This week, the “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken” docu-series is available on Paramount +, the long-awaited Faye Dunaway documentary comes to Max, and Megan Moroney drops her sophomore album.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Laurent Bouzereau’s “Faye” (streaming beginning 8 p.m. Saturday on Max) is an authorized but candid portrait of the singular screen legend Faye Dunaway. In it, the 83-year-old Dunaway frankly discusses her bipolar disorder diagnosis and her history of alcoholism, along with her long string of classic films, including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Chinatown” and “Network.”
Not many films come with instructions to wear headphones while watching, but Sam Green’s “32 Sounds” is not your average documentary, either. Green’s movie, which was shortlisted for best documentary by the Academy Awards earlier this year, explores 32 wildly disparate auditory experiences — the heartbeat of a fetus, a whoopee cushion at work, Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” — to contemplate all the many ways that sound resonates in our lives. The movie was first a “live documentary” experience that handed out headphones to its audience members and is streaming on the Criterion Channel.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Last year, country musician Megan Moroney’s debut album, “Lucky,” was named one of AP’s top albums for 2023 for its sharp writing and friendly delivery — a Gen Z songwriter I previously described possessing Taylor Swift-level acuity. Her pen continues to be her weapon on “Am I Okay?” a heartbreak-filled rollercoaster ride of a sophomore album, filled with quotable kiss-offs and evolved compositions. It will be released Friday.
Hardy (real name Michael Wilson Hardy) has been celebrated for his hybrid approach to country music, weaving elements of anthemic rock and even nu-metal into his compositions. (Kid Rock has left a massive vacancy, it could be pointed out.) On his third studio album, “Quit!!,” Hardy continues to push the boundaries of his chosen genres. “Rockstar” sounds like something that would’ve found a home on the Van’s Warped Tour, delivered through his signature twang; the line between rock and country has never been thinner.
We’re living in a prosperous period of music documentaries about Memphis (and no, we’re not only including HBO and Max’s “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A” in that statement, but it is certainly up there.) A new documentary will become available via video-on-demand: “The Blues Society,” which gleans new insight into the Memphis Country Blues Festival, held between 1966 and 1970. The film, released Tuesday, examines the relationship between the festival and ’60s counterculture, Memphis blues and race — particularly looking at the white organizers who put it on and the black musicians who played it. It’s appointment viewing for music and American history fans alike.
Paramount+ released a new, two-part docuseries, “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken.” It follows the Grammy-award-winning Etheridge as she organizes a special concert at a women’s prison in Kansas, the Topeka Correctional Facility. Five women incarcerated there wrote letters to Etheridge, inspiring her to compose an original song for them and throw the event. Throughout is also an addiction narrative, which Etheridge can relate to. In 2020, her son Beckett Cypher died at age 21 from causes related to opioid addiction.
SHOWS TO STREAM
Jenn Tran, who competed for Joey Graziadei’s heart on the last season of “The Bachelor,” is ABC’s new “Bachelorette.” Tran, a physician’s assistant student, is the first Asian American to lead the series. Watch her meet her suitors on ABC. Episodes also stream on Hulu.
Rashida Jones stars in a new mystery for Apple TV+ centering around one of the hottest topics of late: artificial intelligence. In “Sunny,” Jones plays a woman living in Japan whose husband and son go missing after a plane crash. She’s gifted with a domestic robot to keep her company and help through her grief.
Dakota and Elle Fanning are behind a new true crime docuseries for Hulu. “Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer” introduces viewers to Dr. Ann Burgess, a pioneer in the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, who changed the way authorities investigate serial killers. Burgess’ story isn’t just fascinating and inspiring, as she earned respect in the male-dominated FBI. The three-part series dropped on Thursday.
With the success of “Love Island USA” and “The Traitors,” Peacock has two hit reality competition shows on its roster. Next, hungry bears are the stars of a new nonscripted series for the streamer. “The Hungry Games: Alaska’s Big Bear Challenge” tracks Alaskan brown bears as they seek to eat enough food (approximately three million calories) to sustain them through winter slumber. The hangry bears must battle Mother Nature and each other to do so. As the title suggests, “The Hungry Games” is presented like a competition show. The games started Thursday.
Not to be outdone, the godfather of natural history programs, Sir David Attenborough, has a new wildlife docuseries dedicated to various mammals. “Planet Earth: Mammals” looks at, you guessed it, mammals big and small adapting to their evolving natural habitat due to human activity and the effects of climate change. The six-part series premieres Saturday on BBC America and AMC+.
A new original for MGM+ explores the world of politics and academia against the backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard. “Emperor of Ocean Park” is a thriller mystery series based on a novel of the same name and debuts Sunday. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and Grantham Coleman star.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
There aren’t enough games where you get to kick your enemies, so thank goodness for Devolver Digital’s Anger Foot. Sure, it lets you arm yourself with standard weapons like rifles and crossbows, but for up-close brawling, nothing beats a shoe to the face. The visuals look like something you might see after too many Red Bulls, the bass-heavy soundtrack will wake up your neighbors, and the shoe collection should satisfy any sneakerhead. South African developer Free Lives is known for raunchy, ultraviolent comedy, and it doesn’t take the foot off the gas pedal here. You can kick out the jams starting Thursday on PC.