Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman starring in “Deadpool & Wolverine” and James Patterson’s psychologist detective Alex Cross finally having his own thriller TV show 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: a new album from Shawn Mendes, the return of the Apple TV+ dark comedy “Bad Sisters” and a new generation of storm chasers featured in “Twisters.”
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
Anyone looking for an escape will find plenty of options on streaming. Some of the summer’s biggest blockbusters are now available in your living room, starting with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” spicing up Disney+ as of Tuesday. Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and director Shawn Levy went full throttle with the characters’ first entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with in-jokes, celebrity cameos and f-bombs galore. In her review for The Associated Press, Krysta Fauria wrote that it’s a “fun, generally well-made summer movie.”
If you prefer your spectacles to be (sort of) more reality-based, “Twisters” storms onto Peacock on Friday. The stand-alone follow-up to the 1996 movie “Twister” stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos as a new generation of storm chasers making dangerous decisions in Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley. Like so many great disaster movies before it, it’s very silly and extremely watchable.
One of the most crowd-pleasing movies of the year is also coming home: “Thelma,” in which 94-year-old June Squibb plays a Los Angeles grandmother who gets scammed out of $10,000 and goes on a mission to get it back, with the late Richard Roundtree and his motorized scooter as her accomplice. It’s streaming on Hulu starting Friday.
Awards season watchers now have a chance to dive into the fantastical world of Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” on Netflix as of Wednesday. A film that defies simple explanation, AP film writer Jake Coyle wrote around its Cannes debut that this “gonzo trans Mexican drug lord musical” is “probably the first movie that can sincerely be compared to both ‘Sicario’ and ‘Mrs. Doubtfire.’ ” It stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and breakout Karla Sofía Gascón.
— AP film writer Lindsey Bahr
In a Michael Jackson-based timeline, there’s a love story being told in “I’ll Be There.” Set in the backdrop of Jackson’s 2009 death in Los Angeles, the independent film starring Jasmine Batchelor follows the youngest of a blended family, who reconnects with her estranged siblings after her older brother is diagnosed with cancer. The reconnection unveils family secrets and cultural moments that impact their lives. The emotional drama streams Friday on Prime Video and Apple TV.
— AP entertainment writer Jonathan Landrum Jr.
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM
There’s another dead body and a suitcase of killer secrets in a new series of Apple TV+ dark comedy “Bad Sisters.” Showrunner Sharon Horgan again writes and stars alongside Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, Eva Birtwhistle and Anne-Marie Duff as the Garvey sisters continue to deal with the fallout of season one. It returned Wednesday.
James Patterson’s psychologist detective Alex Cross finally has his own thriller TV show. In “Cross,” now on Prime Video, Aldis Hodge stars as the charismatic and clever cop as he negotiates personal tragedy and brutal killings in Washington, D.C. — helped by his bromance with fellow policeman John Sampson, played by Isaiah Mustafa. It premieres Thursday.
— By Hilary Fox
Mike Tyson squares up against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a live fight happening Friday and streaming live on Netflix. “Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson” was postponed in May after Tyson became nauseous and dizzy on a flight from Los Angeles in May. His representatives said it was because of an ulcer. Tyson, who is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, is now 58 years old and Paul is 27.
“Yellowstone” may be airing its final episodes, but Taylor Sheridan has a new series debuting Sunday on Paramount+ called “Landman.” It’s based on the popular podcast “Boomtown” and described as an “Upstairs Downstairs” story about the world of oil rigs. It stars Billy Bob Thornton as a crisis manager for an oil company. Ali Larter, Jon Hamm and Demi Moore also have roles.
— Alicia Rancilio
NEW MUSIC
Four years between albums is an eternity for Shawn Mendes, the Canadian folk-pop star who first emerged on the long-defunct social media platform Vine, miraculously — through talent and resilience — transforming six seconds of fame into a viable career. On “Shawn,” his self-titled album four years removed from 2020’s introspective “Wonder,” Mendes is seeking to reintroduce himself with guitar-forward, John Mayeresque singles like “Why Why Why” and “Nobody Knows.” “Shawn” releases Friday.
Also Friday, the Florida rapper Denzel Curry will release “King of the Mischievous South,” the album version of his popular mixtapes — released in 2012 and “Vol. 2” in 2024 — of the same name. The tracklist has been reimagined, and it now features five new songs, including the braggadocious single “Still in the Paint,” featuring Bktherula and Lazer Dim 700. That one uses a sample of Lex Luger’s beat for Waka Flocka Flame’s “Hard In The Paint,” naturally.
As country music continues to dominate the culture zeitgeist, so, too, do its stars endeavor to learn more about the genre that made them. In the Hulu original docuseries “It’s All Country,” Luke Bryan aims to get at the heart of country’s stars and songs, sitting down with Wynonna Judd, Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Sheryl Crow, Luke Combs and Lady A for some moving conversations. It hits the streaming giant Friday.
— AP music writer Maria Sherman
NEW VIDEO GAMES
The Case of the Golden Idol, a devious collection of mysteries inspired by 1990s adventure games, was one of the most delightful surprises of 2022. Its creator — Latvian studio Color Gray Games — has returned with a sequel, The Rise of the Golden Idol, that looks every bit as charmingly morbid. The time frame has moved from the 18th century to the 1970s, but the titular idol, which may or may not have supernatural powers, is still creating havoc. Publisher Playstack promises a slicker interface to solve its word and logic puzzles, and says we can look forward to 20 new crimes in an “age of hallucinogens, fax machines, parapsychology and TV guides.” The investigation resumed Tuesday on PC, PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and mobile via Netflix.
— Lou Kesten
