What to stream this weekend: Willie Nelson, Chip & Joanna Gaines, Jim Henson and Ben Platt
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The Stream - 3x2 Version for APNews
This combination of of photos shows promotional art for "Fixer Upper: The Lake House" debuting June 2 on Magnolia Network, left, "The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" two-night event airs June 1 and 2 on Lifetime, center, and "We Are Lady Parts" premiering May 30 on Peacock. (Magnolia Network/Lifetime/Peacock via AP)
Willie Nelson's 152nd album and Benedict Cumberbatch playing a curmudgeon puppeteer in āEricā on Netflix are some of the new television, movies, 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: George Clooneyās sports drama āThe Boys in the Boat,ā the British musical comedy āWe Are Lady Partsā returns for a second season and home improvement gurus Chip and Joanna Gaines fix up a mid-century modern lake house on HGTV.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
ā Jim Henson died in 1990 at the age of 53 but his Muppet creations and their rambunctious spirit have long outlived him. Ron Howardās āJim Henson Idea Manā (Now on Disney+) is an attempt to document the life and imagination behind one of the most beloved entertainers. Howard made the film with the involvement of the Henson family and use of its extensive archive. ( Read AP's review.)
ā George Clooneyās āThe Boys in the Boatā (Now on Prime Video) is an almost daringly old-fashioned sports drama that makes āSeabiscuitā look comparatively cutting edge. It tells the true-life tale of the University of Washington rowing team who in 1936 reached the Olympics in Berlin. In her review, AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck wrote that āClooney has gone for stirring and a bit stodgy, pleasing and a bit predictable.ā
ā In the Nordic Western āThe Promised Landā (Now on Hulu), the frontier is Denmarkās remote Jutland heath, where a retired army captain (Mads Mikkelsen) travels with royal permission to cultivate a farm in 1755. His adventures, a loosely true history adapted from Ida Jessenās 2020 bestseller āThe Captain and Ann Barbara,ā give Mikkelsen a sweeping backdrop for his magnetic presence.
ā āThe Border,ā Willie Nelsonās 152nd album ā you read that correctly, at least, according to Texas Monthly ā arrives Friday. Across the release, Nelson offers idiosyncratic interpretations of compositions from country songwriting greats: Mike Reid (āNobody Knows Me Like Youā), Rodney Crowell with Will Jennings (āMany a Long and Lonesome Highwayā), and Larry Cordle with Erin Enderlin (āI Wrote This Song for Youā) among them. The title track, āThe Borderā is another reimagination of Crowell, a track from his 2019 album āTexas.ā Itās a love letter to the Lone Star state, the kind Nelson knows better than anyone else. ( Read AP's review. )
ā It wasnāt so long ago that every conversation about the K-pop girl group aespa focused on their digital avatars. The quartet are actually an octet, if their AI counterparts are to be counted ā an inventive exercise in transmedia storytelling to match their forward-thinking pop sound. But that was then. Now the group is preparing to release their debut full-length studio album, āArmageddon.ā Lead single āSupernovaā samples Afrika Bambaataa ās āPlanet Rockā from 1982 and brings their electronic experiments even further into the future.
ā Grammy-, Tony- and Emmy-winner Ben Platt brings his Broadway-sized pop to a third studio album, āHoneymind.ā Itās a cheery pop-rock record (produced by Dave Cobb, known for his work with country greats Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile and most recently, Zayn Malik), deeply informed by his own love story and Peter Gabriel melodies. Itās an ideal record for musical theater fans looking for a different change of pace.
ā And now for something completely different: On Friday, BMG Records released āPepito y Paquito,ā the earliest collection of recorded material from flamenco legends Paco de LucĆa and Pepe de LucĆa ā restored partially by using AI technology ā originally captured when they were 11 and 13 years old, respectively. (Before working under their own names, they were known as āPepito y Paquito.ā) Thereās a lot to love here, but begin with āMe Falta La Resistencia,ā the boysā adaptation of the La Repompa de MĆ”laga tango.
ā Itās 1980s New York in the new Netflix series āEricā and Benedict Cumberbatch plays a curmudgeon puppeteer named Vincent with a crumbling marriage. When Vincentās son Edgar goes missing, he becomes obsessed with finishing a puppet that the boy was drawing, convinced its key to bringing him home. āEricā premiered Thursday on Netflix.
ā Peacockās acclaimed British musical comedy āWe Are Lady Partsā returns for a second season. It follows the members of a female all-Muslim rock band in London. The new episodes pick up after a time jump. Lady Parts now has fans, a rival music group to compete with, and theyāre gearing up to release a full album. Activist Malala Yousafzai makes a guest appearance in the new episodes.
ā A new Lifetime docuseries called āThe Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpsonā shares details of her life before she and Ron Goldman were murdered outside her home, thirty years ago on June 12, 1994. Her ex-husband, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of their murders after a lengthy trial that aired live on TV. Simpson, who died in April from cancer, always maintained his innocence. The two-part docuseries premieres Saturday and Sunday on Lifetime and will stream on mylifetime.com. Both parts will also be available for purchase on VOD platforms.
ā Chip and Joanna Gaines get a taste of #lakelife with their latest project filmed for TV. Theyāre fixing up a mid-century modern lake house near Lake Waco, just in time for the 10-year anniversary of āFixer Upperā on HGTV. āFixer Upper: The Lakehouseā premieres Sunday on the Magnolia Network and HGTV. It will also stream same day on Max and Discovery+.
ā For 25 years, Super Smash Bros. has owned its self-created category ā goofy, family-friendly, multiplayer brawling ā because none of Nintendoās competitors have its deep bench of characters. Warner Bros. Games could mount a serious challenge, though, with MultiVersus. Why not team up Wonder Woman and Jason Voorhees vs. Bugs Bunny and Steven Universe? And have them fight it out in the Batcave or the throne room from āGame of Thronesā? And itās free-to-play, although WB hopes youāll spend cash on season passes and cosmetic upgrades. The initial roster has a couple dozen fighters, and who knows how far WB will dig into its massive film library? Dirty Harry and The Exorcist go toe-to-toe in Casablanca? Battle on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox Series X/S/One and PC.
