NEW YORK – “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical drama “Mountainhead” and Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel playing dysfunctional siblings in the murder thriller series “The Better Sister” are some of the new television, films, 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: a new concert special featuring Aretha Franklin, U2's frontman reveals all in the documentary “Bono: Stories of Surrender” and multiplayer gamers get Elden Ring: Nightreign, sending teams of three warriors to battle the flamboyant monsters of a haunted land.
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New movies to stream from May 26-June 1
— “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong makes his feature debut with the satirical drama “Mountainhead,” streaming on HBO Max on Saturday, May 31. The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith as tech titans on a boys’ trip whose billionaire shenanigans are interrupted by an international crisis that may have been inflamed by their platforms. The movie was shot earlier this year, in March.
— The story of hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics has been told in many films, but “September 5” takes audiences inside the ABC newsroom as it all unfolded. The film, from Tim Fehlbaum and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin, is a semi-fictionalized telling of those tense 22 hours, where a group of sports reporters including Peter Jennings managed to broadcast this international incident live to the world for the first time. In my review, I wrote that news junkies will find much to enjoy in the spirited debates over journalistic ethics and the vintage technologies. It’s also just a riveting tick-tock. “September 5” will be available to watch on Prime Video on Tuesday.
— The directing team (and real life partners) behind “Saint Frances” made one of AP Film Writer Jake Coyle’s favorite movies of 2024 in “Ghostlight,” streaming Friday, May 30 on Kanopy. The movie centers on a construction worker who joins a community theater production of “Romeo & Juliet” after the death of his teenage son. Coyle called it “a sublime little gem of a movie about a Chicago family struggling to process tragedy.”
New music to stream from May 26-June 1
— Celebrate the late, great, eternal Aretha Franklin with a glorious new concert special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and the Pacific Symphony” airing on PBS. The title is a giveaway: Sheléa and the Pacific Symphony team up to perform the Queen of Soul’s larger-than-life hits: “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools” among them. On Friday, it will become available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS App.
— “These are the tall tales of a short rock star,” U2 frontman Bono introduces “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” a documentary film based on his memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.” The project will become available to stream globally on Apple TV+ on Friday and for the tech heads among us, it is also the first full-length film to be available in Apple Immersive on Vision Pro. That’s 180-degree video!
— For film fans, Yeule may be best known for their contribution to the critically acclaimed “I Saw The TV Glow,” which featured their dreamy cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” as a kind of theme song. On Friday, the singer-songwriter-producer will release their latest album, “Evangelic Girl Is a Gun” via Ninja Tune Records — an ambitious collection of electronic pop from a not-to-distant future.
New television to stream from May 26-June 1
— Sheri Papini, a woman who pleaded guilty and served jail time for lying to law enforcement about being kidnapped, is sharing her story for the first time. A new docuseries features interviews with Papini herself, her family, attorneys and psychiatrist. She also takes a lie-detector test on camera and participates in reenactments. Papini maintains she was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend, but says they were having an emotional affair at the time. She claims he held her against her will, sexually and physically abusing her, before letting her go. “Sheri Papini: Caught in the Lie” is a four-part series airing Monday, and Tuesday on ID. It will stream on Max.
— Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel are Nicky and Chloe, dysfunctional sisters in the new Prime Video series “The Better Sister.” It’s based on a novel by Alafair Burke. The two are estranged and Chloe is raising Nicky’s son as her own — and also married to her ex. When a murder occurs, the sisters must become a united front. It premieres Thursday on Prime Video.
— In “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown,” Matthew Goode plays a charming English gentleman. In his new series “Dept. Q” for Netflix, he’s ... English. Goode plays Carl, a gruff detective who is banished to the police station basement and assigned to cold cases. He forms a rag tag group to solve a crime that no one, not even himself, thinks can be cracked. “Dept. Q” is from the writer and director of “The Queen’s Gambit.” It premieres Thursday.
— A new PBS documentary looks at the life and impact of artist George Rodrigue. He’s known for paintings of a big blue dog with yellow eyes (called Blue Dog) but also is credited for art that depicted Cajun life in his home state of Louisiana. Rodrigue’s paintings helped to preserve Cajun culture. What people may not realize is how the Blue dog is connected to Cajun folklore. “Blue: The Art and Life of George Rodrigue” debuts Thursday and will also stream on PBS.org.
New video games to play week of May 26-June 1
— Tokyo-based From Software is best known for morbid adventures like Dark Souls and Elden Ring — games that most players tackle solo, though they do have some co-op options. Elden Ring: Nightreign is built for multiplayer, sending teams of three warriors to battle the flamboyant monsters of a haunted land called Limveld. Your goal is to survive three days and three nights before you confront an overwhelming Nightlord. This isn’t the sprawling, character-building epic fans would expect from the studio, but those who are hungry for more of its brutal, nearly sadistic action will probably be satisfied. Take up your swords Friday, May 30, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One or PC.