Olivia Rodrigo鈥檚 and LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series 鈥淭he Changeling鈥� are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you
Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press鈥� are Disney's live-action remake of 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥� starring Halle Bailey, the video game NBA 2K24 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and the popular comfort show 鈥淰irgin River鈥� returns for its fifth season on Netflix.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
鈥� The latest Disney live-action remake, landed on Disney+ on Wednesday. Not everyone has been a fan of the studio鈥檚 regular retreads of animation classics. But they鈥檝e been dependable box-office successes; earlier this year, 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥� grossed $568.6 million worldwide. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called this 鈥淢ermaid鈥� 鈥渁 somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence鈥� that 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 really sing.鈥� But one element of Rob Marshall鈥檚 film has been more widely hailed: the breakthrough performance of Halle Bailey as Ariel.
鈥� goes the other way, taking a usually live-action franchise into animation. (The first Ninja Turtles movie, in 1990, came out a year before the original 鈥淟ittle Mermaid鈥�; one born in ooze, the other the sea.) The track record of the films that have followed has been pretty poor. But 鈥淢utant Mayhem,鈥� director Jeff Rowe (co-director of ) and co-written by co-producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is a vibrant, hip-hop spin for the turtles. In , which is available now on video-on-demand, I praised it for some good gags and clever innovations but 鈥渙ne brilliant idea: casting Ice Cube as the voice of the movie鈥檚 mutant insect supervillain Super Fly.鈥�
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NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
鈥� Olivia Rodrigo breathed new life into the angsty power ballad when she dropped back in January 2021, the lead single on her debut LP, 鈥淪OUR.鈥� One-hit wonder she was not: then came the fiery power pop-punk of 鈥淕ood 4 U鈥� and 鈥淏rutal." In 2023, her highly anticipated sophomore release, builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame 鈥� and her early 20s. The first two tracks released from the album 鈥� the blood-sucking piano ballad and cheeky backslide anthem 鈥� are miles away from each other and undeniable partners; the perfect tease for a punk-y album unafraid of taking dynamic swings. ( .)
鈥� The K-pop behemoth BTS aren鈥檛 active as a group right now; it鈥檚 seven members are taking turns fulfilling South Korea鈥檚 mandatory military service ( and have enlisted; Suga has ). In that absence, the remaining members have taken turns releasing solo material. It鈥檚 a bit of brilliant business and fan service: Can you miss a boy band that never really went away? The latest to charm the public with his singular star power is V, on his forthcoming solo release, 鈥淟ayover.鈥� His rich baritone slides over the retro R&B production of his mournful bilingual singles 鈥淟ove Me Again鈥� and 鈥淩ainy Days.鈥� ( .)
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NEW SERIES TO STREAM
鈥� A new series on PBS demonstrates how animals are adapting to climate change in surprising and even inspiring ways. shows animal migration and behavior changes in response to our changing planet. Like the Edith鈥檚 Checkerspot, a butterfly that is thriving at higher elevations, moving away from the heat. The five-part series is narrated by evolutionary biologist Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton.
鈥� The popular comfort show returns for its fifth season on Netflix. Starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the series follows residents of a small, fictional town in northern California where neighbors help neighbors and the one bar in town also has a gourmet chef. Yes, there鈥檚 drama but life seems easier in Virgin River. The first 10 episodes debuted Thursday with two additional holiday episodes dropping in November.
鈥� LaKeith Stanfield (鈥淛udas and the Black Messiah鈥�, 鈥淗aunted Mansion鈥�) executive produces and stars in for Apple TV+. The eight-part horror fantasy series is based on a best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle. Stanfield plays Apollo, a rare book dealer in New York whose marriage to a librarian named Emma takes a shocking turn after they welcome a son. The show is a dark mystery that delves into heavy themes including past trauma and parenting fears while also exposing how difficult it is to navigate those things in today鈥檚 technology-driven world. The first three episodes of 鈥淭he Changeling鈥� drop Friday.
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NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
鈥� It鈥檚 2330, and humanity has finally ditched this planet and ventured out beyond the Solar System. In Bethesda Game Studios鈥� , you鈥檙e a new recruit to Constellation, a band of explorers searching for rare artifacts. It鈥檚 a huge project, with more than 1,000 planets to visit 鈥� some civilized and friendly, others not so much. Against that sprawling background, the developers are promising a vast array of choices, from what your character and spaceship look like to how you want to deal with the various factions spread across the galaxy. Here on Earth in 2023, Microsoft and Bethesda have a lot riding on Starfield: It鈥檚 the most ambitious Xbox game of the year, and it鈥檚 the first new universe from the studio since it launched The Elder Scrolls in 1994. Liftoff commenced Wednesday on Xbox X/S and PC.
鈥� The real NBA season is still a month and a half away, but 2K Sports knows that virtual basketball fans are itching to get back on the court. pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with 鈥淢amba Moments,鈥� which let you relive some of the most dramatic games of his career. This year鈥檚 edition also introduces 鈥淧roPlay,鈥� which translates actual NBA footage into gameplay. And 2K says it has revamped and upgraded its offensive moves, delivering tighter control over layups, dunks and even dribbling. Tipoff is Friday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.
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This story first moved on Sept. 4, 2023, and was updated on Sept. 8, 2023 to correct the title of the video game NBA 2K24.
The Associated Press
