What to Stream: George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Zac Brown Band, Michelle Pfeiffer and Metroid Prime 4
George Clooney plays a dashing movie star with lingering midlife regrets in ‘Jay Kelly’ and the Zac Brown Band returns with new music are some of the new TV shows, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming deals worth checking out this week, selected by Associated Press entertainment journalists: the latest “Mission: Impossible” movie, “The Final Reckoning,” begins streaming on Paramount+, Netflix has the American western series “The Abandons” with women at the center of its story, and Nintendo’s Samus Aran returns with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
— George Clooney plays a dashing movie star with nagging new regrets in the middle of his life in “Jay Kelly” (Netflix, Friday), Noah Baumbach’s comedic drama about fame and family. As Jay’s youngest daughter (Grace Edwards) prepares to start college, a trip to Europe turns into a deeper examination of conscience. With Adam Sandler as Jay’s long-time manager and Laura Dern as his publicist. In his review, the AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote that “fact and fiction intertwine beautifully in Baumbach’s love letter to Hollywood.”
– The latest “Mission: Impossible” film, “The Final Reckoning,” begins streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday. The Tom Cruise adventure, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, concludes the chapter begun with 2023’s “Dead Reckoning Part One.” Whether dead or final, a reckoning may be in order for Ethan Hunt’s eight-film franchise. In her review, AP Film screenwriter Lindsey Bahr wrote, “In a series that has often been better when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, the dark developments are starting to seem a little unintentionally ridiculous.”
— The Christmas movies are coming. One of the first to come out this year is “Oh. What. Fun”. (Wednesday, Prime Video). Michelle Pfeiffer plays a matriarch who, after years of managing all the festivities of the season for an ungrateful family, disappears. Michael Showalter leads a cast including Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary and Dominic Sessa.
— AP writer Jake Coyle
— Zac Brown Band looks back at the ups and downs of life on their new album, “Love & Fear,” released Friday. Singles released so far include the Jimmy Buffett-style “I Ain’t Worried About It,” the weed-friendly “Let It Run” featuring Snoop Dogg, the sweet ballad “Butterfly” featuring Dolly Parton” and the party anthem “Give It Away.” Perhaps the best of the bunch is “Hard Run” with Marcus King, starting quietly with a twang, moving into harmonies and funk, adding a touch of Broadway and then some fiery guitar work. The band made a splash with the album’s release date, performing at the Sphere in Las Vegas and kicking off several parties there in December and January.
— If you loved Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ latest album, ‘Wild God,’ here’s some good news: The alt-rock legend and his formidable band are releasing ‘Live God,’ which includes live versions of the album, as well as catalog favorites such as ‘From Her to Eternity,’ ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry,’ and ‘Into My Arms.’ And if you can’t get enough of Nick Cave, there’s more: The Danish Royal Library has put its “Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition” online, allowing fans to explore 300 objects collected or created by Cave over the course of his career.
— Mark Kennedy, AP Entertainment writer
— “The Abandons”, a new American western series is coming to Netflix with women at the center of its story. Set in the 1850s, Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey play two widowed women who are heads of families and who compete for land. Kurt Sutter, who created “Sons of Anarchy,” is behind this one. Nick Robinson and Aisling Franciosi also star. It starts Thursday.
— Starz is releasing a new “Spartacus” series on Friday called “Spartacus: House of Ashur.” Nick E. Tarabay reprises his role as Ashur in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” and “Spartacus: Vengeance” which explores what could have happened if the character had survived the events of “Vengeance” instead of being killed. This series also features a woman in a powerful role. Tenika Davis plays a gladiator.
—Alicia Rancilio
— Fans of Nintendo’s Samus Aran have long been waiting for the space bounty hunter to return to the 3D world of Metroid Prime. Finally, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is here – but it remains to be seen whether Samus’ years in limbo have made her stronger. She has landed on a jungle planet populated by hostile wildlife, and another bounty hunter is chasing her. In addition to her usual high-tech arsenal, Samus has gained psychic powers, not to mention a mean motorcycle. Can this long-delayed sequel live up to its beloved predecessors? Find out Thursday on Switch and Switch 2.
