal activist and her husband, Howard, investigate the treatment of big cats at what’s characterized by discovery+ as personal risk. “Tiger King” is roaring back as well, with season two out now on Netflix.
“JAGGED”
Alanis Morissette has slammed this new documentary about her breakthrough album, “Jagged Little Pill,” calling it “reductive” and “salacious.” Perhaps the angstdriven rocker failed to notice that it’s also an unabashed love letter. Filmmaker Alison Klayman does include tabloid-friendly fare concerning statutory rape and an eating disorder. But she’s mainly interested in examining how her subject’s songwriting inspired a generation of future musicians, most notably Taylor Swift. Ultimately, the film makes a strong case that Morissette belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Available on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. “Ace and the Christmas Miracle”: Jon Lovitz provides the voice of the titular talking horse in this holiday-themed comedy about a con man (Steven Chase) whose sudden ability to communicate with a racehorse gives him an idea: Talk Ace into helping him fix the results of the upcoming New Year’s Day derby. Available on demand.
“Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson”:
A flash of nudity during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show is the focus of this documentary. The moment that Justin Timberlake briefly exposed Jackson’s breast took a toll on her career and became a cultural and racial flashpoint, one reconstructed in the film and discussed by cultural critics, music industry insiders and members of the Jackson family. Part of “The New York Times Presents” series, the documentary takes its title from what was then labeled a “wardrobe malfunction.” 10 p.m. today on FX and Hulu. “Simple as Water”: Filmed over the five years in Turkey, Greece, Germany, Syria and the U.S., this documentary is a meditation on the meaning of family, as it follows several displaced Syrian families’ quests for normalcy amid the upheaval of war. The New York Times writes: “These stories avoid triteness by lingering on the daily, unassuming routines of their characters: after-school basketball games, a sunset walk through an orchard, the fashioning of a makeshift toy out of some string and a milk crate.” Available on HBO and HBO Max.
“Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road”: This documentary features the former Beach Boy reminiscing with longtime friend and Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine as they cruise around Los Angeles, interspersed with interviews with Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Jonas, Linda Perry, Al Jardine and others. Variety calls it “part musical exploration, part ‘Carpool Karaoke.’ ” Available on demand.