This Weekend’s Must-Watch Streaming Picks: ‘Monkey King,’ Stand Up to Cancer, ‘No Hard Feelings,’ Madden NFL 24

Upcoming releases for your entertainment include Jennifer Lawrence’s R-rated comedy “No Hard Feelings” and the animated film “The Monkey King” by director Stephen Chow, suitable for the whole family. These, along with other television shows, movies, music, and games, will soon be available on your device.

Among the deals chosen by Associated Press entertainment reporters are Harlan Coben’s TV adaptation with a young protagonist, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s third studio album and sweet Marcie, the introverted member of the “Peanuts” gang, gets a special offer. , “Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie.”

NEW MOVIES SUPPLIED

– Parents looking for fresh animated offerings should rejoice that Netflix has a new film from Stephen Chow, the actor-producer known for “Kung Fu Hustle” and “Shaolin Soccer,” streaming “The Monkey King” on Friday. Jimmy O. Yang from the voices of “Silicon Valley” and “Crazy Rich Asians” said the Monkey King, born from a rock with magical powers and a big ego, who strives for immortality. A young human girl (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) teams up with him to defeat dragons and demons. Other voice actors include Jo Koy, Bowen Yang, Stephanie Hsu and BD Wong. It is loosely based on the 16th century Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en.

Netflix also has “Depp v. Heard,” a new documentary about the widely watched defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, coming Wednesday from director Emma Cooper (“The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes”).

— “Cocaine Bear” roared to Prime Video on Tuesday. Very loosely based on a true story (and taken to wild heights), Elizabeth Banks’ non-stop action comedy starring Keri Russell, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Kristofer Hivju, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich and the late Ray Liotta. The AP’s Mark Kennedy wasn’t a fan in his zero-star review, but said that at an efficient 95 minutes, it “sniffs along.” The others were mesmerized. “When the movie comes out, you hear the word ‘cocaine,’ you’re like, I’m not sure what to make of this,” producer Phil Lord told the AP. “Then when you hear the word ‘bear’, you’re like: I’m fine.

— Or if you want to settle in for a raunchy comedy, the Jennifer Lawrence vehicle “No Hard Feelings” is now available as VOD. Lawrence plays a woman who answers a Craigslist ad posted by concerned parents who want someone to “hang out” with their awkward teenage son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he leaves for college. Lawrence’s pal Gene Stupnitsky (“Good Boys”) wrote it for her to showcase her comedic talent, which so far has been mostly confined to her talk show appearances. In his review, the film’s screenwriter Jake Coyle wrote that the film “works better than it should” and that it gives Lawrence “plenty of room to show off her talent for inverting conventional ideas of Hollywood glamour. She revels in every moment to subvert her sexiness; not every A-lister is ready to film a beach fight naked.”

— AP film writer Lindsey Bahr

PERFORMING NEW MUSIC

— Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s third studio album “Unreal Unearth” will be released on Friday, August 18. The 16-track collection is loosely based on Dante’s ‘Nine Circles of Hell’ and features the graceful ‘Francesca’, which builds to a thrilling, Phil Spector Wall of Sound-like climax. “I’m proud of this record and have enjoyed seeing it come to life over the past year,” Hozier wrote to fans. Also listen to Brandi Carlile on “Butchered Tongue”. (Read AP’s review.)

— If old movies are more your thing, just watch “Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback,” a new feature-length documentary about the television special that revived Elvis Presley’s career. When it aired on the night of December 3, 1968, almost half of the entire television audience tuned in to watch Presley, dressed in the iconic black leather suit, give the best performances of his life. The special landed at Paramount on Tuesday.

— Take center stage with Broadway icon Idina Menzel, whose “Drama Queen” showcases her big, rich vocals. “I want everyone to move and sing with me and embrace their inner ‘Drama Queen,'” the Tony Award winner told fans. The “Let It Go” singer worked alongside Nile Rodgers on “Paradise” and goes full disco with first single “Move,” a celebration of the LGBTQIA community. “I’ll meet you on the dance floor or at the stage door or wherever you want me. This album is for you.”

– Go back in time and groove to the two-part music documentary “San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time,” premiering Sunday from MGM. The series follows the history of the San Francisco music scene between 1965 and 1975. The series follows San Francisco’s creative explosion that featured the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Steve Miller, Santana, Moby Grape and more. The second part ends on August 27.

– AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy

NEW SERIES to stream

– The new “Peanut’s” special on Apple TV puts the spotlight on Marcie, Peppermint Patty and the gang’s introverted, hardworking best friend in its first special. In “Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie”, the character has lots of ideas to make her friend’s life easier, but when these problem-solving skills lead her to be elected class president, the attention makes Marcie uncomfortable and she ends up being a nerd. “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” debuts Friday.

– Best-selling author Harlan Coben has adapted many of his books for television, but his latest offering, “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” for Prime Video, focuses on a younger protagonist. Jaden Michael (“Colin in Black & White”) plays Mickey Bolitar – the teenage nephew of the famous Coben character Myron Bolitar. (Mickey has been the subject of Coben’s YA books.) In this series, we meet Mickey when his aunt takes him in in New Jersey after his father’s death. He quickly channeled his own grief into an obsession with the local disappearance. We also see Mickey interacting with colorful school classmates like Abby Corrigan, Adrian Greensmith, Sage Linder, and Antonio Cipriano doing their best “Back to the Future” thing. The series debuts on Friday.

– Katie Couric’s star-studded TV fundraiser for cancer research called “Stand Up to Cancer” returns Saturday. Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel, Don Cheadle, Danai Gurira and Justin Timberlake are among others. It also includes skits and musical performances from previous specials. The fundraiser is shown every other year, and this time it will be simulcast on 50 media platforms in both the United States and Canada, including the four major US broadcast networks.

– Alicia Rancilio

NEW VIDEO GAMES ARE PLAYING

– The nights are getting longer. School supplies are on sale. But you really know the end of summer when the latest edition of Madden comes out. What’s new in Madden NFL 24? Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the cover model. Superstar mode, where you guide one player from career draft pick to All-Pro, is back. Franchise mode has been revamped with updated training camps, trading and commissioner tools. And as always, EA Sports promises tighter control over throwing, catching, running and tackling, delivered with increasingly realistic graphics. To get all this, you need to buy the PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC version; Less feature-packed versions continue to be released for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The season starts on Friday.

— For students and their parents, autumn brings another cruel ritual: moving. Indies SMG Studio and DEVM Games at least try to make it fun with Moving Out 2. In 2020’s original version, Furniture Arranging and Moving Technicians (whatever you come up with an acronym for) defied physics to pack the estates’ belongings into their flimsy vans. The sequel gets wackier as the Smooth Moves relocation team expands the business to a whole new dimension and brings in new employees like a sneakerhead – one who literally wears sneakers. And there are other ways to play co-op, either on the same couch or online. Start packing now on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Nintendo Switch or PC.