Natalie Portman starring in her first TV series in āLady in the Lakeā for Apple TV+ and Roland Emmerichās gladiator series āThose About to Dieā are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Pressā entertainment journalists: Kerry Washingtonās comedy āUnPrisonedā returns for a second season, Daisy Ridley stars as the trailblazing deep sea swimmer Trudy Ederle in āYoung Woman and the Seaā and Donald Glover releases his last album under his Childish Gambino moniker.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
ā If you loved the adrenaline rush of watching Alex Honnold scale El Capitan in āFree Solo,ā Netflix has a treat for you. This time the heights are manmade but no less harrowing. In āSkywalkers: A Love Story,ā filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist takes viewers into the dangerous world of rooftoppers ā the daredevils who scale the worldās tallest buildings. The subjects in āSkywalkers,ā streaming on Netflix starting Friday, are Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus who are not only talented rooftoppers but also in a relationship (hence the ālove storyā in the title) with own ups and downs. Part heist movie, part dazzling spectacle thanks to incredible Go-Pro footage, part relationship drama, it is a no-brainer of a click.
ā Daisy Ridley stars as the trailblazing deep sea swimmer Trudy Ederle in āYoung Woman and the Sea,ā a very well made and inspiring sports drama that harkens back to the live-action movies Disney used to make in the early '90s like āWild Hearts Canāt Be Broken.ā Accessible for the whole family, the movie follows Ederle from her childhood to the Olympics and finally on her quest to become the first woman to swim the English Channel, in 1926. It had a somewhat quiet theatrical release after producer Jerry Bruckheimer found it got the best test scores of his career. But now itāll be available for all, on Disney+, on Friday.
ā MAX has a few good new offerings, too, with the streaming premiere of ā Love Lies Bleeding ā (one of the APās favorites of the year so far) on Friday and āThe Commandantās Shadowā on Thursday. The former is the sophomore feature of filmmaker Rose Glass, who directs Kristen Stewart in a wildly compelling performance as a gym manager who has fallen for a bodybuilder (Katy OāBrien) drifter. Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote in his review that it āgives Stewart a vivid noir sandbox where all of her talent for obsession, desire and rage finds its gnarliest expression yet.ā The latter is a documentary in which the son of Nazi commandant Rudolf H?ss (also the subject of the Oscar-winning āThe Zone of Interestā ) reckons with his familyās past.
ā And finally Prime Video has the sequel āMy Spy: The Eternal City,ā in which Dave Bautistaās CIA agent JJ accompanies Sophie (Chloe Coleman) on a school trip to Italy where they get caught up in a terrorist plot. Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong, Anna Faris and Craig Robinson co-star in the Pete Segal pic which is available starting Thursday.
ā AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
ā In October, the Miami rap duo City Girls ā made up of JT and Yung Miami ā released their third album, āRAW.ā The release, which embraced their spirited party records and moments of real vulnerability, followed a few years of true virality, deserved through hit tracks like 2018ās āAct Up.ā But it appears all wasnāt great behind the scenes, and the duo are no longer together. But on Friday, JT will release her first mixtape as a solo artist, the 19-track āCity Cinderella.ā āOkay,ā the lead single from the release, features Jeezy ā a fiery declaration of being a heck of a lot better than just OK.
ā Next week Childish Gambino will release his sixth studio album, āBando Stone & the New World,ā what is being touted as his final album under Donald Gloverās Childish Gambino moniker. It also serves as the soundtrack to his forthcoming film of the same name. The lead track, āLithonia,ā is anthemic synth-rock, like Gloverās own take on Britpop-punk. It was co-produced by Glover, Ludwig G?ransson, Max Martin, and Michael Uzowuru. A surprising turn, to be sure.
ā Six of the year members of BTS are currently serving South Koreaās mandatory national service. (Jin, the oldest at 31, finished his 18-month military service last month. He will be an Olympic torchbearer at the Paris games.) But that doesnāt mean their slowing down their musical output. Jimin is preparing to release his second solo album, āMuse.ā Using āSmeraldo Garden Marching Band,ā featuring rapper Loco, as evidence, this release is all rosy cheeked pop songs about love and crushing. Just donāt get a cavity with all that sweetness.
ā Rarely does a new artist emerge with such ambition: āIāll Always Come Find You,ā the debut album from LA rapper and singer BLXST, is a concept record of sorts that follows a protagonist named Birdie, who inherits his late fatherās chauffeur car service and meets a handful of interesting personalities in the backseat. Across 20 tracks ā boasting of collaborations with everyone from 2 Chainz, Amanda Reifer, Becky G, Anderson .Paak and Feid to Kamasi Washington, Offset and Ty Dolla $ign. BLXST traverses genre with the ease of a veteran artist.
ā Also out Friday Austin artist BLK ODYSSYās latest, ā1-800 FANTASY.ā The eclectic release veers across his chosen genres: R&B, hip-hop, funk, neo-soul, and jazz ā without ever sacrificing his earworm hooks. Start with the breakup banger āChanges.ā
ā AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SERIES TO STREAM
ā Kerry Washingtonās comedy āUnPrisonedā returns for a second season Wednesday on Hulu. She plays Paige, a single mom raising a teenage son who is thrown a curveball when her dad (played by Delroy Lindo) moves in after heās released from prison. Paige works as a therapist but has personal issues of her own to work through, including fears of abandonment. The series was created by writer Terry McMillan, who tapped into her own experience growing up in the foster care system because her own father was incarcerated.
ā There's a catchphrase where people share random points in time or moments in pop culture that they think about often and describe it as their Roman Empire. By those standards, director Roland Emmerich's Roman Empire is... the Roman Empire. Known for big budget disaster flicks like āIndependence Dayā and āGodzilla,ā Emmerich's first foray into television is a topic that he says has long intrigued him, the Roman Empire. āThose About to Dieā is a gladiator series set in ancient Rome during the Flavian era. The cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Iwan Rheon, Dimitri Leonidas, Jojo Macari and Tom Hughes. All 10 episodes stream Thursday on Peacock.
ā Part 1 of the sixth and final season of āCobra Kaiā launches Thursday on Netflix. Taking place decades after the first āKarate Kidā movie, the series follows Ralph Macchio and William Zabka's characters Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. It's taken years, but they're finally on the same side of the Cobra Kai dojo as senseis who teach teens karate. They also have a common enemy in John Kreese's Martin Kove. The show artfully weaves characters from the original movies into its storylines. Co-creator Jon Hurwitz calls it the Miyagiverse.
ā Natalie Portman stars in her first TV series in āLady in the Lakeā for Apple TV+. The show is based on a book by Laura Lippman. Set in 1960s Baltimore, Portman plays a bored housewife and mother whose obsession with two local murders prompts her to leave her family to become an investigative journalist. Moses Ingram ("The Queen's Gambit) also co-stars with Y'lan Noel of āInsecure.ā āLady in the Lakeā debuts Friday.
ā Alicia Rancilio
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
ā Itās been more than a decade since weāve been able to enjoy college football on a video game console, and a lot has changed. For starters, the real-life amateurs can now make a few bucks. Thatās good news for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, the cover models for EA Sports College Football 25. The long-awaited reboot lets you play as a coach, building a team from scratch, or as a player, fighting your way to the Heisman Trophy. Or you can just go back to your old school ā 134 are represented ā and enjoy all the atmosphere, fight songs and mascots you expect on an autumn Saturday. The season kicks off Friday on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.
ā Capcomās Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an intriguing experiment from the company known for blockbusters like Resident Evil. It takes place on a mountain ruled by a mystical maiden, but itās under attack from evil forces called the Seethe. During the day, your job is to rescue villagers who have been possessed by demons. After sunset, you and the villagers join forces to protect the maiden from defilement by the Seethe. The result is a curious blend of the real-time strategy and tower defense genres, with lush graphics inspired by Japanese folklore. The fight begins Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.
ā Lou Kesten
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A previous verison of this story incorrectly refers to āJohn Cleeseās Martin Koveā in the streaming show āCobra Kaiā and has been corrected to āJohn Kreeseās Martin Kove.ā