John Wick, dinosaurs and Gollum, oh my!
There’s plenty of don’tmiss new television and movies headed to a device near you this week.
Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are streaming arrival of the latest “John Wick” film and a television adaptation of the graphic novel “American Born Chinese.”
NEW MOVIES
It can be hard to believe when corporate folks make genuinely altruistic gestures, especially involving their fortunes, but neither Kris McDivitt Tompkins, the first CEO of Patagonia, nor her late husband, Doug Tompkins, the founder the North Face and Esprit, were ones to play by the rules. “Wild Life,” a new documentary from the Oscar-winning “Free Solo” filmmakers, tells the story of this couple, their love of the outdoors, their adventurous spirits and how they funneled their fortunes to “rewilding” conservation efforts by buying up roughly 2.2 million acres in Argentina and Chile. “Wild Life” starts streaming on Disney+ and Hulu today.
For more escapism, Keanu Reeves’ tireless assassin John Wick returns for a fourth film, which made its way to video on demand on Tuesday. This time, Wick goes to Paris. He’s still being hunted but has also gone on the offensive. AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that this installment elevates and expands the franchise. “The fourth installment is more stylish, more elegant and more bonkers — kind of like Paris itself,” Kennedy said. It also serves as a bittersweet farewell to the Continental Hotel concierge Charon, played by Lance Reddick, who died shortly before the film came out. — Lindsey Bahr
NEW SERIES
Dinosaurs once again come to life in the second season of “Prehistoric Planet” on Apple TV+. Executive produced by Jon Favreau and the team behind “Planet Earth,” the docuseries uses the latest technology to not only create dinosaurs that look real, but also to immerse viewers into their habitat. Sir David Attenborough returns to narrate. “Prehistoric Planet” season two is presented as an event series, debuted Monday followed by a new episode each day that week.
Each episode of the “SmartLess” podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett features an entertaining conversation with a guest, but one of the best parts about the trio is their banter with each other. “Smartless: On the Road” debuted Tuesday on Max.
The new action-comedy series ”American Born Chinese” is based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. It stars Ben Wang as a high schooler trying to survive the daily life as a first generation American in a Chinese family. He meets an exchange student from Taiwan and finds himself caught up in a war of ancient Chinese Gods. “American Born Chinese” premiered Wednesday on Disney+. — Alicia Rancilio