By The Associated Press undefined
“Jurassic World Rebirth” roaring and snarling on Peacock and Florence + the Machine’s latest Halloween-ready album, “Everybody Scream,” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” one of the most exciting debuts of the year, landing on HBO Max, the nine-member Japanese boy band &TEAM releasing their debut Korean album and comedian Rachel Sennott’s new Gen Z comedy “I Love LA” pops up on HBO.
New movies to stream from Oct. 27-Nov. 2
— Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” one of the most exciting debuts of the year, comes to HBO Max on Thursday. Victor wrote, directed and stars as Agnes, a graduate student in a quaint New England town, who is assaulted by her professor. But the film, which unfolds across five chapters, one being “the year with the bad thing,” is less about the incident and more about life after. In his review for The Associated Press, film writer Jake Coyle wrote, “In this remarkably fully formed debut, the moments that matter are the funny and tender ones that persist amid crueler experiences. … Just as Agnes is sarcastically and self-deprecatingly resistant to convention, Victor’s film sidesteps the definitions that usually accompany such a story.”
— Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss are brilliant in Nia DaCosta’s fiery, sensuous reimagining of the classic Henrik Ibsen drama “Hedda,” which is streaming on Prime Video on Wednesday. The film transports the “catastrophically bored” housewife to 1950s England where Hedda (Thomson) manipulates and schemes over the course of a lavish party at her country estate. DaCosta makes the story her own, seamlessly blending race, gender and queerness into the drama. In my review, I called it a “deliriously fun, intelligent and impassioned spin” on a familiar tale that requires no previous Ibsen knowledge.
— Colin Farrell plays a high-stakes gambler running away from his past in Macao in “Ballad of a Small Player,” streaming on Netflix on Wednesday. The film, a stylish neo-noir from “Conclave” director Edward Berger, received mixed reviews.
— “Jurassic World Rebirth” also makes its Peacock debut on Oct. 30. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy wrote that this installment, directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, proves there’s “still life in this old dino series” adding that “it captures the awe and majesty of the overgrown lizards that’s been lacking for so many of the movies.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
New music to stream from Oct. 27-Nov. 2
— Leading up to Florence + the Machine’s latest album, “Everybody Scream,” out on Halloween, frontwoman Florence Welch suffered the effects of an ectopic pregnancy onstage. A fallopian tube then ruptured and she nearly died. It’s a harrowing story, one that no doubt lends itself to the thematic horrors that abound on the band’s record. The title is appropriate. But for all the tragedy, there are pleasures across the release. Consider a song like “One of the Greats,” a fierce indictment of double standards that also happens to be quite funny. “It must be nice to be a man and make borin’ music just because you can,” she sings. “Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan / You’re my second favorite frontman.”
— The nine-member Japanese boy band &TEAM will release their debut Korean album, “Back to Life,” via HYBE Japan and YX LABELS on Tuesday. It’s a big step for the group whose members first turned heads on the South Korean survival show “I-Land” (the same that launched the popular boy band ENHYPHEN) and the Japanese program “&Audition — The Howling.” Their multi-genre, multilingual approach to pop is sure to earn them new fans.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from Oct. 27-Nov. 2
— Adapting novels by Mick Herron has worked out for Apple TV with its acclaimed series “Slow Horses.” Now, they’ve got “Down Cemetery Road,” also from Herron’s catalog. It stars Emma Thompson as a brazen, brash detective and Ruth Wilson as her unlikely Girl Friday. The first two episodes premiere Wednesday.
— A new “Robin Hood” reimagining on MGM+ is described as “a romance adventure.” It stars Jack Patten and Lauren McQueen as Robin (he goes by Rob) and Marian, who fight corruption together. Sean Bean plays the main antagonist, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The 10-episode series debuts Sunday, Nov. 2.
— HBO loves a comedy about friendships and hopes it has found a Gen Z answer to fill the millennial void left by”Insecure” and “Girls.” Actor and comedian Rachel Sennott created and stars in a new Gen Z comedy “I Love LA” about a budding talent manager in Hollywood, and her friend group (featuring Josh Hutcherson as her boyfriend). It also makes its debut Sunday, Nov. 2.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from Oct. 27-Nov. 2
— In the galaxy of The Outer Worlds 2, three factions are battling for dominance: the hypercapitalist Auntie’s Choice, the authoritarian Protectorate and the quasi-religious Order of the Ascendant. If none of those sounds particularly appealing, that’s kind of the point. In order to accomplish your mission, you’ll find yourself trying to meet the sometimes preposterous demands of one faction without aggravating the other two. Developer Obsidian Entertainment brings a sarcastic edge to your usual space opera, hoping to leave you laughing while you’re hunting down radioactive mutants or malfunctioning robots. The studio has an impressive track record of role-playing games like Pillars of Eternity and Avowed, so if you’re hungry for that sort of action with rockets and lasers, prepare for liftoff Wednesday on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.
— Lou Kesten