Charli xcx’s new album and a pickleball movie starring Jake Johnson 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: the “Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” “72 Hours” and the Nintendo game “Splatoon Raiders.”
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— Pickleball is the target of the new Apple TV comedy “The Dink,” starring Jake Johnson as a tennis pro who “almost beat Andy Roddick” and reluctantly takes up the popular sport while recovering from an injury. The movie, streaming on July 24, co-stars Ben Stiller, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris and Patton Oswalt.
— Kevin Hart goes on a bachelor party trip with some twentysomethings after being accidentally included in the group chat in the new Netflix comedy “72 Hours,” streaming on July 24. Said twentysomethings are played by “SNL” cast members Marcello Hernández, Kam Patterson and Ben Marshall and Mason Gooding as the groom-to-be.
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— “Blue Heron,” streaming on the Criterion Channel starting July 21, made The Associated Press’s list for best movies of the year so far. Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that, “Sophy Romvari’s exquisite and soulful directorial debut melds documentary and fiction, past and present. It’s based on her own childhood, when her Hungarian parents moved their family of six to Vancouver Island in British Columbia … It’s an aching, probing memory piece.”
— Another movie that made our list, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” has a quite different tone. This silly, lo-fi indie about two slacker buddies (Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol) who concoct crackpot schemes to land a gig at the Toronto music venue, the Rivoli, is a gem that begins streaming on Hulu on July 24. I wrote that I’m proof that no prior knowledge is needed to get on their goofy wavelength and enjoy the ride — and all the “Back to the Future” references.
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— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
— “BRAT” summer came and stayed and eventually went — and what would be built in its absence? Charli xcx claims the dance floor is dead on her latest album, “Music, Fashion, Film,” out Friday. She’s making “Rock Music” this time around, at least, her version of it: a bit troll-y, a bit sincere, full of distorted guitars and processed vocals. But her pop heart remains intact, like on the depressed and dreamy “SS26.” If that’s not enough to inspire curiosity, perhaps this is: The album’s sole feature credit is Canadian auteur and beloved horror filmmaker David Cronenberg on its closer, “No One Lasts Forever.”
— Grammy winning South African artist Tyla burst onto the mainstream with her 2023 global hit “Water.” It married R&B, pop and amapiano — a style of music which translates to “the pianos” in the Zulu language, a fusion of Kwaito house music and jazz, often driven by log drums. And it did so at a time where hunger and curiosity for African music was at an all-time high. Afrobeats have only continued to skyrocket in the time since, and Tyla has proven to be no one-hit wonder. She’s paved her own path. On Friday, she will release her sophomore album, “A(asterisks)POP.” It’s the next evolution of her sound, which features a dancehall collaboration with Zara Larsson, “She Did It Again,” the amapiano-pop “Chanel” and so much more.
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— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— The socially awkward comic bookstore owner Stuart from “The Big Bang Theory” leads a new spinoff called “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.” Played by Kevin Sussman, Stuart fumbles a physics project created by “Big Bang” OG characters Sheldon and Leonard that leads to chaos he must undo. Other cast members Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn and John Ross Bowie reprise their roles from the original series. It premieres July 28 on HBO Max.
— Minka Kelly and Josh Duhamel return for Season 2 of Netflix’s “Ransom Canyon.” The romantic drama follows two longtime friends, Quinn O’Grady and Staten Kirkland, who finally got together in Season 1 after years of teetering on a relationship. The happy couple is challenged as Kelly’s Quinn questions whether small town life is enough for her. This, while Duhamel’s Staten is trying to stake his claim in the family ranch. The new season premieres July 28.
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— AP Writer Alicia Rancilio
— Nintendo’s Splatoon franchise brought a vivid twist to the multiplayer combat arena, mostly by replacing bullets with multicolored ink. “Splatoon Raiders” takes you out of the arena entirely with a treasure hunt across an exotic archipelago. Don’t expect a mellow vacation, though — these islands are filled with hostile wildlife known as Salmonids. Naturally, collecting more treasure lets you beef up the gear you need to defeat the monsters. “Raiders” aims to provide a satisfying solo experience for Splatologists, but you can also play co-op with up to three friends. Start squirting June 23 on Switch 2.
— Lou Kesten
