The final, cringeworthy season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a documentary on Run-D.M.C. 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 Press’ entertainment journalists: Donald Glover starring as a spy in the new TV series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and a documentary about the making of the charity megahit “We Are the World.”
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— Regardless of whether you think the 1985 charity anthem “We Are the World” is great or not, the making of it is fascinating. Director Bao Nguyen got access to never-before-seen footage and new interviews with Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper to help tell the story of how famous musicians, including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, got together one night for a marathon recording session. Nguyen told the AP in a recent interview that “The Greatest Night In Pop” humanizes “some of these icons that we’ve sort of idolized over many generations.” It’ll be on Netflix on Monday.
— So Greta Gerwig didn’t get a best director nomination this week, but the good news is that the Criterion Channel has a new series starting Thursday about some of the “Lady Bird” and “Barbie” director’s favorite films. Gerwig’s “adventures in moviegoing” includes David Lean’s “Brief Encounter,” Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “The Red Shoes,” Max Ophüls’ “The Earrings of Madame de…” and Claire Denis’ “Beau travail.” The channel also has a series on “Interdimensional Romance” with films like “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Wings of Desire,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and both versions of “Solaris.”
— And for those who were curious about “Dicks: The Musical,” but not enough to bite the bullet on a movie ticket, it will be streaming on Max starting Friday, Feb. 2. In an article about the movie out of the Toronto Film Festival, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that this “Dadaist riff on ‘The Parent Trap’ … may be the most demented riff on a familiar story yet. The film … has been called the most gonzo movie of the year. It’s lewd, ridiculous and surreal. Hanna-Barbera was an inspiration.” Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson star alongside Bowen Yang as God, Megan Thee Stallion, Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Clash, Beastie Boys — what do these legendary artists have in common? They owe much to Lee “Scratch” Perry, a pioneer of the dub music scene celebrated as one of reggae’s founding fathers. Perry (real name Rainford Hugh Perry) died in 2021 — but during the pandemic, he worked on new music material, which will be posthumously released in his final album, “King Perry,” out Friday, Feb 2. It features guest performances from Greentea Peng, Shaun Ryder, Tricky, Marta, Rose Waite and Fifi Rong. The final track, appropriately titled “Goodbye,” is Perry’s final vocal recording — an ambitious and celebratory song that features Perry repeating his farewell over and over again. It’s a fitting coda, and still an experiment, bringing his reggae into synth wave, drum’n’bass, big beat, and electronica. Even in death, Perry is looking towards the future.
— When you’re done streaming “The Greatest Night in Pop” (see above), stay in the musical mid-’80s with “Kings from Queens: The RUN DMC Story.” This Peacock original documentary offers a close look at the early days of Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell’s revolutionary group — finding inspiration in the streets, bringing hip-hop to the masses, and, in doing so, validating and legitimizing what will soon become the most popular style of music — and assisting in turning it into a billion-dollar business. Let’s face it, “It’s Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time,” is both an earworm for the ages — and some astute musical analysis.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM
— The new Amazon Prime Video series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is not your 2005 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Instead, Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star as two stranger spies who meet and are required to marry for their cover. The series was created by Glover and Francesca Sloane, who says she looked to reality TV like “Love is Blind” and “90 Day Fiancé” for inspiration. All eight episodes will be ready to binge on Friday, Feb. 2.
— “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fans are pretty pretty pretty disappointed because the show begins its final season on Sunday, Feb. 4, on HBO. The irreverent comedy stars Larry David as a fictionalized version of himself who lands in awkward situations at every turn. Recurring favorites Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, and J.B. Smoove will be back.
— A new Disney+ docuseries called “Choir” follows the Detroit Youth Choir — who first made a splash appearing on “America’s Got Talent” in 2019 — as members audition and prepare to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. All six episodes drop Wednesday.
— U.K. comedian Sir Lenny Henry used his own family history to create “Three Little Birds,” a BritBox series that follows three women moving from Jamaica to London in the 1950s. Henry says the show’s immigration story is universally relatable because all immigrants understand that it’s difficult to start over and build a new life. “Three Little Birds” premieres Thursday.
— Past seasons of National Geographic’s “Genius” anthology series covered Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin. Season 4 focuses on two civil rights legends, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. “Genius: MLK/X” delves into each man’s formative years, rise to influence and differing philosophies. The first two episodes drop Thursday on National Geographic. It will also stream on Hulu and Disney+.
— Don’t worry, “Dateline” hosts, your jobs are safe. For now. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of “Jersey Shore” has entered the chat. He’s hosting “Statute of Limitations,” a new true crime show where everyday people who have committed nonviolent crimes tell their story. (Think: A thief who used a hot air balloon as a getaway vehicle.) What’s more, their statute of limitations has run out so they’re free and clear to talk. In 2019, Sorrentino served eight months in prison for lying on his taxes. “Statute of Limitations” will be available to stream beginning Thursday on platforms including Tubi, YouTube and The Roku Channel.
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— England’s Rocksteady Studios built its reputation on 2009’s dazzling Batman: Arkham Asylum. Alas, the developer is turning to the dark side of the DC Universe with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Rather than soloing as the Caped Crusader, you’re now invited to team up with friends as members of Task Force X: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark. What do they have against Superman, the Flash and their buddies? Well, Brainiac has brainwashed the superheroes and now it’s up to the supervillains to save Metropolis. You can expect guest appearances by the likes of Lex Luthor, the Penguin and the Riddler, and publisher Warner Bros. Games is promising a steady flow of downloadable scoundrels in the future. The brawling begins Friday, Feb. 2, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
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Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.
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