Vanessa Kirby starring in a gritty film about the aspirations of home ownership, “Night Always Comes,” and Maroon 5 releasing their eighth studio album with songs featuring Lil Wayne and Blackpink’s LISA 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: Alicia Silverstone leading a new TV crime drama called “Irish Blood.,” the multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark and EA Sports jumps aboard the artificial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26.
New movies to stream from Aug. 11-17
— Isaiah Saxon’s “The Legend of Ochi” (streaming Friday, Aug. 15 on HBO Max) is a handcrafted fantasy throwback seeking to conjure the kind of magic once found in movies like “The Never Ending Story.” The A24 film stars Helena Zengel as Yuri, a girl who runs away from the forest home she shared with her father (Willem Dafoe) and brother (Finn Wolfhard). She leaves with a baby Ochi, a creature hunted her father. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that “The Legend of Ochi” “has the feeling of a film you might have stumbled on and loved as a kid.”
— Vanessa Kirby may be one of the standout performers of the summer blockbuster “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but she also stars in a gritty new film about the aspirations of home ownership. In “Night Always Comes” (Thursday on Netflix), Kirby plays a woman going to extreme lengths to secure a home for her family. The movie, directed by Benjamin Caron and adapted from Willy Vlautin’s best-selling novel, takes place over a single night.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
New music to stream from Aug. 11-17
— Maroon 5 will release their eighth studio album, “Love is Like,” on Friday, Aug. 15, via Interscope Records. Expect smooth, funky pop music — like the sultry “All Night.” Singer Adam Levine and Co. continue their trend of unexpected and delightful collaborations as well, with songs featuring Lil Wayne, Sexyy Red and Blackpink’s LISA. You read that correctly.
— Clifford Antone opened Antone’s, one of the most storied music venues in Austin, Texas, with an inaugural performance by the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier in 1975. In the decades since, Antone’s has become the stuff of mythology; a performance space that embraces its history and looks towards its future. On Friday, a new box set from New West Records seeks to celebrate Antone’s legacy with “Antone’s: 50 Years of the Blues.”
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from Aug. 11-17
— The multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark. The series stars Schuyler Fisk, Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick and Genevieve Angelson as family members in a small town divided over their rival fried chicken businesses. It’s based on a novel of the same name. The series streams new episodes beginning Monday on Hallmark+.
— Alicia Silverstone leads the new crime drama called “Irish Blood.” She plays Fiona, a woman who has been led to believe her father abandoned her as a child — and has carried around some heavy emotional baggage ever since. When she learns the truth is more complicated — not to mention dangerous — she heads to Ireland to investigate. The premiere of the six-part show drops Monday on Acorn TV.
— A new one for the kiddos is the Disney Jr. series “Iron Man and his Awesome Friends,” coming to Disney+. The first 10 episodes drop Tuesday. The show follows besties and fellow geniuses, Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho, who team up to solve problems.
— Chris Hemsworth continues his quest to live a healthier, more present, and longer life in a second season of “Limitless,” now called “Limitless: Live Better Now.” The three-part docuseries sees Hemsworth learn more about brain power (with help from his friend and recording artist Ed Sheeran), risk and pain. The three episodes stream on Hulu and Disney+ beginning Friday, Aug. 15.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from Aug. 11-17
— EA Sports is jumping aboard the artificial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26, promising “a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade.” The most intriguing additions are QB DNA and Coach DNA — so, for example, if you’re playing the Kansas City Chiefs, you’ll see the kind of moves you’d expect from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. As always, the goal is to get ever closer to real-life football, with more dynamic weather effects, more details from pro stadiums and the return (at last!) of team mascots. The cover model this season is Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who’ll be ready to start leaping over defenders Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.
— Lou Kesten
