Here’s a roundup of picks from AP entertainment reporters about what’s on TV, streaming services, and music and video game platforms this week.
Movie
— “Cocaine Bear” The technical inspiration comes from a true story — a 1985 plane crash that scattered an estimated $2 million worth of cocaine on a Georgia hillside and killed a 175-pound black bear from an overdose. However, the movie is pure fantasy of what would happen if the bear went on a Coke-drinking rampage instead of dying. After a wild trailer went viral, the Elizabeth Banks-directed R-rated flick starring Kelly Russell and O’Shea Jackson Jr. has audiences divided. Some people think it’s B-movie fun, Others are lukewarm with excess. Beginning Friday, April 14, you can access it at home via Peacock and decide for yourself.
— Directed and starring Katie Holmes “Rare Items” Based on the novel by Kathleen Tessaro, it tells the story of a woman with a traumatic past as she tries to rebuild her life starting with a new job in a New York antique shop. Holmes has been working on the film since 2016, and her adaptation moves the story from its Depression-era Boston origins to contemporary New York. In an interview with Variety, Holmes said she was drawn to “female friendship and the ‘you’re more beautiful because you’re broken’ trope.” The film opens in theaters and on demand on Friday, April 14.
– also on request on Tuesday “linoleum,” A sci-fi drama starring Jim Gaffigan, a children’s TV host who dreams of becoming an astronaut. The film, which premiered last year at South by Southwest to critical acclaim, turned into fantasy when a satellite landed in his backyard and he began trying to build it into his own rocket. Rhea Seehorn co-stars.
— Associated Press film writer Lindsay Barr
music
— Let’s call this week a Metallica week.thursday the hard rock band has Listening parties in cinemas around the world Their upcoming 12th studio album “72 Seasons”. The one-night event will feature new music in surround sound, complete with music videos and exclusive commentary from the band. The album was released on vinyl, CD and digital the next day, their first collection of new material since 2016’s “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.”early singletons included “Screaming Suicide” and “Lux Etna,” James Hetfield sings “Full Speed or Nothing.”
— Natalie Merchant returns with lush, gorgeous new horn music on “Keep Your Courage,” her first collection of new material in nearly 10 years. Produced by the former frontman of 10,000 Maniacs, Celtic folk group Lúnasa, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, jazz trombonist Steve Davis and vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis add joy and warmth to the album. “Come on, Aphrodite.” “In a big way, it’s an album about the heart. I think the pandemic has been a great time of loneliness and longing,” Merchant said. “I crave and enjoy relationships; it’s the only thing that really matters.
— Associated Press Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
television
— Half an hour of acclaimed comedy “Drunk Single” Freeform returns for a second season. Executive produced by Jenni Konner (“Girls”), it stars Sofia Black-D’Elia as a 20-something magazine writer named Samantha who gets drunk (multiple times) in a pub at the start of season one She was sent to work in rehab and ended up beating her boss because he tried to fire her. Samantha moves home to build a community and a new life for herself, even if it’s a life she never imagined. In the second season, Samantha is confident and ready to expand her horizons through independence, such as finding her own place and romance. The second season of “Single Drunk” premieres Wednesday, and the full season hits Hulu on Thursday.
– four months later Survived a serious snowplow accident in NevadaJeremy Renner’s four-part series “Reactivate” debuts Wednesday on Disney+. The two-time Oscar nominee, who played Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will repurpose and refurbish the vehicles to help the local community. Examples include making water treatment facilities out of delivery trucks and converting tour buses into mobile music studios. He was assisted by celebrity friends, including Marvel stars Anthony Mackie and Vanessa Hudgens. Renner is so passionate about “Rennervations,” he plans to walk the red carpet for the show’s premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
— It’s never too early to teach kids to protect the planet, and Apple TV+ is coming soon to a show called “simple” designed to do just that. “Jane” aims to introduce children to the ideals and work of primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. A mix of live action and CGI, the series stars Ava Louise Murchison as 9-year-old Jane Garcia, who is passionate about protecting the environment and saving endangered animals. Using her creativity and imagination, Jane takes her best friend David and a chimpanzee named Greybeard on an adventure around the globe to help save wildlife. “Jane” will have its world premiere on the streaming service on Friday, April 14.
— Alicia Rancirio
video games
— The 1982 film “Tron” wasn’t a huge success, but it seemed like everyone who saw it became a computer game designer. One such follower is Mike Bithell, creator of the award-winning indie games Thomas Was Alone and Subsurface Circular.His Bithell Games studio is behind TRON: Identity, an all-new cyberpunk adventure from Disney. In an abandoned area of the grid that develops in strange ways, your character is a “detective program” named Query who investigates break-ins and robberies. It’s a dialogue-driven mystery to be solved through defragmentation puzzles, and its neon exterior is sure to appeal to anyone who grew up on PC games from the 1980s and 90s. Plug Tuesday on Nintendo Switch and PC.
— Luxten
Games Movies & TV Pops