This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include albums from Lainey Wilson and Sabrina Carpenter, George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” on the small screen, and Kevin Costner’s Western “Horizon: An American Saga” comes to Max.
Also streaming this week: The acclaimed series “Pachinko” returns to Apple TV+ for its eight-episode second season, and John Woo revisits one of his classic films in “The Killer,” a remake of his 1989 Hong Kong-set action movie.
MOVIES TO STREAM
George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” streaming now on Max, may have struggled to match the dizzying heights of 2015’s “Fury Road.” However, the film features extraordinary action sequences, a grand fleet of dystopian vehicles, and one of Chris Hemsworth’s best performances. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as young Furiosa, taking over the role played earlier by Charlize Theron. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy lamented that “Miller is trying to add operatic heft and seriousness to what started in 1979 as a fun, rip-roaring smear of nightmarish, post-apocalyptic motor oil.”
After a bumpy run in theaters, Kevin Costner’s Western “Horizon: An American Saga” lands on Max Friday. Costner’s three-hour epic, the first of what Costner had hoped would be a four-film series, didn’t win over a lot of critics nor light up the box office ($29 million domestically) despite Costner’s passionate belief in the project. (He put up millions of dollars in his own money for its $100 million-plus budget.) A release date for the already-completed part two was also postponed. An ensemble cast is led by Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and Costner.
In Tina Mabry’s “The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat” (streaming Friday on Hulu), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba star as a trio of Indiana lifelong friends who have named themselves after the Motown trio. Adapted from Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 book by Mabry and Gina Prince-Bythewood (who’s credited under the pseudonym Cee Marcellus), “The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat” chronicles an abiding sisterhood through ups and downs.
John Woo revisits one of his classic films in “The Killer” (streaming Friday on Peacock), a remake of his 1989 Hong Kong-set action movie. Nathalie Emmanuel (“Game of Thrones”) stars as an assassin trailed by a detective (Omar Sy) in Europe. A remake of “The Killer” has been in the works since the early ’90s, with a wide gamut of filmmakers and stars (from Denzel Washington to Lupita Nyong’o) who have been attached over the years. In the end, Woo, 77, decided to remake it himself.
MUSIC TO STREAM
For many, Sabrina Carpenter is a newcomer in pop music, having entered like a wrecking ball with her 2024 song of the summer, “Espresso,” and the dreamy, twangy, Jack Antonoff-produced follow-up single, “Please, Please, Please.” But it will mark her sixth album when “Short N’ Sweet,” her latest full-length project, releases on Friday. Sometimes it takes nearly a decade to succeed overnight. Her last album, 2022’s “Emails I Can’t Send,” was her first since leaving Disney’s Hollywood Records, a mature take on the pop she’s long had a penchant for; it also served as an introduction to her brand of cheeky, R-rated humor, like in the R&B swagger of “Nonsense.”
Lainey Wilson began her career more or less in high school, working as a Hannah Montana impersonator. Then came a few rough years trying to make it in Nashville — in fact, she released her debut album exactly 10 years ago. The bumpy ride has paid off, and on Friday, she’ll release her fifth studio album, “Whirlwind.” Let it be a lesson that there’s a real reward for talented people who don’t give up. These days, she’s a Grammy winner, the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs since Taylor Swift in 2011, and in June, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Talk about a “Whirlwind.” Her new album deals with the wild ride of life, love and heartbreak, taking Wilson’s specific experiences and making them universal.
Also, on Friday, country star Thomas Rhett will release a new album, “About A Woman.” Laid back as ever, the songs here are classic Rhett. They’re also love letters. “Gone Country” pulls from hip-hop production, as is a trend in contemporary country; “After All The Bars Are Closed” and “Overdrive” are all romance. These songs are “About A Woman,” indeed.
It has been 24 years since the Softies — the minimalist indie-pop duo of Rose Melberg (also of Tiger Trap, Gaze, Go Sailor) and Jen Sbragia (Pretty Face) — have released a new album. In that time, generations of music obsessives had learned and loved their back catalog and worked to understand their powers. How can two electric guitars and sugar-rush harmonies hit with such humanity? But a magician never reveals her tricks, and in the case of “The Bed I Made,” the Softies’ forthcoming album, there’s more magic to experience.
SHOWS TO STREAM
“Reasonable Doubt” debuts its second season on Hulu. The series has an all-black writers room and has been praised for reflecting a true black experience. Emayatzy Corinealdi plays Jax Stewart, a defense attorney who often colors outside the lines regarding legal ethics. Morris Chestnut joins the show for season two.
The acclaimed series “Pachinko” returns to Apple TV+ for its eight-episode second season on Friday. Based on a 2017 novel by Min Jin Lee, “Pachinko” is about four generations of an immigrant Korean family that moved to Japan before World War II.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The protagonist of Black Myth, Wukong, is a monkey, but he’s evolved a long way from Donkey Kong. Indeed, he’s the “Destined One,” rocking a sweet suit of armor and a magical staff. Chinese developer Game Science promises a blend of challenging combat, role-playing mechanics and an epic story based on the classic “Journey to the West.” The trek begins on PlayStation 5 and PC.
