George Clooney playing a dashing movie star with agonizing middle-age regrets in “Jay Kelly” and Zac Brown The band returning with fresh tunes are some of the new movies, movies, music and games. headed towards the device next to you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as chosen by The Associated Press. entertainment journalists: The latest Mission: Impossible film, Final Reckoning, begins streaming on Paramount+, Netflix offers the female-centered American western Abandoned, and Nintendo's Samus Aran returns with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
— George Clooney plays a spunky movie star with new, nagging midlife regrets in “Jay Kelly” (Netflix, Friday) Noah Baumbach a comic drama about fame and family. As Jay's youngest daughter (Grace Edwards) prepares for college, a trip to Europe turns into deeper self-reflection. Starring Adam Sandler as Jay's long-suffering manager and Laura Dern as his publicist. In my reviewMark Kennedy of the AP wrote that “reality and fiction intertwine beautifully in Baumbach's love letter to Hollywood.”
— The latest “Mission: Impossible” movie, “Final Reckoning,” will begin streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday. The adventures of Tom Cruise, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, close the chapter begun “Dead Reckoning, Part One”, 2023. Regardless of whether it's dead or complete, perhaps a wrap-up is in order for Ethan Hunt's eight-film franchise. In my review AP Film writer Lindsey Bahr wrote, “In a series that's often at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously, gritty events start to feel a little unintentionally silly.”
— Christmas movies are coming. One of the first to come out this year “Oh. What. Fun.” (Wednesday, Prime Video). Michelle Pfeiffer plays a matriarch who, after years of organizing all the seasonal festivities for her ungrateful family, goes missing. Michael Showalter directs a cast that includes Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary and Dominic Sessa.
— Zac Brown Band reflects on the ups and downs of life on her new album 'Love' & Fear,” released Friday. Some of the singles released so far include “I Ain't Worried About It” in the style of Jimmy Buffett, “Let him go” with Snoop Dogg, sweet ballad “Butterfly” with Dolly Parton” and the party anthem “Give It Away.” Perhaps the best of the bunch is “Hard Run” featuring Marcus King, which starts quietly with a piercing sound, moves into harmonies and a bit of funk, adds a touch of Broadway and then some rousing guitar work. The band made a splash with the album's release date, performing at the Sphere in Las Vegas and opening several nights there in December and January.
– If you adored Nick Cave & Bad Seeds There's good news with his latest album, “Wild God,” as the alt-rock legend and his formidable band are releasing “Live God,” which includes live cuts from the album as well as catalog favorites like “From Her to Eternity,” “Papa Won't Leave You, Henry” and “Into My Arms.” And if you just can't get enough of Nick Cave, there's more: The Royal Danish Library has posted “Stranger Than Kindness: A Nick Cave Exhibition” online, allowing fans to explore 300 items Cave has collected or created over his career.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
— “Abandoned” A new American Western series with women at the center of the story is coming to Netflix. Set in the 1850s, Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey as two widowed women who are the heads of their family and fight for land. The man behind this is Kurt Sutter, the creator of Sons of Anarchy. Nick Robinson and Ashling Franciosi also star. It debuts Thursday.
— On Friday, Starz will release a new series “Spartacus” called “Spartacus: House of Ashura.” Nick E. Tarabay reprises his role as Ashur from Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: Revenge, which explores what might have happened if the character had survived the events of Revenge rather than being killed. This series also features a woman in a powerful role. Tenika Davis plays a female gladiator.
— Fans of Nintendo's Samus Aran have been waiting for the cosmic bounty hunter to return to the 3D world of Metroid Prime. Finally, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond here, but it remains to be seen whether the years spent in limbo have made Samus stronger. She has landed on a jungle planet filled with hostile wildlife and is being pursued by yet another bounty hunter. In addition to her usual high-tech arsenal, Samus has gained some psychic abilities, not to mention an evil motorcycle. Can this highly anticipated sequel live up to its beloved predecessors? Find out Thursday on Switch and Switch 2.
