What to stream: Charlie Puth, ‘Sentimental Value,’ Daniel Day-Lewis, James Marsden and a ‘Hannah Montana’ special
A “Hannah Montana” anniversary special starring Miley Cyrus and fresh music from Robyn and Charlie Puth albums 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 Oscar-winning Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value,” James Marsden as a hit man in “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,” and the San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees on Netflix’s first MLB broadcast.
Movies
• In “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,” streaming Friday, March 27, on Disney+, James Marsden plays a hitman named Mike who’s hired by a time traveler named Nick (Vince Vaughn). Nick wants to prevent the biggest mistake of his life by killing his past self. Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s film recently premiered at the SXSW film festival.
• Following its win at the Academy Awards, Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” has its streaming debut Monday, March 23, on Hulu. Nominated for nine Oscars, including best picture, it won for best international film. In it, Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas play sisters who reconnect with their filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgård), who’s making an autobiographical film starring an American actor (Elle Fanning). In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that the film’s focus “may be small and limited — one Norwegian family struggling to connect and communicate — and yet its emotional scope is downright cosmic.”
• Daniel Day-Lewis came out of retirement to star in his first film since 2017’s “Phantom Thread” in “Anemone,” a family drama directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis. In it, Day-Lewis plays a hermit in the North England woods who’s visited by an old friend (Sean Bean) sent to bring him back to his son. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it “bleak, somber, absorbing but also sometimes frustratingly opaque.” It streams Saturday, March 28, on Netflix.
Music
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ eccentric bassist Flea will release his debut album on Friday, March 27. And, in a true shock to those who don’t know him, it’s a trumpet-forward jazz record. You read that correctly. Long before the rocker made a name for himself in a band known for songs about California, he was a huge jazz fan, a musical world he explores on the record titled “Honora.” Come for the name, stay for his inventive improvisations and star-studded collaborations, which include Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and the always introspective Nick Cave.
• A lot has happened to singer/songwriter Charlie Puth in the time since his last album, “Charlie,” was released in 2022. He got married. He’s expecting his first child. He performed at the Super Bowl. Taylor Swift gave him a shout out on her album “The Tortured Poets Department.” And now, he’s embracing it all on a new record, the playful “Whatever’s Clever!” Expect fun pop songs about life and its many transformative moments. That, and some Kenny G.
• Swedish pop savant Robyn has returned with “Sexistential,” her first album in eight years. It is nine-tracks of shimmering synths (“Dopamine,” “Really Real”), ascendant choruses (“Into the Sun”), and rebellious pop songs that double as emotional life rafts (“Sucker for Love.”) The songs are all about freedom, single motherhood, love and lust — often in the same breath. It’s a lascivious collection for the dance floor: exactly what most pop stars hope to achieve, many fail, and Robyn makes look effortless.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
Series
• “Hannah Montana” made Miley Cyrus a star, and a new special streaming Tuesday, March 24, on Disney+ celebrates 20 years since the show’s premiere. Filmed in front of a live audience, the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” will feature music, archival footage and an interview with Cyrus, hosted by podcast host Alex Cooper.
• Grab your peanuts and Cracker Jack because Netflix’s first MLB broadcast is opening-night on Wednesday, March 25. The San Francisco Giants will host the New York Yankees. Former Giants outfielder Barry Bonds has joined the commentary team for the streamer.
• A bride-to-be starts to get a bad feeling about her impending nuptials. Is it cold feet or intuition? “Something Very Bad is Going to Happen” stars Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & The Six”) and Adam DiMarco (“The White Lotus”) in the new creepy limited-series debuting Thursday, March 26, on Netflix.
Video games
• In 2015’s Life Is Strange, a young woman named Max rewound time to save her childhood friend Chloe’s life. The series has bounced around since between different lead characters with different supernatural gifts, but Max and Chloe are back in Life Is Strange: Reunion. Max is now a teacher whose university has been destroyed by an inferno — and when she turns back the clock this time, Chloe shows up. Does she have mysterious powers of her own? Can they save the school and their relationship? If you’re craving an emotional, metaphysical mystery, you can check in Thursday, March 26, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.