What to stream this weekend: ‘And Just Like That’, Kelly Clarkson, ‘Perfect Find’ and Final Fantasy
Albums by Kelly Clarkson and Portugal. The Man and the new season of “And Just Like That” 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 are “The Bear” back for a second helping, Gabrielle Union leads “The Perfect Find” and the Criterion Channel delves into the gay best friend cliché.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
– In “The perfect find,” Gabrielle Union stars as a 40-year-old fashion editor who gets along with a young man (Keith Powers) only to find out later that he is the son of her new boss, a media mogul played by Gina Torres. The film, now on Netflix, is directed by Numa Perrier and based on the novel of the same name by Tia Williams.
— Last year saw some excellent autobiographical dramas full of memories, such as Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ and Richard Linklater’s ‘Apollo 10 1/2’. Perhaps the best of the bunch James Gray’s ‘Armageddon Time’ an acutely observed story from Queens, New York in the 1980s. Rather than a wistful nostalgic film, Gray’s film questions its own past and probes societal currents of politics and privilege. Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway play the parents of 11-year-old Paul (Banks Repeta), whose school experience is vastly different from that of his black friend (Jaylin Webb). Anthony Hopkins also plays radiantly like his grandfather. In her review, AP film writer Lindsey Bahr writes called the film “essential.” It is now streaming on Prime Video.
– The gay best friend was once dismissed as a well-known Hollywood trope. But a new film series on the Criterion Channel finds much to appreciate and lament in a legacy of strange movies that existed only in the margins for much of the 20th century. “Queersighted: The Gay Best Friend” collects films from seven decades of American cinema, from 1937’s “Easy Living” to 1996’s “Irma Vep” to trace the evolution of a stereotype that, as curator and author Mark Harris discuss in an accompanying talk, offered both relief and dismay to gay moviegoers.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— Kim Petras caps off a remarkable few months with her debut album ‘Feed the Beast’, due out Friday. She just topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Unholy” with Sam Smith, performed at the Grammys and ‘Saturday Night Live’, attended the Met Gala and made the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The new 15-song album includes the effervescent single “Only” with Nicki Minaj, the body positive “coconuts” and the beat-heavy single “Brrr.” “Feed the Beast” also features a collaboration with alt-pop star Banks.
—Portugal from Portland. The Man returns with an album full of loss. “Chris Black Changed My Life,” also released Friday, is dedicated to Portugal. The Man’s late friend and honorary band member, Chris Black, who died in May 2019. Singles include ready the dance floor “dummy” and the mid-tempo wistful groove “Plastic Island,” with the lyrics “Is it the end, my friend / Or is it coming / Around again?” Contributors include Paul Williams, Sean Leon, Asa Taccone, Black Thought, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Jeff Bhasker, and Natalia Lafourcade.
— Loss is also the focus of ‘Chemistry’, Kelly Clarkson’s post-breakup album. “You can drag my name around town with my money / I don’t mind that I changed it anyway,” she sings in the kiss-off single “Red Flag collector.” Clarkson previously released “Favorite kind of high” And “I Hate Love,” both of which appear on “Chemistry,” an album on which she gets a little help from comedian and banjoist Steve Martin. “This album will take you down every path chemistry can take you,” she wrote on Instagram.
— Summer and Big Freedia were made to be together and she brings us the 16-track ‘Central City’ just in time for backyard parties. The New Orleans-raised queen of Bounce music has brought along some friends — collaborators include Lil Wayne, Faith Evans, Ciara, and Kelly Price — and promises a new sound. “I call my new album Bigga Bounce. Welcome to Central City, all of you, where I pay homage to my city, my roots, hip-hop and the art of creating a new sound.” Singles include the light-hearted “$100 Bill” and aggressive “Big foot.”
— AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy
NEW SERIES TO STREAM
— Max has already made two big reveals for season two of “And just like that”: the return of John Corbett as Aidan Shaw and Kim Cattrall filmed a scene as Samantha Jones. While details on each film are scarce, we do know that Cattrall declined involvement in a third “Sex & the City” movie and was reportedly not included in the plans for the spin-off series. Fans probably won’t mind how they see Samantha as long as she shows up. Watch the new episodes of ‘And Just Like That’ on Thursday.
—Robert Downey Jr. combines two of his passionsclassic cars and the fight against climate change in the new Max docuseries “Downey’s Dream Cars.” Viewers join in as experts help the actor make his collection of vintage cars not only functional, but also environmentally friendly. The show premiered Thursday with two episodes.
— Actor-comedian Anthony Anderson is a proud mama’s boy and adores his mother, Doris. Cameras rolled as the “blackish” star took his mother on a dream six-week vacation to Europe, visiting England, France and Italy. “It’s the best and worst decision I’ve ever made,” Anderson declares in the trailer. “Tripping with Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris” debuted Thursday on E!
— The acclaimed series “The bear,” who debuted and was last summer an instant word of mouth, is back for a second helping. The show stars Jeremy Allen White as a classically trained chef named Carmy who returned to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop called The Beef. In season two, which started Thursday on FX on Hulu, Carmy and his staff are tasked with taking The Beef to the next level to become a fine dining establishment called The Bear. Carmy’s changes require customization for all characters. A central theme for season two, says creator Christopher Storer, is what happens when you get what you want?
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— Final Fantasy XVI, the new chapter in the groundbreaking role-playing series, is set in a land fueled by magical crystals whose light is beginning to fade. Publisher Square Enix hopes it can prevent such a fate from befalling its great franchise, the previous installment of which in 2016 received a mixed critical response (although it still sold millions of copies). The main change to the formula is in combat: protagonist Clive Rosfield mostly fights alone, rather than assembling the usual group of warriors and spells, and the turn-by-turn skirmishes that once defined Final Fantasy have been replaced by faster-paced battles. sword fighting. Trailers promise a dark storyline – the producer has acknowledged the influence of “Game of Thrones” – but fans can still expect dazzling scenery and epic sweep. Your last chance to save the world is now available on PlayStation 5.
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Watch AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
