What to stream this weekend: A Bon Jovi documentary, Idris Elba in 'Knuckles' and 'Anyone But You'
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The Stream
This combination of images shows promotional art for the Paramount+ series "Knuckles," the Apple TV+ series "The Big Door Prize," and the Netflix series "Dead Boy Detectives. (Paramount+/Apple TV+/Netflix via AP)
The Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell romantic comedy “Anyone But You” hitting Netflix and an album by Brazil superstar Anitta 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: Everyone’s favorite dancing demon doll “M3GAN” comes back to Peacock, a beautiful woman battles hideous beasts in Sony's video game Stellar Blade, and a documentary detailing Bon Jovi's early days, rise to fame and breakups and breakdowns.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— The Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell romantic comedy “Anyone But You” is finally on Netflix starting Tuesday. The movie is about two young singles whose magical one-night stand ends in miscommunication and hurt feelings, and then find themselves both in a small family wedding party and staying in the same house. It’s loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Reviews were mixed and the box office started out tame, but it became a slow burn sleeper hit in theaters, earning more than $218 million worldwide. If you’ve been holding out to see what the fuss was about, now is your low stakes chance (it’s also not a bad plane option, which is where this film critic finally watched it). And afterwards, if you need a rom-com palate cleanser, “You’ve Got Mail” is also currently on Netflix.
— Another stealth box office hit, everyone’s favorite dancing demon doll “M3GAN” is coming back to Peacock starting Wednesday. Is it great cinema? Probably not, but everyone who watches it seems to have a fun time (in spite of themselves). Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt wrote in her review that, “This is not the morose, carnage-soaked horror of dank basements and clammy night terrors; most of the movie happens in bright daylight, every maniacal head tilt, ungodly hip swivel, and murder-by-gardening-tool calibrated for screams that end not with a gasp but a giggle. M3GAN came to play, and possibly reboot her motherboard for a sequel. Are you not entertained?”
— Finally, if you’ve exhausted all your “Tortured Poets” analysis, you can pivot to watching a Joe Alwyn movie instead. He stars in Claire Denis’ 2022 romantic thriller “Stars at Noon,” which comes to Hulu on Sunday. Based on the 1986 Denis Johnson novel, Margaret Qualley plans an American journalist in Nicaragua during COVID-19 who starts an affair with a mysterious British guy, played by Alwyn.
— Shot through the heart, and they’re to blame: Forty years after a bunch of kids from New Jersey got together and formed a great American rock band, a documentary detailing their early days, rise to fame, and best of all — breakups and breakdowns — has arrived. The only Bon Jovi documentary series to feature all members past and present, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” premieres on Hulu Friday in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories. Binge all four-parts one after the other or dole them out slowly. However you do it, expect to have “Livin’ On A Prayer” stuck in your head for the next week.
— Anitta, arguably Brazil’s most recognizable global pop singer since Astrud Gilberto sang “The Girl From Ipanema” nearly 60 years ago, is preparing to release a new album Friday. It’s titled “Funk Generation,” her first since the 2022’s “Versions of Me,” and its viral hits “Envolver” and “Girl From Rio” (with its interpolation of the Gilberto classic) made her an international star. She’s long aimed to bring Brazilian sounds to the worldwide music market, and focusing on Brazilian funk is an extension of that desire. “’Funk Generation’ is an album where I celebrate my roots. It’s where I express the power of Rio’s funk in every track its unique, danceable, and sensual beats,” she said in a statement. “It’s a rhythm born in the favelas, where I grew up, and it exudes resistance and art in every community.”
— It is time to give Midwest MCs their flowers: Fresh off a tour opening for Migos rapper Offset, Detroit’s Skilla Baby is preparing to drop a new project on Friday, “The Coldest.” If his trap earworm “Bae,” with its celebratory, ladies-first lyrics (“Bae, you know you’re fine, don’t you?” in the chorus) and the community-focused “Plate” are a taste of what’s to come, the release is going to be delicious.
— “The Big Door Prize,” a sweet, silly dramedy about the residents of a small town turned upside down by the arrival of a machine that reveals a person’s true calling, returns for a second season on Apple TV+. Starring Chris O’Dowd as a local high school teacher, “The Big Door Prize” is based on a book by M.O. Walsh and was one of The Associated Press’ TV shows worth watching in 2023. Season two of “The Big Door Prize” debuted Wednesday. Season one is also still available on the streamer.
— Two teen ghost detectives who appear in DC comic books star in their own series called “Dead Boy Detectives.” The story follows Edwin and Charles, two long-dead teens who spend their afterlife still on Earth and investigating paranormal cases. They’re assisted by a living teen named Crystal Palace who is a clairvoyant. “Dead Boy Detectives” also features Lukas Gage in an over-the-top, comedic role of the Cat King. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” actor David Iacono plays a demon. The ghostly investigations are available now on Netflix.
— Idris Elba and Adam Pally reprise their “Sonic the Hedgehog” characters for the new animated series “Knuckles” on Paramount+. Elba plays Knuckles, an Echidna with super strength, who is adjusting after moving to Earth at the end of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” Pally is Wade Whipple, a not-so-bright deputy sheriff. “Knuckles” is part of Paramount’s efforts to expand the popular “Sonic” brand. Ben Schwartz and Tika Sumpter also reprise roles from the films. All six-episodes of “Knuckles” stream Friday.
— Sony’s Stellar Blade takes place on an Earth that’s been mostly abandoned after an invasion by hordes of mysterious monsters called the Naytiba. Enter Eve, a sword- and gun-wielding warrior who has returned to her home planet to help out the few people left, including a scavenger named Adam. The Biblical references pile up — for example, the last city standing is Xion — but the real influence is the popular hack-and-slash epic Bayonetta. If you’ve been craving another flamboyant adventure with a beautiful woman battling hideous beasts, Korean studio Shift Up hopes it’s got you covered. Start swinging Friday on PlayStation 5.
— Electronic Arts’ Tales of Kenzera: Zau is less campy and more down to earth. Its protagonist, Zau, aims to become a healer and, maybe, bring his father back from the Land of the Dead. The aspiring shaman has some nifty parkour skills as well as sun and moon masks, which allow him to, respectively, launch spears and manipulate time as he fights evil spirits. Tales of Kenzera is the debut title from Surgent Studios, which was founded by voice actor Abubakar Salim, and he says it was inspired by Bantu folklore as well as his own experience with grief. The journey began Tuesday on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
