What to stream: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Morris Chestnut, ‘The Wild Robot’ and ‘The Night Agent’
What to stream: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Morris Chestnut, ‘The Wild Robot’ and ‘The Night Agent’
A medical procedural that is mixed with tales of Sherlock Holmes on CBS’ “Watson” and Zoë Kravitz’s stylish directorial debut “Blink Twice” are some of the new television, films, 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: The animated charmer “The Wild Robot” begins streaming on Peacock, the FBI thriller “The Night Agent” returns for more adventures and recent Grammy-nominee Jordan Adetunji has a new mixtape, “A Jaguar’s Dream”
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM JAN. 20-26
— The animated charmer “The Wild Robot” begins streaming on Peacock on Jan. 24. Writer-director Chris Sanders adapted Peter Brown’s middle grade novel about a smart robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who gets stranded in the wild, and becomes caretaker for a young gosling. In his review for the Associated Press, critic Mark Kennedy wrote that it is an “absolute movie triumph, a soulful sweet-sad animated journey that may have your kids asking why you’re tearing up so much.” He also noted the striking visuals, “a textured world that is almost painterly. You can see snowflakes settle on mottled fur, moss on rocks, individual leaves in a den.” It’s a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.
— Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut “Blink Twice” will be free for Prime Video subscribers starting Jan. 21. Channing Tatum plays a tech mogul who flies cocktail waitress Friday (Naomi Ackie) out to a private island where strange things start happening. The AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it a “stylish, ambitious, buzzy film that seems to aspire to be a gender-themed ‘Get Out,’ or a #MeToo-era thriller with echoes of ‘Promising Young Woman.’” Kravitz, she added, “almost pulls it off.”
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a New York writer who accidentally overhears her loving husband’s (Tobias Menzies) brutally honest assessment of her new book in “You Hurt My Feelings,” which comes to Netflix on Jan. 26. It’s one of several comedic dramas that play out in the film, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, which co-stars Michaela Watkins as her sister, Jeannie Berlin as her mother and Arian Moayed of “Succession” as her brother-in-law. In his review, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that, “for Holofcener, something as commonplace as little white lies between a married couple is just as fertile territory as, say, time travel is to Christopher Nolan. To her, such a minefield of insecurity is a playground. And in “You Hurt My Feelings,” it’s glorious — albeit in a profoundly awkward way that can be mortifying — to watch her at play.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM JAN. 20-26
— Recent Grammy-nominee Jordan Adetunji is best known for the viral “Kehlani,” an ode to the bright alt-R&B star. She later hopped on a remix, perhaps eclipsing the original but certainly putting the world on to Adetunji’s charms, which weave hip-hop and hyperpop, R&B and Afrobeats. The Belfast, Northern Ireland-based artist’s new mixtape, “A Jaguar’s Dream” expands on the initial excitement. These are transformative songs about love and lust.
— Rapper Central Cee has become a figurehead in the London scene that pulls from the Chicago-bred musical style, and, as Vogue put it, “may very well be the first British rapper in history to clock up more than one billion streams.” He’s landed features with 21 Savage, J Cole, Ice Spice and Lil Baby, delivering tight raps in his unmistakable accent. And on Friday, he will release his debut album, “Can’t Rush Greatness” – just in time for the rest of the world to get on board.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM JAN. 20-26
— The math doesn’t add up in global conspiracy thriller “Prime Target,” when strange things start happening to Cambridge university student Edward Brooks, played by “One Day”’s Leo Woodall. Quintessa Swindell’s NSA agent soon calculates that something is wrong and together they go on the run in this new Apple TV+ eight-episode mini-series from former math teacher Steve Thompson. “Prime Target” premieres on Wednesday on Apple TV+.
— By Hilary Fox
— “The Night Agent,” based on a novel by Matthew Quirk, was a surprise hit when it debuted on Netflix in 2023. The story — about a young FBI agent (Gabriel Basso) who discovers there’s a mole in the U.S. government immediately captivated viewers. The show returns for its second season Thursday. Filming is underway for a third season, too.
— By Alicia Rancilio
— Two TV favorites get blended when “Watson” debuts on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 26: A medical drama and Sherlock Holmes. Morris Chestnut stars in the modern-day procedural, which follows Dr. Watson after the death of his crime-solving partner as he shifts focus to medical mysteries. He is head of a clinic treating rare disorders so every week there is a new case along with the series-long fallout from Holmes’ death. Fans of both Sherlock and “House” will say: “The game’s afoot!”
— By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— It’s 2222 in Bandai Namco’s Synduality: Echo of Ada, and what’s left of humanity has been driven underground by toxic rain and the nasty creatures it has spawned. The good news? You get to tool around on the surface in a big ol’ mech — here called a “CradleCoffin” — while you collect resources and blast the mutants. Still, you’re not the only player on the planet, and you’ll have to decide whether to team up with competing mechs or try to gun them down. If you’ve always dreamed of building and riding around in your own giant robot, you can start tinkering Friday, Jan. 24, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
By The Associated Press
