What to stream this weekend: ‘The Bachelorette’, Idris Elba, The Weeknd, Sarah Snook and ‘Jack Ryan’
John Krasinski takes his final bow in season four of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” a new album from Lucinda Williams and the debut of the mystery video game Crime O’Clock are among the new television, movies, music and games going to a device close to you.
Among the offers worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Idris Elba on the worst flight ever in the new series ‘Hijack’ for Apple TV+ and a horror movie starring ‘Succession’s’ Sarah Snook as a single mother of a young girl who says she has memories of another life.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— The film adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic coming-of-age novel “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” is now available on video-on-demand – perfect for summer sleepovers or mother-daughter movie nights at home. Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”), Abby Ryder Fortson plays the 11-year-old narrator who navigates a move to the suburbs, new friends, puberty, menstruation, first crushes and her faith. It’s sweet, playful and respectful of the source material, which is hardly a requirement to enjoy the movie. Like the book, it is set in the early 1970s, as Blume did not want the characters to text. Rachel McAdams is also a standout as Margaret’s mother. It could be a great double feature in the documentary “Judy Blume Forever,” which is available on Prime Video.
– Netflix also has a new movie perfect for the tween set in the animation “Nimona,” inspired by ND Stevenson’s graphic novel about a shape-shifting girl. Chloë Grace Moretz voices Nimona, a rebellious outsider with riotous energy who lives in the shadows of a futuristic kingdom with medieval influences. She teams up with a disgraced knight, Ballister (Riz Ahmed), who is on the run after being accused of murdering the Queen. The movie is lively and smart, with a fun soundtrack and LGBTQ+ themes that aren’t handled awkwardly. “Nimona” begins streaming on Friday.
– Now out on Netflix “Run Rabbit Run,” a horror starring Sarah Snook from “Succession” as the single mother of a young girl who says she has memories of another life. As if Shiv wasn’t selling enough, Snook also gets to use her native Australian accent.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— Fans of The Weeknd are getting a new album thanks to the TV show ‘The Idol’. He plays a scheming Svengali in the Sam Levinson-directed HBO series, which spawned the great “Popular” with Playboy Carti and Madonna. “The Idol, Vol. 1” features contributions from Suzanna Son, Moses Sumney, Mike Dean, Ramsey, Jennie Kim and Lily Rose-Depp, who plays and sings as pop phenom Jocelyn “World class sinner / I’m a freak.” Need another reason? Checking out “Double Fantasy” with Future – and you’ll be hooked, even if, as The Weeknd sings, it’s wrong.
– Excluding Lucinda Williams is a reckless option – always, but especially this week. The country star is back “Stories from a rock ‘n’ roll heart,” despite suffering a stroke in 2021 that partially affected some of her motor skills and took away her ability to play the guitar. On the album, Williams pays tribute to rock legends Tom Petty (“Stolen Moments”) and Replacements co-founder Bob Stinson (“Hum’s Liquor”), to whom she dedicates the album. The single “New York Comeback” has Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen on backing vocals.
— Charlie Watts is celebrated in a posthumous album of jazz recordings by the Rolling Stones drummer. “Anthology” spans 20 years of songs, including a live version of “Swindon Swing” from 1978, 2001’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Lover Man” live in Birmingham in 1991. Contributors include double bassist Dave Green and saxophonists Peter King, Evan Parker and Courtney Pine, trumpeter Gerard Presencer, fellow drummer Jim Keltner and singer and Rolling Stones live band member Bernard Fowler. The set includes liner notes by music journalist and broadcaster Paul Sexton.
— AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy
NEW SERIES TO STREAM
— Charity Lawson has 25 guys vying for her attention on the reality dating show’s 20th season, “The bachelorette.” The 27-year-old therapist from Georgia was featured on the final season of “The Bachelor” when Zach handed out Shallcross roses. Shallcross sent Lawson home in week eight when he visited the ladies’ hometowns and met their families, saying the feelings weren’t there. “The Bachelorette” airs on Mondays.
— Idris Elba is stuck on the worst flight ever in the new series “hijacking” for Apple TV+. Elba plays Sam, a business negotiator whose flight from Dubai to London is hijacked. Sam tries to use his negotiating skills to defuse the situation during the seven-hour flight so that the passengers and crew get home safely. The seven-episode series debuted this week with two episodes. The remaining episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays. “Hijack” also stars Archie Panjabi.
— John Krasinski takes his final bow in season four of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” back to Prime Video on Friday. The eight-episode season sees Jack back in Washington, D.C. (for part of the time) and the return of Abbie Cornish as his love interest Cathy. Michael Peña also joins season four as the familiar Clancy character Domingo “Ding” Chavez, a CIA special agent. Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly and Betty Gabriel also return.
— A fun family show premiering Friday on Netflix is “Is it cake too?” based on the popular internet meme. The premise is simple: people guess whether very real-looking random objects such as a handbag, a sewing machine and even a toilet are cake. Ten very talented baker artists compete for a cash prize. Guest judges include Joel McHale, Saturday Night Live cast member Chloe Fineman, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Dixie and Charli D’Amelio.
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— It’s a good week for gamers who crave a little mystery on their menu. Crime Hour, from French publisher Just for Games, takes on a centuries-long conspiracy in a sprawling European city. Your job is to study detailed black-and-white maps from five different eras, looking for anomalies as you try to close cracks in the space-time continuum. It’s like a time-traveling version of “Where’s Waldo?” where your actions in one time zone can help you solve cases in another. The mystery unfolds on Nintendo Switch and PC on Friday.
— Also this Friday is Capcom’s high-res remake of the 2011 cult classic Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. The protagonist is a recently deceased man who tries to find out how he was killed and who it is. The ghost can only possess a few items in the land of the living, so it must carefully manipulate them to find clues and warn other potential victims. It’s a very clever puzzle and the remake will be available on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
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Watch AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment
