What to stream this week: ‘Extraction 2’, Stan Lee doc, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Wonder Years’
Albums from John Mellencamp and Killer Mike, as well as the return of Chris Hemsworth’s gun-for-hire anti-hero in Netflix’s “Extraction 2” are among the new television, movies, music and games coming to a device near you.
Among the offers worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists its season two of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” and the season seven premiere of “Outlander” that continues the story from his time-crossed lovers Jamie and Claire Fraser.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— Clinical death is only a minor obstacle for Chris Hemsworth’s action star Tyler Rake, who can once again be seen by the public in “Extraction 2,” which arrived on Netflix on Friday. In this outing, he is assigned the dangerous task of rescuing the family of a Georgian gangster from a prison. Director Sam Hargrave promised double the action and more emotion in this outing, again produced by the Russo brothers. And Hemsworth has said they opted for practical stunts and set pieces rather than green screen fake news, which could be a bit frightening if you’re filming a sequence on top of a train going through the snowy Czech Republic at 40 miles per hour while a helicopter hovers 7 meters in front of them. he flies backwards. (Read APs review here.)
— “Chevalier,” a lavish, dramatic biopic of a talented black man in Marie Antoinette’s France that was all but obliterated came and went in theaters without much fanfare. But it is now on Hulu where the public can learn more about Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the son of a wealthy French plantation owner and an enslaved Senegalese teenager who rose through the ranks of French society. , thanks in part to his extraordinary musical talents as a composer and a violinist. Kevin Harrison Jr. plays the title role in the Stephen Williams directed film, which I wrote in a review “Maybe more fiction than history, but it’s worth it with effective acting, suspense (aided by Kris Bowers’ score) and a decadently beautiful production.”
– And on Disney+, a new original documentary about the late Stan Lee will premiere on Friday. Stan Lee directed by David Gelb, promises to explore Lee’s life and cultural impact. Lee, who died in 2018 at age 95 co-created an army of comic book characters including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and many more who have become household names over the last 15 years thanks to the popularity of Marvel movies, many of which feature fun Stan Lee cameos.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— John Mellencamp’s output isn’t slowing down. A year after the album’s release “Strictly a one-eyed jack,” the heartland rocker is back with “Orpheus Descending”. Many of the 11 songs, including the anthem against gun violence “Hey God” and a song about the homeless crisis “The Eyes of Portland” – focus on social issues. “All these homeless / Where do they come from? / In this land of plenty / Where nothing gets done,” sings Mellencamp, 71, on the final track.
— Father’s Day is just around the corner, but Killer Mike honors his mother on his new solo album ‘Michael’. The single “Motherless” has Mike rap about his late mother, with R&B singer Eryn Allen Kane: “I be missin’ huggin’ you, I miss kissin’ you/I miss all the jewels and I miss all your wisdom, too.” Another single is the Run the Jewels-esque “Don’t let the devil,” in which he shows his delinquent side, with the text “Catch me after Sunday service disturbin’ the church’s workers.”
— Loss is also in the DNA of the new album from multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello. “The Omnichord Real Book” is an album made after she lost her parents. “This album is about the way we see old things in new ways,” says Ndegeocello. First single “Clear water” is a Sly Stone inspired song featuring Jeff Parker’s bluesy guitar lines and vocals by Justin Hicks. The album was produced by Josh Johnson and also features Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez, Mark Guiliana, Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman and Thandiswa.
— Only one band can make fonts sound cool and that’s Queens of the Stone Age, who are back with the 10-track studio album ‘In Times New Roman…’ “Emotional Illness,” frontman Josh Homme sings “Use once and destroy/several portions of pain/a dose of emotion sickness I just can’t shake.” But further “Carnavoyeur,” he has a smooth, detached coolness: “Fly high, realize / There are no more mountains to climb.”
— AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy
NEW SERIES TO STREAM
– Season two of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” arrived at Paramount + on Thursday. If you haven’t watched yet, the show is set about ten years before “Star Trek: The Original Series”. so it features younger versions of some of the “Star Trek” characters that viewers know and love. “Strange New Worlds” stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike as he commanded the USS Enterprise, with a crew consisting of Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley (otherwise known as Number One), and Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura. The season one finale introduced Paul Wesley in the role of James T. Kirk and he’s back in the new season.
— Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are star-crossed lovers in the time-traveling romantic drama, “Foreigner.” It begins with a British nurse named Claire visiting Scotland after World War II, accidentally falling back in time to the 18th century, when Scotland and England are at war. Claire has left her husband in the future and feels she will never get back there, so she reluctantly marries a Highland warrior named Jamie. The two fall in love and embark on an epic romance. Season seven, which premieres Friday on Starz, is set during the American Revolution. The story is based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon.
– The new “The Wonder Years” about a middle-class black family in Montgomery, Alabama, in the 1960s, returned Wednesday for its second season on ABC. The show is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Dean Williams (played by Elisha “EJ” Williams) with Don Cheadle narrating as the adult version of Dean. It has already been announced that season two will feature several guest stars, including Donald Faison, Bradley Whitford, Phoebe Robinson, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Patti LaBelle.
— “Gold Rush” fan favorite Todd Hoffman tries to turn his fortunes around by rehabilitating a derelict mine in Alaska in Discovery Channel’s “Hoffman Family Gold.” In season two, Todd has a small crew to help him, including his father, Jack, and son, Hunter, but even with the help of the family, it’s a big task and success is not guaranteed. On top of the pressure, Todd and Hunter are very competitive and nobody pushes your buttons like family. “Hoffman Family Gold” season two debuts Friday.
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
– Formula 1 racing has been booming in America lately, thanks in large part to the popular Netflix documentary series ‘Drive to Survive’. It’s gotten so big that EA Sports, which came out of the blue at the turn of the century, got back on track in 2021. The publisher invoices F1 23 as “a fresh start”, although long-time developer Codemasters is still behind the wheel. It features 20 drivers and 10 teams from the real circuit, as well as a fictional story mode and a career-building “F1 World” racing series. There are also new courses in Las Vegas and Qatar, and a 35% race distance option that offers a quick challenge if you’re short on time. Rev your engine Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.
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Watch AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
