Drake’s latest album, the corporate movie thriller “Fair Play” starring Phoebe Dynevor, and a game show on CBS that’s being described as Mexico’s version of Bingo are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you
Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are the late director William Friedkin’s final movie, “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” and season two of “Quantum Leap” premieres on NBC.
— The corporate thriller “Fair Play” stars Phoebe Dynevor (“Bridgerton”) and Alden Ehrenreich (“Solo”) as two analysts at the same hedge fund in a secret relationship. The workplace environment — sexist, cutthroat — is not exactly a healthy one for romance. In Chloe Domont’s film, that turns out especially true after Emily (Dynevor) gets a promotion Luke (Ehrenreich) expected for himself. “Fair Play,” which began streaming Friday on Netflix, was a hit out of the Sundance Film Festival for its streamy scenes and thorny gender dynamics. ( Read AP’s review.)
— William Friedkin died in August but the legendary filmmaker of “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” left one movie behind. “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September, is Friedkin’s final film. The movie, which streams Friday on Showtime and Paramount+, adapts Herman Wouk’s oft-revived 1950s play, a courtroom drama about mismanagement and mutiny aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. Friedkin, whose long filmography is dotted with stage adaptations (including Tracy Letts’ “Bug” and “Killer Joe”), transplants the story from World War II to post-9/11 America. It stars Keifer Sutherland, Jason Clarke and the late Lance Reddick.
— With the calendar turning to October, a long line of horror films is dutifully making its way to screens. “The Haunted Mansion” slides in on the spookier (rather than the scary) end of the spectrum. The film, based on the Walt Disney theme park attraction, is directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) and stars LaKeith Stanfield as an inspector called on to investigate a haunted house. Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish and Jamie Lee Curtis make up the ensemble cast. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr credited their performances but said the film strains for coherence: “By no means a terrible movie, or even an unpleasant watch, but it’s just missing the magic that makes the trip to the theaters (or Disney World) worth it.”
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
— Drake is no stranger to an inventive roll-out: the OVO rapper has a preference for surprise drops (last year’s “Honesty, Nevermind” is evidence enough). But this year, he gave fans a bit of a heads up for his highly-anticipated “For all the Dogs” album. At select dates, on stage at his massively popular “It’s All A Blur” Tour, Drake teased collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Bad Bunny. The latter marks the duo’s first collaboration since 2018’s “MÍA,” where Drake’s Spanish-language singing was heard ’round the world.
— By the time ’90s country had reached its apex, Reba McEntire was already a giant of her genre for her countless, consistent chart-toppers — including a famous cover of Bobby Gentry’s feminist anthem “Fancy.” Now, she’s preparing to release a collection of acoustic covers of her greatest hits, cleverly titled “Not So Fancy.” The songs transform in this format, notably due to the richness of McEntire’s voice. A standout: Dolly Parton taking the place of Linda Davis on “Do He Love You.”
— The funny thing about being in a boy band is becoming a man, individuating outside of the group you spent your entire adolescence and young adulthood in, and figuring out what comes next. For Louis Tomlinson, the cheeky, edgy member of the British (and 1/5 Irish) boy band One Direction, the journey hasn’t been an easy one. In his documentary, “All of Those Voices,” available to stream on Paramount+ on Wednesday, Tomlinson navigates extraordinary circumstances with a charismatic ordinariness. Grief, parenthood, identity, and artmaking are explored with such meticulous and realistic care, you’d almost forget this 31-year-old performer was once in the biggest group on the planet.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— “Jane the Virgin” scene-stealer, Jaime Camil, hosts a new game show on CBS called “Lotería Loca.” It’s described as Mexico’s version of Bingo. The show is high-energy, easy to learn and has Sheila E. serving as the house band leader. There’s an opportunity in each episode to win $1 million. “Lotería Loca” airs Mondays on CBS and will also stream on Paramount+.
— Season two of “Quantum Leap” premiered Wednesday on NBC. It takes place 30 years after the original Scott Bakula version and stars Raymond Lee as Ben, a physicist studying a time travel project called Quantum Leap. When Ben travels back in time, he’s unable to return, but leaps around in the past, inhabiting different bodies. The series also shows Raymond’s colleagues working to bring him back to the present. Episodes also stream on Peacock the next day.
— Paramount+ taps into the appeal of Korean-produced TV shows with “Bargain.” Adapted from an award-winning short film, the series begins at a faraway motel where men go to meet prostitutes. It’s then revealed the men have been tricked to seek out the motel as a trap for a live black-market sale of human organs, and they’re the ones up for auction. Sounds intense, right? It gets worse. An earthquake hits, kicking off a fight for survival among a group of people who do not trust one another. All six-episodes dropped Thursday. Jun Jong-seo of “Money Heist: Korea” is one of the stars.
— Omar Sy resumes his role as France’s favorite charming professional thief in a seven-episode, third installment of Netflix’s “Lupin.” Sy plays Assane, a man with a gift for disguise and deception, who targets those he believes deserve it. Assane has modeled himself after the protagonist in a book of stories called “Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar.” The series began with Assane scheming to avenge the wrongful conviction and death of his late father. In season three, out Thursday, Assane’s mother needs his help.
— Alicia Rancilio
— Basim Ibn Ishaq, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, needs to use stealth and cunning to survive the mean streets of 9th century Baghdad. That’s quite the change from the blustering, kill-’em-all Viking who led the last installment of Ubisoft’s venerable franchise. For players who enjoy getting the job done without drawing too much attention — you know, like an assassin — Mirage could be a return to form for a series that may have become too ambitious. Ubisoft describes the new chapter as a “heartfelt homage” to the 2007 original that’s more tightly focused on one bustling city rather than sprawling all over the globe. The knives are out on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.
— Let’s leap forward in time to the 1930s, the golden age of pulp, when all sorts of dastardly villains are plotting world domination. The last stand against tyranny is The Lamplighters League, a bunch of “misfits and scoundrels” with the particular sets of skills needed to stop the evildoers. This spunky adventure comes from Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind the cult favorite Shadowrun series. Like those games, it features turn-by-turn, team-based battles, but there are also real-time infiltration sequences that let you get the jump on the bad guys before they even see you. If you like your stealth and strategy mixed with a wry sense of humor, you can now join the League on Xbox X/S/One and PC.
— Lou Kesten
___
Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.