Sadie Sandler starring in the Netflix comedy “Roommates” and fresh tunes from Zayn Malik are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Elle Fanning playing a single mom who creates an OnlyFans account in “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” Capcom’s Pragmata offering gamers a moon-based adventure and Netflix’s critically acclaimed series “Beef” is back for a second season with a new cast.
New movies to stream from April 13-19
— Sadie Sandler, eldest daughter of Adam, is starring in the new Netflix comedy “Roommates,” about a college freshman and her boundaryless dormmate (Chloe East). Nick Kroll and Natasha Lyonne play her parents in a cast that also includes Francesca Scorsese, Carol Kane and Storm Reid. It’s streaming on Friday, April 17.
— Edgar Wright’s new take on Stephen King’s dystopian 1982 novel “The Running Man,” starring Glen Powell, will be streaming on Prime Video on Friday, April 17. The movie flopped at the box office, making less than $69 million on a reported budget of $110 million. Reviews weren’t the greatest either. The Associated Press’ Jake Coyle wrote that, “from the start, the darkest shades of King’s book have been snuffed out of this blandly entertaining remake that swaps out the brutalist 1980s nihilism of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie for a satirical portrait of America lacking in bite and prescience.” But, Coyle added, “if there’s one aspect of Wright’s film that feels genuinely connected to today, it’s the movie’s media metaphor.”
— A young girl (Sophie Sloan) hires her hitman neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill the monsters she thinks ate her family in the R-rated “Dust Bunny,” the debut feature from “Hannibal” series creator Bryan Fuller. The film, streaming on HBO Max starting Friday, April 17, got generally good reviews, with Manohla Dargis writing in The New York Times that it is “a blast of delightful, visually sumptuous nonsense.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
New music to stream from April 13-19
— It has been exactly 10 years since Zayn Malik became the first member of One Direction to release a solo record. His 2016 album “Mind of Mine” was a declaration of autonomy for the young performer, ambitious R&B tracks from a strong singer known for his breathy falsetto. He was playing to his strengths then, and has continued to do so in the decade that followed. On Friday, April 17, that arrives with the release of “Konnakol,” his fifth full-length record.
— Brooklyn-based R&B/soul singer-songwriter Yaya Bey is on a roll. Just last year, she released “do it afraid,” an album full of surprises: “Merlot and Grigio” featured Bajan dancehall artist Father Philis, the dance-y “Dream Girl” had echoes of Prince and “Raisins” was jazzy. That sense of experimentation is also found on “Fidelity,” out Friday, April 17. It’s a cathartic collection; an expression of grief and love following the death of her father, the revered rapper, producer and Juicy Crew member Grand Daddy I.U.
— He’s one of the biggest names on the planet to the contemporary electronic dance music fan in your life: The house superstar John Summit will release “Ctrl Escape” on Friday, April 17, via Experts Only and Darkroom Records. It’s an equal opportunity record, one for the ravers and those who prefer to watch Ultra Music Festival performances on YouTube from the comfort of their own living room, alike.
— The English disco-pop singer Jessie Ware will release “Superbloom,” also on Friday, April 17. She’s as ready to soundtrack a late night on the dance floor as she’s ever been — like on the single “Ride,” which interpolates the theme from the 1966 spaghetti Western film “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and melts into her sequined synths. “Come be my cowboy, baby, come, let’s ride,” she sings, more discotheque than honky-tonk. “You know I want you, I need you tonight, tonight.”
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from April 13-19
— In the Apple TV dramedy “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” Elle Fanning plays a young mom who had an affair with a college professor, got pregnant and is raising the baby on her own. She launches an OnlyFans persona to make money. Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman play her parents. The series is based on a bestselling novel of the same name and premieres Wednesday.
— Cast members from last summer’s iteration of “Love Island USA” take front and center in a second season of “Love Island: Beyond the Villa.” After returning home from Fiji, cameras resumed following the contestants, including winners and former couple Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. Guess what? The drama followed them home. The first two episodes drop Wednesday on Peacock.
— Netflix’s critically acclaimed series “Beef” is back for a second season with a new cast. The show, which was originally intended to be a limited series, is now an anthology. The new episodes star Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny. It premieres Thursday, April 16.
— Nicola Coughlan’s contemporary dark comedy “Big Mood” returns for a Season 2 on Tubi on Thursday, April 16. Coughlan and Lydia West star as Maggie and Eddie, longtime co-dependent best friends living in East London. Their friendship fell apart after Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder, decided to stop taking her medication and Eddie felt increasingly neglected. Season 2 picks up one year later.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from April 13-19
— The moon has been in the news a lot lately, so it’s a good time to pay a visit courtesy of Capcom’s Pragmata. Unfortunately, the lunar base where it’s set has been rocked by a massive moonquake — and some parts of it have been weirdly altered by a mysterious substance called Lunafilament. Two heroes emerge from the rubble: a guy named Hugh who’s skilled with firearms, and an android named Diana who’s a master hacker. They’ll need to join forces to restore the base while fighting off robots that are running rampant under the control of an evil AI. Blast off Friday, April 17, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 or PC.
— Nintendo’s Switch has become the console of choice for people who like to build cozy communities, thanks to hits like Animal Crossing and Pokémon Pokopia. But perhaps you’d like your neighbors to look more like your friends and family. Welcome to Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, which lets you populate an island with humanoid Mii avatars. Of course, these people can be fussy, so you’ll need to make them happy with food, clothes and furniture while building more places for them to play. Before you know it they’ll be making friends, falling in love and having kids. And you can send your character to visit another human’s Switch. Get to know Mii on Thursday.
— Lou Kesten
