This weekend our newsletter celebrates its fifth birthday. Thank you to all of you who have read and watched along with us. |
Have a beautiful weekend. |
This weekend I have … 45 minutes, and I want more superheroes |
 | | Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons) teaches his son, Mark (voiced by Steven Yeun), the superhero ropes on "Invincible."Amazon |
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When to watch: Now, on Amazon. |
This new animated series from Robert Kirkman ("The Walking Dead"), adapted from his comic, centers on Mark (voiced by Steven Yeun), a teenager who looks up to his superhero father (J.K. Simmons) and is eager to follow in his footsteps. Maybe he shouldn't be quite so eager, though — Omni-Man might not be as super or heroic as he seems. Although the show's themes of individuating from one's parents and developing a support system and moral code fit in a more Y.A. space, its extreme gore is decidedly adult. The first three episodes drop Friday, and the subsequent five will be released weekly through April 30. |
… an hour, and quack quack quack |
 | | Lauren Graham, foreground, in a scene from "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers."Liane Hentscher/ABC |
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'The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers' |
Like "Cobra Kai" and "Saved by the Bell," this "Mighty Ducks" revival is a good-natured series set in the same world as the original, with some returning characters and some next generation children in the mix. Lauren Graham stars as roughly the same character she played on "Gilmore Girls" and "Parenthood," a charming and devoted single mom who on this show starts a hockey team so her tween son can keep playing after he is cut from the now-villainous Ducks. The rink where they practice is run by none other than Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), who swears he's out of the hockey world. But if you've ever encountered even a molecule of popular entertainment before, you know that vow won't last. |
… four hours, and I can't wait for summer |
 | | Charlie Gustafsson and Hedda Stiernstedt in a scene from "The Restaurant: 1951."Niklas Maupoix/Sundance Now |
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Season 1 of this Swedish drama (in Swedish, with subtitles) starts in 1945, Season 2 in 1955, Season 3 in 1968. But this four-episode fourth season takes us back to the summer of 1951. Calle and Nina (Charlie Gustafsson and Hedda Stiernstedt), the central couple on the series, are married to other people, and they pretend as if they're going to keep their distance. But how many longing stares and sighs can two characters — or one viewer — possibly endure? If you like period dramas in general or ensemble dramas in which adult siblings have meaningful beef with one another, or if all your dreams involve sun-soaked seashores, watch this. |
Your newly available movies |
 | | Anthony Hopkins in "The Father."Sean Gleason/Sony Pictures Classics |
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The good news for movie lovers during the pandemic is that nearly all of the Oscar nominees were quickly available for home viewing. And now the one big holdout, "The Father," has finally made its way to video on-demand. Nominated for best picture and best actor, the film stars Anthony Hopkins as a recalcitrant loner with dementia, and it's one of five Critic's Picks this week. |
Some independent films are available via "virtual cinemas," which share the rental fees between distributors and theaters. Unless otherwise noted, other titles can generally be rented on the usual platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. SCOTT TOBIAS |
However effortful, the movie's tricks are more likely to activate your gorge than your funny bone. An end-credits reveal of the hidden cameras to the film's good-natured dupes has a humorous purity that's unexpected and appealing — if far too late to mitigate the dreck that has gone before. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.) |
'The Father' (A Critic's Pick) |
At once stupendously effective and profoundly upsetting, "The Father" might be the first movie about dementia to give me actual chills. On its face a simple, uncomfortably familiar story about the heartbreaking mental decline of a beloved parent, this first feature from the French novelist and playwright Florian Zeller plays with perspective so cleverly that maintaining any kind of emotional distance is impossible. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.) |
Few people in this position would think to pick up a camera, let alone keep filming for so long. That makes "Miracle Fishing" a unique and harrowing record. — Ben Kenigsberg (Read the full review here.) |
Like "Mulholland Drive," a clear touchstone, "Nina Wu" grows increasingly disjunctive as beguiling, eerily sensual incursions from a jealous rival rattle the actress. At the same time, cinematic illusion is rendered indistinguishable from reality with rug-pulling that feels genuinely shocking. — Beatrice Loayza (Read the full review here.) |
You may believe you know [Tina] Turner's tale. And you may be right. It is retold well here, but the most moving portions — and they could bring tears to your eyes — come as Turner, almost 80 at the time of this interview (and as beautiful as she has ever been), wearing a tailored black suit, sits and discusses where she's at now. — Glenn Kenny (Read the full review here.) |
[The directors Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer] have given their subject matter the focus it deserves, distinguishing themselves as thoughtful, artistic and uncompromising in their shared vision. This female-centered story manages to be gutsy while resisting exploitation — a welcome and nuanced addition to a genre often hobbled by didacticism. — Lena Wilson (Read the full review here.) |
 | | And now, let us all hum the theme song for "Doug."Nickelodeon/Viacom |
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- A boatload of vintage Nickelodeon shows are now on Paramount+, including "All That," "Allegra's Window," "Are You Afraid of the Dark?," "Blue's Clues," "Cat Dog," "Clarissa Explains It All," "Double Dare," "Doug," "Eureeka's Castle," "Gullah Gullah Island," "Guts," "Hey Arnold!," "Hey Dude," "KaBlam!," "Kenan & Kel," "Legends of the Hidden Temple," "Rocko's Modern Life," "Rugrats," "Salute Your Shorts" and "You Can't Do That on Television."
- "American Masters: Twyla Moves," a documentary about Twyla Tharp, airs Friday at 9 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)
- The N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards air Saturday at 8 p.m. on ViacomCBS networks, including BET and CBS.
- "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" returns Sunday at 9 p.m. on NBC.
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