What to Stream: Blackpink and Bruno, Paul McCartney doc, ‘Survivor’ at 50 and Resident Evil Requiem
By The Associated Press
Both the K-pop girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles 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: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to fight in Resident Evil Requiem.
New movies to stream from Feb. 23-March 1
— Andrew Stanton has directed some very memorable Pixar movies (“WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo”), but his live-action track record is more checkered. Following 2012’s poorly received “John Carter,” Stanton is back with “In the Blink of an Eye,” a film that brings together a handful of interconnected stories that explore the history of the world. Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs co-star. After a rocky reception at the Sundance Film Festival last month, “In the Blink of an Eye” debuts Friday, Feb. 27 on Hulu.
— The Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards will be handed out March 1 in a Netflix-livestreamed ceremony. Dished out by SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, the awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar predictors. This year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes in the lead nominee.
New music to stream from Feb. 23-March 1
— For the Paul McCartney superfan comes a new documentary series from director Morgan Neville, who also helmed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Piece by Piece.” Not on the Beatles, but what came after. “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run,” which hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Feb. 27, chronicles the music man’s life in the 1970s — Wings and then some. It’s an intimate portrait worth spending time with.
— Also on Friday, Feb. 27: The return of Bruno Mars! “The Romantic” is Mars’ fourth full-length project and first solo album since 2016’s hit-making “24K Magic.” (That’s of course excluding his mega-popular collaborative project with Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, and their 2021 release “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”) Retro-pop is the name of the game and Mars remains one of the great, spirited nostalgists. That’s evident from the jump: “I Just Might” is feel-good disco-pop-soul; it’s clear Mars is making his return just when the world wants him most.
— All four members of K-pop girl group Blackpink have found incredible success as soloists, with ubiquitous pop hits like “APT.” and starring roles on “The White Lotus” among them. But now is the time for a comeback. On Friday, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will release “Deadline,” their latest EP. Details surrounding the five-track release have been scant but the bilingual “Jump” is bouncy europop that flirts with hardstyle, the ideal soundtrack to a Las Vegas day club. Clearly, they just want their listeners to have fun.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from Feb. 23-March 1
— Season 2 of “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns to Hulu on Monday. Brown plays Xavier, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President of the United States, played by James Marsden. In Season 1, we learned that Marsden’s character and a small number of privileged people escaped to an underground bunker just as an apocalypse was about to destroy everything. Xavier and his kids also made it to safety, but his wife got left behind. In Season 2, he sets out to find her. Shailene Woodley joins the cast and Julianne Nicholson and Marsden return.
— The 50th, yes 50th, season of “Survivor” streams live on Paramount+ on Wednesday as it airs on CBS. Make sure to have your whole night free though because the first episode is three hours long. Season 50 features all returning “Survivor” contestants including “The White Lotus” creator, Mike White.
— Sixteen years after it aired its series finale, Zach Braff’s “Scrubs,” has been resuscitated. The irreverent hospital begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, with a returning cast Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes.
— Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman first worked together on the film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” They’ve got a new collab as executive producers of a new Civil War series for Prime Video called “The Gray House.” Mary Louise Parker stars alongside Ben Vereen, Robert Knepper (“Prison Break”) and Paul Anderson of “Peaky Blinders.” All 8-episodes drop Thursday.
— A washed-up Broadway actor (played by Kevin Kline) returns to his hometown and ends up directing a local production of “Our Town” in the new series “American Classic.” He also butts heads with his former girlfriend-turned-mayor played by Laura Linney. MGM+ kicks off the series by releasing the first two episodes on Sunday, April 1.
New video games to play from Feb. 23-March 1
— It’s been 30 years since Capcom introduced us to the world of Resident Evil, where a bioweapon has turned all sorts of creatures into bloodthirsty zombies. With the ninth main entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, the monsters show no sign of slowing down. The new protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has only a few weapons and is just trying to get out alive. Fortunately, Leon Kennedy — who has been around since RE2 — is also on the case, and he has a much more versatile arsenal. The developers hope to appeal to fans of pure survival horror as well as gamers who love more explosive action. The nightmare resumes Friday, Feb. 27, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.
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