NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick going to Italy for a wedding and some mafia intrigue in the movie “Another Simple Favor” and Tina Fey and Steve Carell reuniting for the Netflix series “The Four Seasons” 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: Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view, RaMell Ross’ shattering movie “Nickel Boys” and country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems.
New movies to stream from April 28-May 4
— Murder, betrayal and martinis are on the menu for “Another Simple Favor,” which brings Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s characters to Italy for a wedding, and some mafia intrigue. Paul Feig returned to the director’s chair for the film which got largely favorable reviews out of the South by Southwest Film Festival. “Another Simple Favor” premieres on Prime Video on May 1.
— Also coming to Prime Video is one of the best movies of 2024, RaMell Ross’ shattering “Nickel Boys,” which begins streaming on April 29. The adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel employs a first-person point of view to tell the story of two boys at a brutal reform school in the Jim Crow South. In my review, I wrote that it was “formally and emotionally eye-opening,” a memory piece and “a reconciling of unspeakable traumas and human resilience.” It was Oscar nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay.
— There’s another gem streaming on MUBI on Friday, May 2, but this is likely one most haven’t heard of. The independent film “La Cocina” flew under the radar with a modest release, but it’s worth a watch for anyone who loves innovative cinema. Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” is an artistic behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen staff during the lunch rush at a busy Times Square restaurant. The tension is ramped up due to missing money and interpersonal drama between an undocumented chef (Raúl Briones) and the waitress he loves (Rooney Mara).
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
New music to stream from April 28-May 4
— In a recent viral interview, the innovative Swedish rapper Yung Lean declared “the party is over.” In the music video for “Forever Yung,” the lead single from his forthcoming record, he takes that spirit quite literally and holds a funeral for himself. It’s a sinisterly cheerful affair, bolstered by the song’s lo-fi production and reverbed vocals. His latest album, “Jonatan” — taken from his real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad — arrives Friday via World Affairs.
— Country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems titled “Love & Light,” their latest for Mercury Nashville/UMG. “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms” might be the most romantic song written about a glorious five-minute friendship; “Kissing Cowboys” sounds like a raucous good time in a crowded dive bar. It is the soundtrack to a summertime road trip with girlfriends.
— Isaiah Falls, a fresh voice in R&B, will release the A-side to his debut album, “LVRS PARADISE” on Friday. The rising talent brings Southern Florida bounce to his smooth vocal performances.
— Music Writer Maria Sherman
New television to stream from April 28-May 4
— Tina Fey and Steve Carell — who teamed up in 2010 for “Date Night” — are reuniting again for the upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons.” Based on the 1981 movie of the same name, “The Four Seasons” is a comedy-drama about three couples who take four yearly vacations together, one for each season. Fey and Carell are joined by Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Fey co-created “The Four Seasons” with her “30 Rock” collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. It starts Thursday.
— Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view Sunday, May 4 on AMC. One of six “Walking Dead” spin-offs produced so far, “Dead City” reunites the show’s unlikely duo — Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, and Maggie, played by Lauren Cohan. They are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long since isolated from the mainland. New faces joining the cast include Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) as the menacing Bruegel, Keir Gilchrist (Atypical) as Benjamin Pierce, and Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black) as Major Lucia Narvaez.
— Apple TV+ hits the kitchen Wednesday with “Carême,” a French historical drama that’s being called “The Bear” crossed with “The Bourne Identity.” It tells the story of Marie-Antonin Carême, often called the father of French cuisine, as he climbs to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. It’s not just a food show — our hero must also navigate the volatile world of shifting political alliances, royal secrets and revolution-fueled suspicions.
— NBC is also heading to the kitchen with “Yes, Chef!,” a new cooking competition that pairs Martha Stewart and José Andrés. The show pits 12 professional chefs and Stewart and Andrés will judge their cooking skills and ability to work together as they complete in a series of high-stakes culinary challenges. The top chef will take home a $250,000 grand prize. “Yes, Chef!” premieres Monday and streams on Peacock a day later.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
New video games to play week of April 28-May 4
— Skin Deep isn’t the sort of title you’d expect from California’s Blendo Games, a one-man studio that has blessed us with gonzo cult hits like Quadrilateral Cowboy and Thirty Flights of Loving. But designer Brendon Chung’s signature weirdness is all over the story, in which insurance agent Nina Pasadena has to rescue a bunch of frozen cats from space pirates. The bad guys are well-armed but Nina isn’t, so she’ll have to use whatever’s at hand — broken glass, banana peels, boxes of ragweed — to take them down before she can hurl them out the airlock. It’s like “Die Hard” on a space station with a healthy dose of slapstick, and it launches Wednesday on PC.
— Lou Kesten