PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Big-budget movie debuts from big stars were once the sole province of the big screen.
But even before the pandemic, the barrier between movies and TV had been steadily eroding, with many of those big stars migrating to “prestige” television and streaming.
That brings one of the biggest movie stars of all time to this weekend’s list, but first, a return for one of prestige TV’s most popular shows.
It’s been eight years since “Dexter” ended with its titular antihero sailing into a hurricane, and then ending up in the Pacific Northwest as an anonymous lumberjack.
Few television finales have drawn as much scorn and derision as that episode.
Now, “Dexter” is back, in a new locale with a new cast of characters, but with Michael C. Hall back as premium cable’s favorite vigilante. Original showrunner Clyde Phillips (who left after the unforgettable fourth season) has returned as well to pump, well, “new blood” into the old boy.
Taking place a decade after that much-disliked finale, Dexter is living under an assumed name in an idyllic New York town. He’s dating the town’s police chief, and what’s more, he’s finally suppressed his “Dark Passenger.” But when bad things start happening in Iron Lake, the old urges threaten to re-emerge. Here’s hoping that new blood recaptures the old magic. Premieres Sunday on Showtime. New episodes weekly.
What kind of world do we live in where a new Tom Hanks movie sneaks up on us?
Hopefully a better one than the ruined Earth of “Finch.” Hanks plays the title character, an inventor living in post-apocalyptic St. Louis with his rescue dog, Goodyear. The ailing Finch decides to build a robot named Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones of “Get Out”) to look after the dog as his health declines.
But when devastating storms approach, Finch has no choice but to hit the road with Goodyear and Jeff, searching for a safe place to re-settle.
“Finch” was originally supposed to hit theaters before the pandemic, but now it’s Hanks’ second-straight Apple TV+ premiere. From the looks of the trailer, it promises to be every bit the blockbuster it was meant to be — just at home. Premieres Friday on Apple TV+.
Speaking of blockbusters, there’s this long-awaited Netflix original. “The Harder They Fall” is a star-studded Western with a wholly Black main cast, featuring Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield.
Although all of the film’s characters are actual historical figures, the entirely fictional plot of “The Harder They Fall” centers on a revenge plot hatched by Majors’ Nat Love. In fact, this has drawn some controversy from some who wished to see more faithful depictions of real Black cowboys.*
To that, this writer asks, why can’t Black cinema have its own glossy, liberty-taking Western? If the Western is, at this point, a work of American myth, why can’t we make our own?
In any case, let’s see how well director Jeymes Samuel answered that question. Currently playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix.
*This is entirely apart from valid discussions of colorism regarding Beetz as Stagecoach Mary.
No matter how awkward your adolescence was, at least you can say it wasn’t nearly as bad for you as it is for the kids of “Big Mouth.” Netflix’s bawdy, boundary-pushing animated comedy is back for another season.
Featuring the voices of co-creator Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele, The central group of teens in “Big Mouth” navigate the horrors of puberty as represented by a seemingly unending series of gross monsters. It’s wildly frank yet understanding and affectionate. But it isn’t for the squeamish. Premieres Friday on Netflix.
Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico” is coming to a close this week. The third season picks up in the aftermath of Felix Gallardo’s arrest last season. It examines the power vacuum that opens in his wake and the cartel war that erupts as a result. Those who have been following from the beginning won’t want to miss the end. Premieres Friday on Netflix.
The Warner brothers (and the Warner sister) returned to our screens last year and brought Pinky and the Brain back with them. Hulu’s brought the show back for a second season, and hopefully they’ll bring some of the other original characters back with them, like Slappy Squirrel, Mr. Skullhead or Chicken Boo. Premieres Friday on Hulu.
Everything old really is new again. In addition to “Dexter” and “Animaniacs” revivals, there’s a brand new “Head of the Class” series debuting on HBO Max, from “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso” co-creator Bill Lawrence.
This go-round, it’s Isabella Gomez as an idealistic young teacher out to show her honors students there’s more to life than high school. Gomez last showed off her comic talents on the rebooted “One Day at a Time,” so we’re definitely excited to see her as a lead here. We’re also excited to see Robin Givens reprise her role from the ‘80s version. Currently streaming on HBO Max.
A group of Taiwanese rich kids spend their days and nights designing decadent experiences for one another. But that takes a delirious turn once they awaken one night to learn they’ve all become vampires.
Reviews for “Dead & Beautiful” have been almost uniformly strong, and Shudder is betting the neon-drenched vampire thriller has enough bite to satisfy even the most jaded vampire fans. Currently streaming on Shudder.
With Halloween in the rear view mirror, we’re marching on to the holidays. That means it’s Hallmark season, and for many of their fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
And what would the holidays be without a time-travel story? Lyndsey Fonseca plays Angie, a successful surgeon who lives alone and wonders what life would have been like if she married her old boyfriend. But her trip home for the holidays takes her further back than she expected — 10 years back.
It sounds cute enough, but we’re recommending this because it’s a time travel movie that co-stars “Back to the Future” favorites, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. That’s certainly got our curiosity up. Premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel.
Godzilla vs. TokuSHOUTsu: Friday Night Kaiju
Kaiju fans, rejoice! This week marks the 67th anniversary of the original Japanese release of “Godzilla,” so what better way to celebrate than binge the King of the Monsters all month? Shout Factory’s TokuSHOUTsu channel will run Friday night giant monster marathons every week in November.
It starts this weekend with that very first “Godzilla” movie, a sobering nuclear parable that still hasn’t lost its dreadful power. The marathon continues with “Rodan,” “Mothra vs. Godzilla” and “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.”
Future nights will include such favorites as “Destroy All Monsters,” “Terror of Mecha-Godzilla,” and the trippiest of the franchise, “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” (released here as “Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster”). In terms of sheer size, it’s the biggest event to hit streaming in quite a while. Streaming on TokuSHOUTsu Friday nights in November at 7 p.m. ET. All movies available on demand on Shout Factory TV, Tubi and HBO Max.