New this week: ‘Clickbait,’ Sturgill Simpson and Addison Rae
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— The pickings are a little slim for new streaming film options as August comes to a close, but there are a few fresh selections. For one, TikTok star Addison Rae (she has over 4.7 million YouTube subscribers) makes her acting debut in a remake of the 1999 Freddie Prinze Jr and Rachael Leigh Cook teen comedy “She’s All That,” which itself was loosely inspired by “Pygmalion.” But no, Rae is not playing an updated Laney Boggs. She’s the Freddie Prinze Jr. character because this version, called “He’s All That,” is gender-flipped. “He’s All That” hits Netflix on Aug. 27.
— For something a little more adult and a little less covered in Gen Z influencers, Hulu has an R-rated comedy “Vacation Friends” coming Aug. 27 in which some chaotic party people played by John Cena and Meredith Hanger decide to crash the wedding of a couple (Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji) they met on vacation Mexico and (asterisk)thought(asterisk) they bonded with.
— Or for a more serious entry, the underrated Cold War thriller “The Courier” hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday. The film, based on a true story about a Soviet whistleblower (played Merab Ninidze) and the ordinary British businessman (Benedict Cumberbatch) recruited by intelligence agencies to pass information back and forth, got a little buried earlier this year in the Oscar leadup. The filmmakers take liberties with the story, which isn’t even really agreed upon by history books, but it’s still an exciting watch for anyone missing classic, adult-targeted espionage thrillers.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
MUSIC
— Sturgill Simpson knows how to do a concept record. His latest, “The Ballad of Dood & Juanita,” proves once again he is a prodigious musical chameleon. It couldn’t be more different than his last album of original material, 2019′s fuzz rock, eardrum-blasting anime soundtrack “Sound & Fury.” In between he recorded a couple bluegrass records covering his own songs. “Dood & Juanita” has more in common with the two most recent records, both released in the past year, and even employs the same top-notch band. Willie Nelson takes a guest turn on the track “Juanita.” In his review, Scott Bauer said the album almost feels like a “radio serial from the 1940s.”
— Here comes another listening session from Kanye West. This time, the 22-time Grammy winner is expected to unveil his 10th studio album “Donda” on Thursday at Soldier Field in Chicago. It’s the third time West will hold a listening session for his highly-anticipated album, which was named after his mother, Donda West, who died at the age of 58 in 2007. His first two massive sessions were both held in front of sold-out crowds at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Several big names who attended include Rick Ross, Khloe Kardashian and his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian West, who showed up with their kids.
— AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr.
TELEVISION
— Looking for something to rouse you from the late summer doldrums? Trust “American Horror Story: Double Feature” to do the job. The two-part series opens in a beach town, where a dad with writer’s block, pregnant mom and their daughter have come expecting a quiet winter but are bound to be disappointed. Part two shifts to the desert, specifically Death Valley. Uh, oh. The FX series debuts 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday (Thursday on FX on Hulu) with Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy and Macaulay Culkin part of the cast.
— Want more angst? Try Netflix’s thriller “Clickbait,” in which an apparently ideal family man vanishes and then resurfaces, but not in a good way. An injured Nick (Adrian Grenier) is seen online holding a placard that says, “I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die.” A rescue effort by his sister (Zoe Kazan) and wife (Betty Gabriel) discovers what they didn’t know about Nick, as the drama promises to explore the gap between “our virtual and real-life personas.” The eight-episode series debuts Wednesday.
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
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