Eddie Redmayne starring as a sniper for hire in the new limited series “The Day of the Jackal” and “Yellowstone” riding off into the sunset with the launch of its final episodes 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: Aubrey Plaza stars in the coming-of-age comedy “My Old Ass,” two famous Nintendo siblings team up for the video game Mario & Luigi Brothership and Whitney Houston’s epic 1994 concert video in post-apartheid South Africa.
– Is there a better way to spend election week than with a psychedelic mushroom-induced Aubrey Plaza? Well, yes, there probably is. But, still, Megan Park’s “My Old Ass” (streaming Thursday on Prime Video) is a uniquely charming and oddly moving coming-of-age drama. The film stars Maisy Stella as Elliott, an 18-year-old whose birthday mushroom trip, while camping in Ontario’s Muskoka region, conjures a surreal visitor: her 39-year-old self (played by Plaza). In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy called the results “uneven but (Park) sticks the landing.”
– Of the many fans of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s films, none is more passionate than Martin Scorsese. In “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger” (airing Thursday on TCM), Scorsese narrates his journey through movies that have had a profound effect on the filmmaker. In it, he describes being “so bewitched by them as a child that they make a big part of my films’ subconscious.” The documentary, directed by David Hinton and produced by Thelma Schoonmaker, isn’t just a chronicle of films like “The Red Shoes,” “Black Narcissus” and “I Know Where I’m Going!” but captures how movies can transfix you, change you and live alongside you as you grow older.
— With many glued to screens for the election results Tuesday, it might be a good week to revisit some of the best films about American politics. Alan Pakula’s chilling assassination thriller “The Parallax View” is streaming on Paramount+. On Hoopla, you can find both John Frankenheimer’s mind control masterpiece “The Manchurian Candidate” and Elia Kazan’s prescient “A Face in the Crowd.” “Election,” Alexander Payne’s biting satire, is streaming on Fubo. Spike Lee’s towering “Malcolm X” is available to rent, as is Steven Spielberg’s epic “Lincoln.” But if you’re feeling more cynical, Mike Judge’s “Idiocracy” can be found on Hulu.
— On Friday, Nov. 8, the Whitney Houston estate and Legacy Recording will release “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban),” the recording of her epic concert in post-apartheid South Africa, staged after President Nelson Mandela’s landmark election. It follows the fully remastered theatrical release of a concert film of the same name. In 1994, Houston took the stage for three concerts in South Africa including in Durban at Kings Park Stadium, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Over 200,000 people attended. The album is also Houston’s first ever live concert album (but not her first ever live album, give credit where credit is due — to 2014’s “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances” and “VH1 Divas 1999.”) She’s never sounded better.
— Another look back at the ’90s: Tsunami, the ferocious indie rock band lead by frontwomen Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson, co-owners of the Simple Machines record label, are receiving a long overdue, career-spanning collection from the prolific Numero Group: A five LP, vinyl box set that features demos, singles, 1993’s “Deep End,” 1994’s “The Heart’s Tremolo,” and for the first time ever pressed to wax, 1997’s “A Brilliant Mistake.” If that’s too much physical media, don’t fret — listeners will be able to get an education on streaming platforms as well.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Eddie Redmayne hasn’t starred in a TV series since the 2012 two-part World War I saga, “Birdsong.” He marks his return as a sniper for hire in the new Peacock limited series, “The Day of the Jackal.” It’s an updated version of a Frederick Forsyth novel published in 1971. Lashana Lynch plays an intelligence officer, intent on catching Redmayne’s mysterious killer who goes by the moniker The Jackal. “The Day of the Jackal” debuts Thursday on Peacock.
— Prime Video’s spy franchise “Citadel” now includes “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” This version is set in India and is a prequel to the 2023 original that starred Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden. It takes place in the 1990s and introduces viewers to the parents of Chopra Jonas’ character, Nadia. Samantha Ruth Prabhu plays Nadia’s mother, Honey, with Varun Dhawan portraying her father, Bunny. The series debuts Thursday.
— “Yellowstone,” the contemporary Western about a family whose ownership of the largest cattle ranch in the U.S. goes back generations, returns for the second half of its final season on Sunday, Nov. 10. Fans will want to tune in to learn how Kevin Costner is written off the show and what happens to couple Rip and Beth, played by Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly. “Yellowstone” season 5B debuts on Paramount Network.
— Mario may be the biggest celebrity in the Nintendo universe, but some of his most satisfying adventures have co-starred his gangly brother, Luigi. The boys are teaming up again for Mario & Luigi: Brothership, in which they explore an ocean dotted by a variety of islands. You’ll need to switch between the two to solve various puzzles, and sometimes they’ll need to team up to fly over or knock down obstacles. When they run into an enemy, the action switches to turn-based combat in which timing is everything. Mamma mia! Set sail Thursday on the Switch.
