Colman Domingo's incredible performance in the civil rights biopic “Rustin” and Dolly Parton's rock music album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are a series where Godzilla, King Kong and other monsters are real, the fifth Persona video game and return of “The Crown.”
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— A powerhouse performance by Colman Domingo fuels the Netflix drama “Rustin,” streaming Friday, about the civil rights pioneer and March on Washington architect Bayard Rustin. The film, directed by George C. Wolfe, chronicles the run-up to the indelible 1963 march where Rev. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. “Rustin,” the first narrative feature from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, is a portrait of grassroots activism and of the often under-sung Rustin, an openly gay man combating injustice on numerous fronts. In his review, the AP’s Mark Kennedy praised Domingo’s “debonair, frisky, droll, passionate and utterly captivating” performance.
— The shorts by the “Saturday Night Live” trio Please Don’t Destroy – Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy – have for several years been a highlight on the NBC sketch show. In “Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” they, like “SNL” standouts before them, get their first feature-film shot. In the film, directed by Paul Briganti and produced by Judd Apatow, the trio embark on a ludicrous adventure that nevertheless preserves their relaxed surrealism. “SNL” castmate Bowen Yang drops in, too, though it's Conan O'Brien who nearly steals the show as Marshall's disapproving father. Streaming Friday on Peacock.
— November is the month for noir on the Criterion Channel (which is hosting a series of favorites) and on TCM, which will marathon classics like “Detour” (1945) and “The Narrow Margin” (1952) on Friday. But also seek out the Criterion Channel's “Women of the West” series, streaming this month. The western may be a predominantly male genre, but some of the best ever made are centered on strong frontier women who back down from no one. Among them here are Marlene Dietrich ("Rancho Notorious") and Barbara Stanwyck ("Forty Guns," “The Fluries”), but nothing beats Nicholas Ray's 1954 Technicolor masterpiece “Johnny Guitar." Joan Crawford as saloon owner Vivienne remains one of the most raging, smoldering performances you'll ever seen.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM— Last year, Dolly Parton politely asked to be removed from consideration for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. She thought that as a country musician, not a rock ‘n’ roll one, she didn’t deserve the honor. Of course, her musical legacy is undeniable, and they brought her in anyway. The move inspired “Rockstar,” her first release in the rock genre. Out Friday, it is 30-tracks of star-studded covers, from “Let It Be” with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to “What’s Up?” with Linda Perry and Lizzo lending her flute-chops to “Stairway to Heaven.” There are also nine originals, written across the last few decades. Now, surely only Parton herself would doubt that she’s earned a spot in the Hall and then some — but the fact that it produced a leather-clad, anthemic, barn-burnin’ record? That’s gold.
— Danny Brown is one of the most inventive, at times, absurdist contemporary rappers in the game — so when he releases a new full-length record, there’s no telling which direction he’s moving in. “Quaranta,” named after the Italian word for “40” — though it certainly sounds similar to a less attractive “qu-“ word in “quarantine” — is Brown’s sixth solo studio album, a highly-anticipated follow-up to 2019’s “Uknowhatimsayin¿” via Warp Records. He considers it a “spiritual sequel” to “XXX,” his 2011 break out album. On “Quaranta,” the lead single “Tantor” teeters is skonk-y avant-rap, a track that plays like an unearthed recording captured decades in some techno-future. He’s called the album his more personal to date, written and recorded before long stint in rehab. "It was almost like, if I died, this is what I have to say,” he told Rolling Stone.
— Twenty years ago, a mall goth battle cry rung out across the world: “Bring Me to Life,” the lead single from nu-metal alt-rock band Evanescence’s debut album “Fallen” connected with an apathetic audience searching for dooming catharsis – frontwoman Amy Lee’s airy soprano challenged traditional images of the genre. Then, of course, were the other Myspace-ready records on “Fallen”: “My Immortal,” “Everybody’s Fool,” and “Going Under.” Now, two decades removed, “Fallen” is getting a remastered release — and it sounds as immediate as ever.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SERIES TO STREAM— Season 21 of “NCIS” is delayed due to the actors’ strike but fans can get their fix with the franchise’s first international spin-off, “NCIS: Sydney.” The CBS series, which debuted Tuesday, follows a task force of U.S. and Australian law enforcement investigating naval crimes in waters connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans known as Indo Pacific. Episodes will also stream on Paramount+.
— The new limited series “A Murder at the End of the World” has a “Knives Out” vibe but with Emma Corrin as the detective. When a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) hosts a retreat in a remote location and one of the guests ends up dead, Corrin’s character Darby launches an investigation. The show also stars Brit Marling, who co-created, wrote and directed the series with Zal Batmanglij. The first two episodes dropped Tuesday on FX on Hulu.
— The first half of the sixth and final season of “The Crown” returned to Netflix on Thursday. The episodes begin with Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) connecting with Dodi Fayad as Dominic West’s Prince Charles seeks the Queen’s (Imelda Staunton) blessing of his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.
— Swizz Beatz isn’t just a music producer, he’s also an avid car enthusiast and collector. In his new Hulu docuseries “Drive with Swizz Beatz”, Beatz and his son, Nasir Dean, travel to destinations near and far (such as Atlanta, Houston, Japan and Saudi Arabia) to experience their car culture and learn about what inspires, or drives, their communities. “Drive with Swizz Beatz” started its engines Thursday on Hulu.
— Sarah Lancashire returns as Julia Child for season two of the Max series “Julia.” In the new episodes, Julia and Paul (David Hyde Pierce) return to Boston from a sojourn in France and she’s ready to resume her popular cooking show, “The French Chef.” As Julia’s profile rises, the personal and professional demands on her increase too. “We need new content yesterday,” declares the station manager in a scene that seems very timely. Can this chef maintain her joie de vivre? The first three episodes dropped Thursday.
— Kurt and Wyatt Russell star in the new MonsterVerse series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” but the real-life father and son don’t have scenes together. That’s because they play the same character at different ages. Wyatt plays army officer Lee Shaw in the 1950s and Kurt steps in as the character in present day. The live-action series takes place in world where Godzilla, King Kong and other monsters are real, and a secret multi-government agency known as Monarch tracks and studies them. In the series, Monarch becomes threatened by Shaw’s monster knowledge. “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” premieres Friday on Apple TV+
— An eight-episode anime series inspired by the 2010 movie “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” arrives on Netflix on Friday. “ Scott Pilgrim Takes Off ” features the voices of the film cast including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson and Anna Kendrick.
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY— Atlus’ Persona 5 dazzled role-playing game fans back in 2016, and its characters are so beloved that they’ve branched out into three spinoffs. In the latest, Persona 5 Tactica, Joker, Morgana and the rest of the Phantom Thieves are summoned to an oppressive dystopia and tasked with leading an “emotional revolution.” As usual, our teenage heroes can fight with standard weaponry like swords and firearms — or they can conjure up mythical beasts to get the job done more quickly. Tactica takes P5’s flashy animation and puts it in colorful, 3D battle arenas, and it looks quite a bit more challenging than the flagship’s dancing spinoff. While we’re all waiting for Persona 6, it’s still nice to see the gang reunite, starting on Xbox X/S/One, PlayStation 5/4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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