By The Associated Press
Ava DuVernay’s stirringly humanistic adaptation of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” streaming on Hulu and actor Andrew McCarthy reconnecting with some of this fellow Brat Pack alum for the documentary “Brats” 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: “Dumb Money,” the entertaining romp through the GameStop stock frenzy, the new Peanuts series “Camp Snoopy” on Apple TV and an album from Paul McCartney & Wings lands 50 years after its initial recording.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— Ah, the Brat Pack. Generations of young stars have come and gone since that 1980s rush of fresh faces like Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez, but no crop has since been quite so defined in the public imagination. In “Brats,” debuting Thursday on Hulu, actor Andrew McCarthy sets out to reconnect with some of this fellow Brat Pack alum, including all those mentioned above. For them, it was a complicated and often unwanted label, though some have since come to terms with it.
— “Origin,” Ava DuVernay’s stirringly humanistic adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s bestseller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” begins streaming Monday on Hulu. In the film, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor stars as Wilkerson, portraying the author as she investigates historical and contemporary cases of caste systems while navigating personal relationships that put broad social constructs into an intimate context. “Origin” was too much overlooked during awards season and its January theatrical run despite enthusiastic reviews from critics. Those included AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr who called it “a powerful and artistic interpretation of an academic book that was anything but an obvious candidate for a narrative feature.”
— Another movie that failed to quite click with moviegoers in theaters but that’s deserving of another look is “Dumb Money,” Craig Gillespie’s entertaining romp through the GameStop stock frenzy. It may sound like another “Big Short”-esque riff on financial farce, and “Dumb Money” is sort of is that. But it’s a fun David vs. Goliath story with an energetic cast (including Paul Dano, America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, Pete Davidson and Nick Offerman) that does a surprisingly good job of nailing the pandemic year of 2021, its TikTok memes and a short-lived shift in Wall Street power dynamics. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote “the little guy — or at least the little guy with a few hundred bucks to sink into the stock market — gets a movie to cheer.”
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— On Friday, June 14, Paul McCartney & Wings will finally, officially release one of the most widely bootlegged albums of all time — 50 years after it was originally recorded — “One Hand Clapping.” Fans have long been familiar with the collection, recorded at Abbey Road as Wings filmed a documentary, but they’ve never heard this material straight from the source. McCartney fans, this one is for you.
— Normani, once one fifth of the American girl group Fifth Harmony, has long been set up to be a solo success story. Her 2019 single “Motivation” established the R&B-pop singer as a future icon, as Mesfin Fekadu described her in The Associated Press’ top 10 songs list of that year, for her masterful vocal performance atop the song’s brassy horns and earworm groove. Half a decade later, her debut solo album, “Dopamine” will arrive. Little is known about the release, but if her first singles are a tease of what’s to come — the sultry slow burn “1:59” featuring Gunna and the bouncy “Candy Paint” — it’s going to provide listeners with that sweet, happy chemical of the album’s title.
— Those with their ear to the ground in the urbano-Latin trap scene are already familiar with Puerto Rican singer Dei V and his many collaborations with megastars Karol G, Anuel AA, Ozuna, Bryant Myers, Myke Towers and others, but it is not too late to jump on board. On Friday, June 14, Dei V will release “Quien Es Dei V?”, his debut album, featuring the sexy single “Martini” and its shimmering production, and the R-rated “Clima.”
— The decline of the music industry in the early ’00s around the advent of digital piracy through peer-to-peer file sharing platforms like Limewire and Kazaa has been expertly documented. But who is responsible for the initial piracy, exactly? “How Music Got Free” is a new docu-series from Paramount+, adapted from a 2015 book of the same name that dives into the origins of the phenomenon. No spoilers, but it involves a few teen hackers, a CD factory worker from North Carolina and in this interpretation, narration from Method Man, courtesy filmmaker Alex Stapleton.
— This June, A&E’s “Biography” series returns with a few specials on ’80s rock and roll greats: Bret Michaels, Dee Snider, Sammy Hagar and Sebastian Bach among them. Michaels is kicking things off on Sunday, June 16 — or June 17, for those looking to stream on the A&E App, AETV.com and video on demand platforms — with an episode that documents his rise to fame in the glam-metal band Poison, his career as a reality TV star (VH1’s “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels,” “Celebrity Apprentice”) and beyond.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM
— Jake Gyllenhaal stars in his first TV role as a prosecutor accused of murder in “Presumed Innocent” for Apple TV+. It’s based on a novel by Scott Turow (which was also adapted into a film starring Harrison Ford in 1990). Peter Sarsgaard, who in real life is married to Jake’s sister Maggie, plays Gyllenhaal’s courtroom adversary. “Presumed Innocent” premieres Wednesday.
— Satirical superhero series “The Boys” drops its first three episodes of season four Thursday on Prime Video. Returning cast members include Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Jessie T. Usher, Erin Moriarty and Chace Crawford. New to the cast are Valorie Curry and Susan Heyward as two new superheroes, Firecracker and Sister Sage. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“Grey’s Anatomy”, “The Walking Dead”) has also been cast in a mysterious role.
— Just in time for summer vacation, a new Peanuts series called “Camp Snoopy” premieres Friday, June 14 on Apple TV+. Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts set out to earn their merit badges by completing outdoor activities while Charlie Brown and his friends have their own adventures attending camp.
— From farm houses to mountain retreats to ranches, couples seek out their ideal country dwelling in the new show “Find My Country House” for A&E. Trish Suhr hosts the show dropping on Saturday, June 15. “Find My Country House” is co-produced by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. It streams the next day on A&E app, AETV.com, and across major TV providers’ VOD platforms.
— In season two of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” the characters splinter off into different factions of Westeros. The crux is the Targaryen civil war for control of the Iron Throne. The new season of the “Game of Thrones” prequel debuts Sunday, June 16 on HBO and streams on Max the same night.
— MGM+ rewinds time to 1970’s Miami when cocaine was king in “Hotel Cocaine,” debuting Sunday, June 16. Danny Pino stars as a Cuban exile working as the general manager of the Mutiny Hotel with the hottest club in town. Pino’s character manages to stay neutral between the drug lords and the government officials who frequent the place until he’s ordered to connect with his estranged drug king pin brother. Michael Chiklis and Mark Feuerstein also star.
— Bethenny Frankel makes her Lifetime acting debut in an original TV movie called “Danger in the Dorm.” It’s about a mother trying to protect her daughter when a killer is on the loose at a college campus. The story is based on a true crime short covered by Ann Rule in her early days of writing. “Danger in the Dorm” premieres Sunday, June 16 and streams next day on mylifetime.com, Hulu Live, and be available to download to own on Amazon and Apple TV.
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— As V Rising begins, you are a vampire who has been asleep for centuries — and boy are you thirsty. This gothic adventure from Sweden’s Stunlock Studios is an interesting blend of genres. It’s a Diablo-like role-playing game in which each kill makes you more powerful, as long as you avoid sunlight. It’s also a fortress-building sim in which you can build an ever more decadent castle while staffing it with hapless human thralls. You can play solo or team up with friends, but either way you’ll eventually need to challenge more ferocious monsters. PlayStation 5 owners can embrace the darkness Tuesday.
