Here鈥檚 a collection curated by The Associated Press鈥� entertainment journalists of what鈥檚 arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.
MOVIES
鈥� In 鈥淭he Banshees of Inisherin,鈥� director the stars of the playwright鈥檚 feature debut, 2008鈥瞫 鈥淚n Bruges.鈥� The results are just as good. On a small island off the west coast of Ireland in 1923, they play longtime pals whose friendship abruptly and a little mysteriously comes to an end. Both Farrell and Gleeson have already won awards for their performances. It鈥檚 still playing in theaters but on Tuesday it reaches video on demand. , AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it 鈥渁n aching reverie about friendship and fulfillment that is one of the very best films of the year.鈥�
鈥� Nikyatu Jusu makes one of the more arresting directorial debuts of the year in Amazon Studios鈥� 鈥淣anny.鈥� The , 鈥淣anny鈥� stars Anna Diop as Aisha, a well-educated Senegalese caregiver for a white New York family. (Michelle Monaghan co-stars.) Aisha's own daughter remains in Africa. She sends home money while her wealthy employers casually take advantage of her kindness. Jusu uses the dark atmosphere of a horror film to convey the dread and displacement of the immigrant experience. It streams Friday on Amazon Prime Video.
鈥� The is best known for genre extremes like 鈥淥ldboy鈥� and 鈥淭he Handmaiden.鈥� In his prize-winning latest, 鈥淒ecision to Leave,鈥� he conjures a more subtly beguiling tale, a slinky fusion of police procedural and romance. The film, which began streaming on MUBI on Dec. 9, stars Park Hae-il as a Busan detective who becomes infatuated by the suspect (Tang Wei) of a murder investigation. Bahr said the film lulls you 鈥渋nto a misty, dreamlike delirium until you鈥檙e not even certain of what鈥檚 right in front of your face.鈥�
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MUSIC
鈥� Rapper Ab-Soul returns with the album 鈥淗erbert鈥� on Friday, his first full-length studio in six years and a follow-up to 鈥淒o What Thou Wilt.鈥� Singles include and which features Fre$h. The set will also feature Big Sean, Russ, Joey Bada$$, Jhen茅 Aiko, SiR, Punch, Zacari, Fre$h, Ambr茅, ALEMEDA and Lance Skiiiwalker. The record is described as 鈥渁 deliberately intimate portrait of the man behind Ab-Soul going back to his foundation.鈥� It's a collection that shows off the impressive range he has, including the playful, busy old school hip-hop vibe of 鈥淣o Report Card鈥� to the slow, airy jazz of 鈥淏ucket.鈥�
鈥� A week before the movie release of the Whitney Houston biopic comes an album with 35 tracks that includes a never-before-released a cappella live recording of 鈥淒on鈥檛 Cry For Me.鈥� Houston recorded it in 1994 while on The Bodyguard World Tour, flying back to perform it at an AIDS benefit concert. The song and an original re-imagined version of it by producer Sam Feldt is also included on 鈥淚 Wanna Dance With Somebody鈥� out on Friday. The movie of the same name hits movie theaters Dec. 23.
鈥� Brazilian global pop superstar Anitta will perform as part of the new weekly concert series streaming live Thursday night. Anitta, a best new artist Grammy nominee, joins a list of performers who have done the concerts, including Kane Brown, Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion. They are hosted by Grammy-winning hip-hop star 2 Chainz and air on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. Anitta mixes Latin pop, R&B and reggaeton and has already landed six Latin Grammy nominations throughout the years.
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TELEVISION
鈥� If you鈥檙e not familiar with Dale Chihuly鈥檚 name, it鈥檚 possible you鈥檝e seen his breathtaking, colorful blown glass art. Now 81, his work can be found in museums worldwide (and even on the ceiling of The Bellagio casino in Las Vegas.) Chihuly鈥檚 story is compelling as well, as he鈥檚 battled mental health issues and experienced personal tragedy. An avid collector of random things including Pez dispensers and midcentury refrigerators, The Smithsonian Channel delves into the artist鈥檚 personal and professional life in a new documentary called premiered Sunday.
鈥� David Letterman traveled to Kyiv to sit down with Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a special one-off episode of Netflix鈥檚 debuting Monday. 鈥淚鈥檝e never done anything quite like this,鈥� says Letterman in a clip as he descends on an escalator 300 feet below ground. The conversation was recorded in October on a subway platform-turned-stage, complete with a small live audience.
鈥� Rising comedian Atsuko Okatsuka debuted her first HBO comedy special called on Saturday. Okatsuka is wrapping up an exciting 2022 where she headlined her first national solo tour and made her late-night talk show debut on 鈥淭he Late Late Show" with James Corden. She also started the viral #dropchallenge with her grandmother on TikTok (where one slowly squats to Beyonc茅鈥檚 song 鈥淵onc茅鈥� while staring into camera) which has received more than 10 million views.
鈥� PBS will broadcast the second annual awards ceremony founded by William, The Prince of Wales, recognizing individuals for their environmental work. Earthshot offers 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) in prize money to the winners of five separate categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The special was filmed recently in Boston with live appearances by Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding, and Chloe x Halle. Billie Eilish performed remotely. Presenters included Oscar winner Rami Malek, comedian Catherine O鈥橦ara and actor Daniel Dae Kim. The Earthshot Prize airs Wednesday on PBS.
鈥� Alicia Rancilio
VIDEO GAMES
鈥� Some aliens want to conquer Earth. Some want to make friends. And some just want to get 鈥� because it turns out human flesh can be quite intoxicating. That鈥檚 the premise of the new shoot-鈥檈m-up from Squanch Games, the studio founded by 鈥淩ick and Morty鈥� co-creator Justin Roiland. As you鈥檇 expect, there鈥檚 plenty of irreverent humor, mostly delivered by the very chatty weapons you need to repel the invasion. It鈥檚 also pretty gross: There鈥檚 slime just about everywhere, and enemies explode with a squishiness that鈥檚 either delightful or appalling. 鈥淗igh on Life鈥� makes a splash Tuesday on Xbox X/S, Xbox One and PC.
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