Ava DuVernay’s movingly humanistic adaptation of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” streaming on Hulu and actor Andrew McCarthy reconnecting with some of his Brat Pack colleagues for the documentary “Brats” are some of the new television shows, films , music and games going to a device near to you.
Also among the worthwhile streaming deals selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Dumb Money,” the fun romp through the GameStop stock frenzy, the new Peanuts series “Camp Snoopy” on Apple TV and a Paul McCartney album & Wings arrives 50 years after its initial recording.
— Ah, the Brat Pack. Generations of young stars have come and gone since the wave of fresh faces in the 1980s, such as Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez, but no culture since then has been so defined in the public imagination. In “Brats,” Premiering Thursday on Hulu, actor Andrew McCarthy aims to reconnect with some of his fellow Brat Pack alums, including everyone mentioned above. For them, it was a complicated and often unwanted label, although some have since come to terms with it.
– “Origin,” Ava DuVernay’s movingly humanistic adaptation from Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling novel, “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 place broad social constructs in an intimate context. “Origin” was largely overlooked during awards season and its theatrical release in January, despite rave reviews. Among them was AP film writer Lindsey Bahr who called “a powerful and artistic interpretation of an academic book that was anything but an obvious candidate for a narrative feature.”
– Another film that failed to attract viewers in theaters, but which deserves another look, is “Dumb Money”, Craig Gillespie’s Fun Joke Amid the GameStop Stock Frenzy. It might sound like another “Big Short”-style financial farce riff, and “Dumb Money” is more or less that. But it’s a fun David versus Goliath story with an energetic cast (including Paul Dano, America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, Pete Davidson, and Nick Offerman) who does a surprisingly good job of getting the pandemic year 2021, its TikTok memes, and a short -experienced the change in Wall Street’s power dynamics. In his review, Mark Kennedy of the AP wrote “the little boy — or at least the little boy with a few hundred dollars to invest in the stock market — gets a movie to celebrate.”
— On Friday, June 14th, Paul McCartney & Wings will finally officially release one of the most bootlegged albums of all time – 50 years after it was originally recorded – “One Hand Clapping”. Fans have long known the collection, recorded at Abbey Road as Wings filmed a documentary, but they never heard this material straight from the source. McCartney fans, this one’s for you.
— Normani, once a fifth of American girl group Fifth Harmony, was long set to be a solo success story. His 2019 single “Motivation” established the R&B-pop singer as an icon of the future, as Mesfin Fekadu described her in Associated Press Top 10 Songs list that year, for her masterful vocal performance over the song’s blaring horns and earworm groove. Half a decade later, his first solo album, “Dopamine”, will arrive. Little is known about the release, but whether its first singles are a tease of things to come – the sensual slow burner “1:59” with Gunna and the upbeat “Candy Paint” – will give listeners that sweet, happy chemistry of the album’s title.
— Those who pay attention to the urban-Latin trap scene already know Puerto Rican singer Dei V and his many collaborations with megastars Carol G., Anuel AAOzuna, Bryant Myers, Myke Torres and others, but it’s not too late to get on board. On Friday, June 14, Dei V will release “Quien Es Dei V?”, their debut album, featuring the sexy single “Martini” and its sparkling production, and the R-rated “Clima.”
— The decline of the music industry in the early 2000s, surrounding the advent of digital piracy through peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms such as Limewire and Kazaa, has been expertly documented. But who is responsible for the initial piracy, exactly? “How Music Got Free” is a new documentary series from Paramount+, adapted from a 2015 book of the same name that delves into the origins of the phenomenon. No spoilers, but it involves some teenage hackers, a North Carolina CD factory worker, and in this interpretation, narration by Method Mancourtesy of filmmaker Alex Stapleton.
– In June this year, A&E’s “Biography” series returns with some specials about great names in rock and roll from the 80s: Bret MichaelsDee Snider, Sammy Hagar and Sebastian Bach between them. Michaels will begin on Sunday, June 16th – or June 17th for those who want to stream on A&E App, AETV.com and video-on-demand platforms – with an episode documenting 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
— Jake Gyllenhaal stars in his first TV role as a prosecutor accused of murder in “Presumed Innocent” for AppleTV+. It is 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” releases its first three episodes of the fourth season on 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 mystery 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 aim to earn their merit badges by completing outdoor activities, while Charlie Brown and his friends have their own adventures by attending camp.
— From farmhouses to mountain retreats and farms, couples search for their ideal country home in the new “Find My Country House” program for A&AND. Trish Suhr presents the show that will be released on Saturday, June 15th. “Find My Country House” is co-produced by Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine. It is broadcast the next day on A&And app, AETV.com and on VOD platforms of major TV providers.
– In the second season of HBO “House of the Dragon,” the characters are divided 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 premieres on Sunday, June 16 on HBO and streams on Max the same night.
– MGM + goes back in time to 1970s Miami, when cocaine was king in “Hotel Cocaine”, premieres on Sunday, June 16th. Danny Pino stars as a Cuban exile working as the general manager of the Mutiny Hotel in the city’s hottest club. Pino’s character manages to remain neutral among the drug dealers and government officials who frequent the place until he is ordered to connect with his estranged brother, the drug king. Michael Chiklis and Mark Feuerstein also star.
– Bethany Frankel makes her 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 on a college campus. The story is based on a true crime short covered by Ann Rule in her early days as a writer. “Danger in the Dorm” premieres Sunday, June 16 and streams the next day on mylifetime.com, Hulu Live, and is available for download on Amazon and Apple TV.
– As V going up It starts, you’re a vampire who’s been sleeping for centuries – and boy, are you thirsty. This gothic adventure from Sweden’s Stunlock Studios is an interesting mix of genres. It’s a Diablo-like RPG where every death makes you more powerful, as long as you avoid sunlight. It’s also a fortress-building simulator in which you can build an increasingly decaying castle while staffing it with hapless human slaves. You can play alone or in a team with friends, but either way you’ll eventually need to challenge fiercer monsters. PlayStation 5 owners can embrace the darkness on Tuesday.
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