Seth MacFarlane’s filthy teddy bear character Ted and Martin Scorsese’s true-crime epic “The Killers of the Flower Moon” are some of the new television, music and movies available on a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Kevin Hart starring in “Lift” as the leader of a band of criminals enlisted to steal $500 million from a plane in mid-flight and Peacock’s competition series “The Traitors” returning with host Alan Cumming.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— Martin Scorsese’s true-crime epic “The Killers of the Flower Moon” begins streaming Friday on Apple TV+. If the movie’s 3½-hour running time gave you pause to catch it in theaters, you can now watch one of the year’s most acclaimed films at your leisure. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, adapts David Grann’s nonfiction chronicle of the Osage murders of the 1920s. Scorsese, 81, tells an expansive and disquieting Western story soaked in blood and oil, with chastening reverberations for American history. In her review, AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck praised the film for “allowing us to watch a master of the craft continue to force himself, unlikely as it seems, to stretch and learn.”
— One of the year’s best documentaries, “Beyond Utopia” captures the precarious plight of defectors from North Korea. Madeleine Gavin’s film has a gritty intimacy that utilizes footage shot by its subjects and the operatives who aid their flight from the totalitarian regime. Foremost among them is Seungeun Kim, a South Korean pastor whose heroic efforts have helped rescue hundreds over the the last two decades. “Beyond Utopia” aired on PBS on Tuesday while also streaming on Hulu and the PBS app.
— “Lift” takes the heist movie to the skies. Kevin Hart stars as a the leader of a band of criminals enlisted to steal $500 million in gold from a plane in mid-flight. Directed by F. Gary Gray (“The Fate of the Furious,” “The Italian Job”), “Lift” features an ensemble cast including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Magnussen and Sam Worthington. It debuted Friday on Netflix.
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— Colombian-American musician Kali Uchis finds her power in a kind of fluidity: of culture, of genre, and of language, moving from Spanish to English in her sultry sounds about love, loss, and, like, divination. On “Orquídeas,” (“Orchids” in English), her latest Spanish-language record, Uchis finds inspiration in the “timeless, eerie, mystic, striking, graceful and sensual allure of the orchid,” as she said in a statement. Consider it an interesting new framework to think about her art and her role as an artist and a Latina. Or just another way to appreciate the smooth turns of her Latin-pop meets R&B meets reggaetón meets something more ascendent. It’s a gorgeous ride, marrying mysticism and sexuality courtesy her rasp-y, classic vocal tone — and with some grounding collaborators in Peso Pluma, El Alfa, JT, Rauw Alejandro, and Karol G. Start with “Labios Mordidos.”
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM
— Whether your beverage of choice is carbonated, caffeinated or a cold one, a new docuseries on FOX Nation delves into the story behind beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and soda. Hosted by Dan Akroyd, “A History of the World in Six Glasses,” examines how each beverage came to be and its impact on the world. Jim Belushi, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon and George Wendt are also featured. The six-episode series is written and directed by Rob Long, a former executive producer of the sitcom “Cheers.” It premiered Monday.
— After making her acting debut in the Marvel series “Hawkeye,” Alaqua Cox stars in a spinoff about her character for Disney+ called “Echo.” Cox’s Maya Lopez is a deaf Native American who has left Wilson Fix’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) Tracksuit Mafia and returns home to Oklahoma to reconnect with her heritage and family, with Fisk’s henchmen trailing behind. “Echo” is on Disney+ and Hulu.
— Several mystery series with starry talent roll out in January so pick your sleuth. Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi portray dueling police officers investigating a case of a missing woman in the new thriller program “Criminal Record,” premiering Wednesday on Apple TV+. Jodie Foster leads the fourth season of “True Detective” called “True Detective: Night Country,” premiering Sunday on HBO and Max. And Clive Owen stars in “Monsieur Spade” as Sam Spade, a former detective pulled out of retirement to investigate the murder of a group of nuns. The premiere will be simulcast Sunday on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.
— On a lighter note, Seth MacFarlane revives Ted, his filthy teddy bear character with a Boston accent, in a new series for Peacock. “Ted” the show, is a prequel to the films starring Mark Wahlberg with Max Burkholder (“Parenthood”) as a teenage John Bennett in high school, with his best friend Ted by his side. The comedy drops Thursday.
— Peacock’s competition series “The Traitors” returns Friday. Hosted by Alan Cumming and his sidekick, pet dog Lala, various reality TV stars, athletes and competition show veterans are sent to an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands to play psychological warfare inspired by the party game “Mafia.” This crop of contestants includes Tamra Judge from ’The Real Housewives of Orange County,” Maksim Chmerkovskiy from “Dancing with the Stars,” Marcus Jordan, son of basketball great Michael Jordan and Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello of MTV’s “The Challenge.”
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