New this week: ‘House of the Dragon,’ Lakers doc and Lovato
Newslooks- AP
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— In the almost 25 years since Princess Diana died, there has never been any shortage of content examining the enormous impact and intrigue of her short life. But a new documentary from director Ed Perkins, “The Princess,” which debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and is available on HBO (and HBO Max), turns the lens back on us. The film doesn’t have any talking heads or voiceover, but instead uses only archival footage to tell a different kind of story. It is a meditative, transportive experience that is surprisingly effective.
— Two of this summer’s most delightful theatrical releases “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” and “Mr. Malcolm’s List” are quietly now available to rent on demand and watch from home. The former is a grounded fantasy adorned with mid-century designer lore, featuring Lesley Manville as a post-WWII British housekeeper and widow. She dreams of owning a Christian Dior gown and must travel to Paris to get one (and her middle-age Sabrina moment). “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” meanwhile, is an ode to Jane Austen — a Regency-era romance full of gossip, intrigue and high society hijinks starring Freida Pinto, Zawe Ashton and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù as the titular Mr. Malcolm.
— On the other streamers, Lili Reinhart, of “Riverdale” fame, leads a Netflix pic “Look Both Ways” about a college senior whose life splits into parallel realities on graduation night. In one, she gets pregnant and has to move home to Texas. In another, she heads to Los Angeles to start her career. Co-starring “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Danny Ramierz, “Look Both Ways” hits Netflix on Wednesday. And for those looking for a scare, Paramount+ is debuting “Orphan: First Kill” on Friday. The film is a prequel to Jaume Collet-Serra’s 2009 horror “Orphan” and follows Esther as she escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility and makes her way to America.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
MUSIC
— Demi Lovato’s next album flirts with NSFW. “Holy Fvck” is both a track and the title of the 16-song album, out Friday. “I felt like it was a great, eye-catching title track for the rest of the album,” the pop star told SiriusXM. “And especially because there’s songs on the album that have, like, kind of religious undertones, there’s songs on the album that have this dichotomy of good and bad, and that song kind of represented both.” The album’s first punky single “Skin of My Teeth,” is about Lovato’s struggles with sobriety. “The reaper knocks on my door/’Cause I’m addicted to more,” she sings.
— What did you accomplish during the pandemic? The indie rock band the Mountain Goats released three new studio albums with a fourth on the horizon. That newest album, “Bleed Out,” is set to come out on Friday and is described as “a cinematic experience inspired by action films from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.” The first single, “Training Montage,” comes with a video that is all manner of silly, with the band doing pushups, running down stairs and riding skateboards. Oh, and while you wait for the album, frontman John Darnielle also managed to release the true-crime novel, “Devil House,” earlier this year.
— Don’t panic, Brendon Urie is back. His band Panic! At The Disco offers the album “Viva Las Vengeance” on Friday, led by the sugary single “Middle of a Breakup” and the high-energy title track. “‘Viva Las Vengeance’ is a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn’t have before. I didn’t realize I was making an album and there was something about the tape machine that kept me honest,” Urie says. It’s Panic’s first music since the 2018 release of “Pray for the Wicked.” You can also catch the band at this year’s MTV VMAs on Aug. 28.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
TELEVISION
— The high-stakes drama is off the court in “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers,” a 10-part docuseries debuting Monday on Hulu. The series promises to detail how real estate magnate Jerry Buss’ 1979 acquisition of the team led to its transformation into a championship, multibillion-dollar franchise — business and family conflict included. There’s a Buss connection to the series: Jeanie Buss, his daughter and the Lakers CEO and controlling owner, is an executive producer. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) directed, with Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among those interviewed.
— Tatiana Maslany won a lead actress Emmy in 2016 for playing some half-dozen characters in “Orphan Black.” A nine-episode Disney+ comedy series set in the Marvel universe gives her two sides of one coin to work with. “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” Jennifer Lewis’ career takes a turn after a transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, makes her a very reluctant superhero and courtroom advocate for her peers. Familiar Marvel faces in the series debuting Thursday, include Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky-the Abomination, and Benedict Wong as Wong.
— It’s been three years-plus since “Game of Thrones” called it a wrap, but who’s counting? The fans who’ve awaited its prequel, “House of the Dragon,” finally arriving Sunday, on HBO. The story of the House of Targaryen, set two centuries before “Game of Thrones,” is based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.” The cast includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, whom the lords of Westeros picked to succeed his grandfather, and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, his younger brother with “the true blood of the dragon.” Could there possibly be trouble brewing?
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
