10 Best New Movies and Shows to Watch This Week
This week is HUGE. How huge, you might be asking? Well, we’ve got an ambitious sci-fi epic from the “Game of Thrones” team hitting Netflix (“3 Body Problem”); a “Road House” remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal on Prime Video; and the return of the ‘90s era “X-Men” animated series coming to Disney+. And that’s just scratching the surface – also in the offerings are a documentary on Stormy Daniels (“Stormy”), a dramatization of the Yorkshire Ripper case (“The Long Shadow”) and Regina King playing Shirley Chisholm (“Shirley”). Like we said: HUGE.
On with the television!
“3 Body Problem”
Thursday, March 21, Netflix
This is it. One of the biggest Netflix original series of the year. Created by the “Game of Thrones” team of David Benioff and D.B Weiss, along with Alexander Woo, and based on the international bestseller by Liu Cixin, “3 Body Problem” is the kind of epic science fiction saga you can’t help but become enveloped by. Toggling back-and-forth in time, it stars Eiza González as a physicist who starts seeing an unsettling vision of a countdown clock. (Jovan Adepo is one of her coworkers.) There are mysterious deaths, VR, a potential alien invasion, a “Big Chill”-style friend reunion and enough physics-based head-scratchers to make Oppenheimer confused. Benioff, Weiss and Woo gamely navigate the intricacies of both the plot and the science so many of the characters are concerned with and have equipped their cast (which also includes Benedict Wong, John Bradley, Alex Sharp, Rosalind Chao, Jonathan Pryce and Liam Cunningham) with enough depth and conviction that even when you’re scratching you’re head, you’re emotionally invested. (Brad Pitt and Rian Johnson are among the project’s producers.) This is going to be the next big thing. Not just for Netflix. But for television as a whole. Ready to become obsessed? [TRAILER]
“Halo”
Thursday, March 21, Paramount+
It seems as though, with series like “Arcane” and “The Last of Us” (and with upcoming projects like “Fallout” and “Knuckles”), that we are living through the golden age of television series based on video games. Whether or not “Halo,” the long-in-development adaptation of Xbox’s flagship video game series (which counts Steven Spielberg among its producers), winds up amongst those greats remains to be seen. But what we can tell you is that the finale of the second season is here. Last season’s finale introduced a first-person sequence straight out of the video game series; people either loved it or hated it. We wonder if this finale will have a similar big swing. Only one way to find out. Put your joystick down and pick up your little Roku pill. It’s “Halo” time. [TRAILER]
“Road House”
Thursday, March 21, Prime Video
Yes, they decided to remake “Road House,” the 1989 cult classic that starred Patrick Swayze and included a subplot about how he once ripped a guy’s throat out (which of course leads to a moment where he rips another guy’s throat out). And for some it is sacrilege that a remake is happening at all. But fear not – this new version stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a washed-up UFC fighter who takes a job at a bar in the Florida Keys, attempting to cool down the feisty clientele. But wouldn’t you know, there’s a bigger mystery at foot, involving a local gangster (Billy Magnussen), a corrupt cop (Joaquim de Almeida) and a genuine psychopath (Conor McGregor). It’s outrageously violent, profane and aggressive. It’s also one of the most entertaining movies of the year (and also one of the best, period). Directed by Doug Liman, who doesn’t get enough credit as an action stylist, “Road House” has an electric, unstoppable energy, and Gyllenhaal has never been better or more charismatic. It’s just a nonstop thrill. Order pizza. Invite the boys over. Have a blast with “Road House.” [TRAILER]
“Stormy”
Monday, March 18, Peacock
Yes, this is a feature-length documentary about the life of Stormy Daniels, whose affair with Donald Trump became a media sensation. Directed and produced by Sarah Gibson, the documentary features Daniels sharing “her story and account of events that have become part of American history.” The film, which was executive produced by Judd Apatow and the team behind Imagine Documentaries, “takes the audience behind the curtain as Stormy navigates being a mother, an artist, and an advocate working hard to reinvent herself, while still grappling with the bombshell that went off in her life five years earlier.” The movie recently debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival where it, like its subject matter, garnered very strong reactions. [TRAILER]
“The Dog House UK”
Max
Streaming’s most adorable series returns for a fifth (!) season! If you’ve never seen “The Dog House,” the set-up is simple and undeniable – it is set at Woodgreen, an incredible dog shelter and rehabilitation facility in the rolling hills of the British countryside. Each week you get the story of several dogs looking for their forever homes, and the humans looking for a four-legged (most of the time) friend. Both humans and animals usually have tragic backstories, with a section at the end of the show where we check in with the families and see if they’ve kept their new friend. Just have the tissues handy. You will be weeping (in a mostly good way). [WATCH]
“Palm Royale”
Wednesday, March 20, Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s latest prestige drama is set in high society Palm Beach in 1969 and stars Kristen Wiig (who also executive produces) and Oscar winner Laura Dern. Loosely based on the novel “Mr. & Mrs. American Pie” by Juliet McDaniel, the series also stars Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy and Kaia Gerber, with guest star turns by Bruce Dern and Carol Burnett. This is just the kind of lush period drama that will undoubtedly make you swoon. Also swoon-worthy: the first three episodes debut Wednesday, with subsequent episodes streaming weekly. Binge away. [TRAILER]
“X-Men ‘97”
Wednesday, March 20, Disney+
There was a mini-boom of quality, superhero-led animated features in the early 1990s, inspired mostly by the critical and commercial success of “Batman: The Animated Series.” In a world that was a few years away from the modern live-action superhero explosion (which began, in earnest, with Fox’s 2000 feature “X-Men”), these shows meant everything. And few were as important as “X-Men” (also known as “X-Men: The Animated Series”) which began in 1992 and ran for 75 episodes. “X-Men ‘97” is meant as a direct continuation of the earlier series, although the somewhat static animation of the first show (by Korean studio AKOM) has been replaced by more fluid, anime-indebted animation (this time by Korean vendor Studio Mir, who has produced some of the most beautiful animation on TV). We can already hear the unforgettable theme music in our head … [TRAILER]
“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told”
Thursday, March 21, Hulu
This feature-length documentary is, according to the press release, “a celebratory exploration of the boisterous times of Freaknik, the iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of peoples in the 80s and 90s, helping put Atlanta on the map culturally. What began as a Black college cookout, soon became known for lurid tales of highway hookups and legendary late-night parties that ultimately led to the festival’s downfall.” We are so in. [TRAILER]
“The Long Shadow”
Thursday, March 21, AMC+
This seven-part true-crime thriller originally aired on England’s ITV1 last fall. And now, it’s finally in America. “The Long Shadow” charts the story of the Yorkshire Ripper, a serial killer that terrorized Yorkshire and Manchester between 1975 and 1980. (The eventual suspect was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven more.) The series stars Toby Jones, David Morrissey, Daniel Mays and Lee Ingleby. Not for the faint of heart. [TRAILER]
“Shirley”
Friday, March 21, Netflix
Regina King stars as Shirley Chisholm, the first-ever Black congresswoman, in this biopic that charts her campaign to become president of the United States back in 1972. (She didn’t realize how ahead of her time she really was.) The Netflix original was written and directed by John Ridley, whose screenplay for “12 Years a Slave” won him an Oscar. The cast of “Shirley” is also ridiculous, featuring Lane Reddick (in one of his final roles), Lucas Hedges, Terrence Howard and André Holland. After a limited theatrical run it debuts on Netflix. This looks like just the kind of based-on-a-true-story inspirational tale we could use right now. [TRAILER]
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