New this week: Gaga, 1975, canceled Cannes, ‘Stargirl’
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
Movies
■ Lynn Shelton movies: The weekend brought the painful loss of Shelton, the 54-year-old filmmaker and a unique voice in indie cinema. If her movies aren’t familiar, they’re worth seeking out for their soft edges, light comic touch and freewheeling improvisation. She made the most natural, warm-hearted movies out of almost sitcom-like comedic plots. You might start with her 2012 film “Your Sister’ Sister” (for rent on Amazon, Apple), a romantic comedy of wild pivots with Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass. She often dug deeply into discomfort, particularly in her 2009 breakthrough, “Humpday” ( streaming on Tubi ).
Her character studies were rich, maybe increasingly so, including 2018’s “
Outside In ” (streaming on Netflix), with Edie Falco as a high school teacher who helps a former student (Jay Duplass) get out of prison.
■ Canceled Cannes: The Cannes Film Festival would have normally wrapped up this week and handed out its top prize, the Palme d’Or. You can still program your own festival of past Cannes hits. Recent prize-winners like Hirokazu Kore-eda’s beautifully tender “Shoplifters,” Bong Joon Ho’s diabolical “Parasite” and Celine Sciamma’s exquisite “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” are streaming on Hulu. The Criterion Channel is hosting a series of former Palme d’Or winners, including Abbas Kiarostami’s “Taste of Cherry” and Roberto Rossellini’s “Rome Open City.” And on Amazon Prime, you can soak up the Cannes sunshine with Hitchcock’s Cote d’Azur classic “To Catch a Thief,” with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly speeding along the French Riviera coastline.
— Film Writer Jake Coyle
Music
— The 1975: The 1975’s 22-track fourth studio album kicks off in strong form with a monologue from climate change activist Greta Thunberg. What follows is music, from raging rock to dreamy pop, that proves why this British band continues to reach new heights with each album release.
■ Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande: The Grammywinning divas come together for a duet called “Rain on Me.” The song is from Gaga’s new album “Chromatica,” which comes out May 29 and was originally planned for release in April. “Rain on Me” is the second duet Grande has released this month following “Stuck With U,” her collaboration with Justin Bieber.
— Music Editor Mesfin Fekadu
Television
■ Most series have wrapped their current runs or will soon. But “DC’s Stargirl” is just getting started. Brec Bassinger stars as high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl, who inspires an offbeat group to join the battle against villainy. Geoff Johns’ comic book writing career began with the creation of Stargirl, who is reimagined in the series along with the Justice Society of America. The series is available on the streamer service DC Universe.
— Television Writer
Lynn Elber