THE SMALL SCREEN
NEW STREAMING MOVIES AND TV THIS WEEK
“Hold Your Fire”:
This gripping documentary, directed by Stefan Forbes, chronicles a 1973 Brooklyn robbery that became a turning point in hostage negotiation tactics and de-escalation. The scene, vividly depicted in archival and contemporaneous news footage, captures a classic New York much like the one found in Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon.” When four Black men attempted to rob a sporting good store, they were trapped by police and a 47-hour standoff, with hostages and a policeman killed, ensued. “Hold Your Fire,” which is debuting Friday in theaters and on digital rental, captures how one former traffic cop, with a degree in psychology, flipped an often fatal script and used communication, not violence, to settle a crisis and remake policing. Not rated. Available for digital rental; also opening at Digital Gym Cinema on May 27. 1 hour, 35 minutes. “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers”: You could say that this cartoon-live action reboot is an unlikely project to gather some top “Saturday Night Live” alums. Yet here is a “Chip ’n Dale” with John Mulaney voicing Chip, Andy Samberg as Dale and Lonely Island auteur Akiva Schaffer directing the new Disney+ film. In this “Chip ’n Dale,” the title chipmunks are living in modern-day Los Angeles and long removed from the heyday of their TV series. Chip has resorted to suburban domesticity, and Dale is living off his long-gone fame. With KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana and Keegan-Michael Key. PG. Available on Disney+. 1 hour, 37 minutes.
“The Valet”: Fans of the Best Picture-winning “CODA” may want to check out “The Valet,” starring Eugenio Derbez as a valet attendant hired to act as though he’s dating a movie star (Samara Weaving) to square rumors of an affair with a Los Angeles real estate mogul (Max Greenfield). The film is a rom-com platform for the versatile Mexican star Derbez, who memorably played the music teacher in “CODA.” PG-13. Available on Hulu. 1 hour, 57 minutes.
‘THE KIDS IN THE HALL’
The TV landscape tends to feel pretty dismal when “Saturday Night Live” is the only sketch comedy game in town. And often that’s the case. Over its four-plus decade run, it certainly has outlasted so many others — from “SCTV” to “In Living Color” to “MADtv” to “Key & Peele” and more — but that doesn’t make it the funniest or most creative. Just the longest standing. Which brings us to the return of “The Kids in the Hall” on Amazon, and it’s as if the clouds of gloom have parted to make way once again for their particularly sunny sense of the absurd. Even with “SNL” head honcho Lorne Michaels as executive producer, this ’90s-era staple somehow always felt smarter, more playful, humanistic and better observed than “SNL.” And yes, funnier. Back with new episodes after more than 30 years, this version of “The Kids in the Hall” stands out for another reason. Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald and Scott Thompson are in their 60s. Dave Foley is almost there at 59. Sketch comedy tends to be a young person’s game. Just the wig-ery of it all. And yet here are five guys well past their supposed prime just ripping into the form as if they never left. “The Kids in the Hall” never really played with topical humor, which means you won’t find them doing something as repellent as, oh I dunno, reenacting a court case involving two celebrities and domestic violence for laughs. These guys are more interested in the comedy of the unexpected, tinkering around with the extremities of human foibles and eccentricities. Ready or not, the Kids are back. 18+. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
“Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song”:
This all-star tribune concert honors the prolific pop star whose hits include “All Night Long,” “Endless Love” and “Lady.” Anthony Anderson hosts the PBS ceremony, which was taped in Washington and includes performances by Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men, Luke Bryan, Andra Day, Yolanda Adams and Chris Stapleton. Estefan, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney are among previous recipients of the award. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden called Richie an inspiring entertainer who helped “strengthen our global connections.” Available at pbs.org/show/gershwin-prize. 56 minutes.
Angelyne didn’t have or need the Internet to make her a Los Angeles celebrity — billboards scattered around town starting in the 1980s did the trick. Her seductive image brought her surprisingly enduring fame — and now a show based, sort of, on her story. The limited series “Angelyne,” starring Emmy Rossum, is billed not as a traditional biography but, as showrunner Allison Miller described it, a “magical story about becoming the person you were meant to be” and about L.A. and the dreamers it attracts. Martin Freeman, Alex Karpovsky and Hamish Linklater are in the cast. TV-MA. Available on Peacock.
“The G Word With Adam Conover”:
Adam Conover, who used comedy to apply the power of critical thinking in “Adam Ruins Everything,” takes a similar approach to the workings of government in “The G Word With Adam Conover.” In what’s described as a “hybrid comedy-documentary series,” Conover explores how crucial — both for good and not-so-good — government is to our lives, from weather to food to money and more. The show is based on “The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy” by Michael Lewis (“The Big Short”) and includes a cameo by former President Barack Obama that cements his comedy chops. TV-MA. Available on Netflix.