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Kate Winslet Says The Creator Of ‘Mare Of Easttown’ Has ‘Some Very Cool Ideas’ For Season 2, If She Thinks She Can Do More

Mare of Easttown was an unexpected television smash: a downbeat, grim murder mystery with at least one upsetting out-of-nowhere death and some of the saddest cheesesteaks ever committed to moving images. (On the other hand, it had lots of Jean Smart and Wawa.) But people loved it and once it ended, the demand for more hoagies and crazy regional accents was swift and passionate. It’s still unclear if Season 2 will happen, but apparently the show’s creator, Brad Inglesby, already has some solid directions it could head.

This comes from star Kate Winslet, who, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly (as sussed out by IndieWire), reiterated what she’s already said: that while she adored playing Mare Sheehan, the weathered Philly burbs detective, she was a bit reluctant to return. And she wasn’t the only one.

“At the end of shooting we were like, ‘Holy hell we can never do that again. If HBO brings up the idea of a Season 2, we all just have to say absolutely not. There’s just no way we could possibly do it,’” she said. But never say never.

“And then there was talk, like, could there be? Especially when the show was getting such good responses,” she said. “Creatively, Brad has shared some very cool ideas. We will see what happens. I also have to figure out if I can do it. Can I go through it again? It did cost me a lot emotionally to be her, and I have to figure out if I can summon it all up again and do it again.”

Winslet also discussed the reactions to Mare’s unkempt vibe. “People have been enraptured about how s*itty we made Mare look,” Winslet said. “That was very important to us creatively. We wanted to keep it real, and we were strict about it… Find the t-shirt that has a line that hits at the hip at the widest part. Don’t wear a bra, she just got up out of bed. Why would she have a bra on?”

She also had a theory about why her looks received such a warm reception. “Perhaps because of COVID and how much of a struggle that has been for people globally, there was something about how Mare looks that seemed to make people validated in a way,” she postulated. “That was very, very surprising. I did not think people would be so responsive and I’m grateful in a way that we would able to do that.”

So will Winslet once again don that stringy ponytail and chow down on some TastyKake? Only time will tell. But if there is a Season 2, they definitely need to send Mare to the Mütter Museum.

(Via EW and IndieWire)

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Carl Lewis Called The USA Men’s 4×100 Team A ‘Total Embarrassment’ For Not Making The Olympics Final

The USA men’s 4×100 meter relay team entered the Tokyo Olympics trying to end what has been a dismal stretch of failure dating back to the London games in 2012 where they haven’t medaled despite being among the favorites each year.

This year, with Usain Bolt no longer anchoring the Jamaican team, and two top-5 finishers in the 100-meter final just days ago, the USA was the gold medal favorite on paper, but moreso than any other track and field event, the fickle nature of the relay proved to leap up and bite the Americans before they could even get to the final.

The second handoff between Fred Kerley and Ronnie Baker proved to be the death knell, as Baker didn’t get up to speed in time and Kerley nearly ran past him, resulting in a disastrous handoff that set the Americans back too far to make up on the final legs.

Ultimately, Team USA finished sixth in their heat, getting edged out at the line by Ghana for the final spot in the finals.

For Olympic legend Carl Lewis, it was nothing short of a disgrace, as he torched the squad on Twitter for being a “total embarrassment” and looking worse than AAU teams he’s watched recently.

Lewis, twice a gold medalist in the 4×100 for Team USA in 1984 and 1992, certainly knows a thing or two about how to perform in that event and what it takes to make a successful team, so his comments have to sting far more than any other disappointed fan watching at home. After the race, the issues for the team were laid bare by Baker and Kerley’s brief post-race media comments about how much the team had practiced leading up to the opening heat.

The USA’s issues in the team event in recent years can be summed up by those quotes, as they put together an impressive group of individuals on paper, but the lack of work to become a team to nail the relay portion of the race — where they are won and lost — has been apparent far too often.

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The Most Ridiculous Job Titles In ‘FBoy Island,’ Ranked

FBoy Island has been out on HBO Max for a few weeks now and I’m still not sure exactly where I stand on it. Whether it’s a must-watch trash reality show guilty pleasure, or just another trashy reality dating show that you can probably skip… probably your mileage may vary. Though it should be said that host Nikki Glaser is unusually good at zingers.

The concept, such as it is, is that three young women (all looking like varying degrees of Instagram model) go to an island with 24 hot, smooth-chested idiots to try to find love (what could go wrong?). The TWIST is that 12 of the men are self-described “nice guys” and 12 are avowed “f*ckboys.” Can the women figure out who is who BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE?

The central question is about how adept young women are at divining a potential mate’s motivations (spoiler alert: not very). Though there may be an even bigger unspoken one, about whether how young men see themselves, as either sweet romantics or as shark-eyed transactional sex pursuers, makes any substantive difference in their actions or their viability as mates. Leaving aside all those potential thesis topics (you’re welcome!), easily the best part of the show has been the broad cross-section of job titles.

After all, what kind of job must a person have in order to be able to quarantine for two weeks on the Cayman Islands, and then shoot a show for four or six or however many weeks, all for a chance at fleeting reality show psuedo-fame? It, uh, attracts an eclectic sort, let’s say. The best part of the show has been, for me, reading the descriptions of the contestants’ pre-show day jobs. Which usually only flash on the screen for few seconds, as they share their innermost thoughts on what it means to be a f*ckboy.

I thought these were worthy of preservation. Here are some of my favorite:

10. Tariq, the Forensic Nutritionist

HBO Max

What separates a nutritionist from a forensic nutritionist? Is that where you look at old pictures of a dead guy and try to figure out what he ate to make himself so ripped? “And here we have a portrait of Frederick the Great, who as you can see even in his old age still had lats for days. My conclusion is that he ate a lot of pheasants.”

9. CJ the Content Creator

HBO Max

It should be noted that these men are all competing partly for the affections of CJ, a “content creator” from Los Angeles. This title is funny more in its sheer predictability than its exoticism. CJ never says exactly what kind of “content” she creates but she does give us a tantalizing hint in her introductory confessional. I have recreated that for you here verbatim:

“I like funny guys. I like silly guys, I like dumb guys, like dumb and fun. Like if you’re too smart you’re not gonna love me pranking you and, like, pretending I’ve been arrested.”

I sure hope this modern-day Cinderella finds her Prince Charming to do cruel pranks on for clout.

8. Divij The Talent Agent

HBO Max

“I dunno, bro, I think I’m gonna sign with Divij. He just has so many industry connections from being on F*ckboy Island.”

7. Peter the Child Care Influencer

HBO Max

I know that this technically says child care SLASH influencer, which I assume means that Peter is a professional babysitter with a spirited Instagram, but I prefer to interpret it as him being an actual childcare influencer. Like, “What’s up, guys, it’s Peter here and today I’m going to teach you how to burp a baby. Smash that like button, and don’t forget to subscribe and sound off in the comments.”

6. Cameron the Exotic Dancer/Realtor

HBO Max

Being an exotic dancer who also sells houses is almost quaintly old-fashioned in the context of this show. For one thing, both of those are real jobs (well, more the first than the second but still). Also, I imagine, pretty mundane in Las Vegas. Cameron rules. I hope Cameron wins this show and then twerks off into the sunset.

5. Chaun The Image Consultant

HBO Max

Chaun, who we later find out used to be a Chippendales dancer, is an “image consultant.” He is going to help the rest of these guys grow their influencer followings. (Incidentally, my browser redlines “influencer.” Oh to be that innocent again.)

4. Greg the TikToker

HBO Max

Of COURSE there’s a professional TikToker on this show. Of course.

I’m a joker, I’m a smoker, I’m pro Tik Toker…
I mouth the music in my meeeeeeemes…

3. Israel the CBD Entrepreneur

HBO Max

I’m not ridiculing CBD as a profession, but I’d be really curious to see which part of the supply chain Israel works on. I’d like to think he makes the marketing materials “more edgy.”

2. Garrett M the Bitcoin Investor

HBO Max

Garrett M (yes, there is another Garrett on the show, a dead-eyed fireman who writes bad poetry) is one of the dullest human beings alive and I haven’t even heard him say the word “crypto” yet. The Libertarians should make him their next nominee for president. This screenshot was an accident, but I feel it’s the most accurate representation of Garrett M. Do you think he shaves that little patch of skin in the middle of his mustache or it grows that way naturally?

1. Paul the Fridge Deliverer

HBO

Paul is a blissed-out, weirdly jacked surfer bro with glorious hair from the north end of San Diego County, who delivers refrigerators for a living. Or so the producers would have us believe. There is a near-zero chance that Paul makes it to the end of this show, but the producers have included him for obvious reasons. He may get his own spinoff reality show on Discovery+.

Anyway, that’s it for my favorite job titles so far. It should be noted that I’m only about three and half episodes in at this point, so there could be more. Especially since the funniest thing about this show, behind the contestants’ job titles, is the way a guy will just randomly show up as a character two or three episodes in without any previous introduction or a second of camera time. –Vince, reality dating show job ranker

Tenor

‘FBoy Island’ is currently available on HBO Max. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

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Kehlani Details Her Past Experience With Weed And Explains Why She Stopped Using It

There are a number of artists who are open about their marijuana use, among them Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus. Another used to be Kehlani. In a recent TikTok video, the singer opened up about her past experience with the drug after a fan asked about it. She also explained why she decided to stop smoking it.

@kehlani

Reply to @_sethrogansbongwater_

♬ original sound – Kehlani

“I used to smoke a lot of weed and now I speak on it in a past tense perspective,” she said. “People think I’m s*itting on weed, I’m not. I loved weed when I was involved with it. It’s a beautiful plant with very nice properties when used correctly. I don’t think that I was using it correctly. I think I was overusing it.”

She addded, “It really really messed with my vocal cords and it really took a lot of energy from my day … I stopped to regulate my body and myself… I got to a point where I couldn’t eat, sleep or be at a social gathering. I couldn’t kick it without smoking weed and I just didn’t want it to have that hold on my life anymore … And also my throat and lungs were tired of me.”

While marijuana was not a good fit for her, Kehlani doesn’t knock those who enjoy a puff or two. “I’m not judging the weed smokers!” she said. “Get it, girl.”

Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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DaBaby’s Homophobic Comments Led To The Cancellation Of An Entire Music Festival In Colorado

DaBaby’s bizarre comments from last month’s Rolling Loud festival in Miami have resulted is heavy damage to his career. The rapper has received plenty of criticism from his peers, and while he offered an apology, it was too little too late. Just a week after the Miami festival, the North Carolina native was removed from Lollapalooza’s 2021 festival lineup. Others followed suit, including Governors Ball, Day N Vegas, and Austin City Limits, but none did what a Colorado festival was forced to do on Thursday.

According to 9 News, organizers behind Denver’s KS 107.5 Summer Jam were extremely disappointed by DaBaby’s homophobic comments, and as a result, they were forced to make a tough decision. “In light of various factors, including DaBaby’s recent comments, along with our concert partners, we have chosen to cancel this year’s Summer Jam,” a statement from the festival read. “We look forward to working on Summer Jam lineups for years to come with our love of music and each other.”

While many are still frustrated with DaBaby’s comments, some are looking to educate the rapper about his faults. In an Instagram post, Miley Cyrus tagged him and said she “would love to talk and see how we can learn from each other.” The singer also asked fans to “find forgiveness and compassion.”

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What To Watch: Our Picks For The Ten TV Shows We Think You Should Stream This Weekend

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

Get more streaming recommendations with our weekly What To Watch newsletter.

1. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

APPLE TV+

There are moments in the early stages of season two that feel like they’re doubling down on the show’s signature positivity and niceness, but there’s no such thing as sweetness overload here as the show grows our affection for characters that are clearly taking a step forward in their arcs. Especially Ted, even though it seems like there may be some challenges ahead. Watch it on Apple TV+.

2. Outer Banks (Netflix)

Netflix

Granted, the stills from this show make it look like your typical (beachy) teen drama, but that’s not the case. This is a mystery-based action thriller with a soapy residue, and although the main characters are, in fact teens, beware: once you start watching this show, you’ll want to set aside some time to finish the two seasons. There’s tons of intrigue and a hurricane and buried treasure, and it’s like National Treasure, if the main character was Young McConaughey-lite with dreams of tasty waves dashed by goons chasing him for [spoiler] reasons. There are Kooks and Pogues and dramatic rivalries, all of it ultimately silly yet far too entertaining.

3. Dave (FXX/Hulu)

fxx

Dave is a lot of things all at once. It’s childish and sweet, gross and thoughtful, powerfully weird but also extremely human. Mostly, though, it’s just funny. The series follows an aspiring rapper (Dave Burd aka Lil Dicky) as he attempts to make it big. There are cameos from huge stars and urological issues and awkward moments galore. It’s kind of like Curb Your Enthusiasm if that show was about a 20-something white rapper who had a hype man named GaTa. This is a compliment. Watch it on FXX and Hulu.

4. FBoy Island (HBO Max)

HBO

HBO Max’s latest reality show takes a question womankind has been asking since the dawn of time and turns it into a dating competition that, if you can believe it, lowers our collective opinion of men to shocking depths. Who’s a nice guy and who’s a f*ck boy? That’s up to the single women bamboozled into participating in this courtship farce to figure out as they frolic about a tropical paradise with me who blow-dry their beards and wear one-strap overalls unironically. This is what the Suffragettes died for, people. Watch it on HBO Max.

5. Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami (Netflix)

Netflix

If you’re missing Narcos, rest assured that there’s so much blow in this docuseries, which gives the documentary treatment to the excess-filled life of two childhood pals who transformed into billionaire drug kingpins. There’s a tiger and bullfighting and speedboats and money flying everywhere, it’s no wonder why “Los Muchachos” were so darn popular. They were also slippery fellows, due to their world-champ powerboat-racing status. Watch it on Netflix.

6. I Think You Should Leave (Netflix)

Netflix

Sketch comedy as a medium is a bit like baseball in that if you’re hitting above .300 it’s considered a success. I Think You Should Leave season one didn’t necessarily bat much higher than that, but became an instant cultural phenomenon thanks to hits that were so glorious and memorable that they almost instantly became memes. In season two, ITYSL has upped its average without losing its power. There’s hardly a dud in the entire first three episodes, which serve up unforgettable characters like the guy at the “adult” ghost tour who keeps asking about giant horse penises and obscene things the ghosts might be doing, and a recurring bit about Santa Claus as the hero of a reactionary movie series. Even the sketches that aren’t laugh-out-loud funny are still fascinatingly weird. Imagining Robinson pitching some of these ideas to another human is almost an I Think You Should Leave sketch unto itself — fitting perfectly into Robinson’s most frequent motif, of a clumsy oddball trying desperately to stifle his inner weirdness and failing miserably. Watch it on Netflix.

7. The White Lotus (HBO Max)

Netflix

HBO’s The White Lotus hails from Mike White, the School of Rock screenwriter who also created one of the network’s most brilliantly underrated shows in Enlightened. This limited series, about the staff and guests of a tropical resort starring Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario, and Steve Zahn, looks like another winner. Watch it on HBO Max.

8. Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (HBO Max)

HBO

Barack Obama turns 60 years old this week, which seems impossible. He’s the fresh-faced, young senator from Illinois! Another thing that seems impossible: that there hasn’t been a definitive documentary about America’s first Black president — until now. HBO’s Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union is a three-part series from Emmy-winner Peter Kunhardt that chronicles “the personal and political journey” of Obama. It’s impossible to contextualize the significance of Obama’s two terms as president in only six hours, but through interviews with author Ta-Nehisi Coates and professor Cornel West, among many others, the documentary is a notable (and highly watchable) effort. Watch it on HBO Max.

9. Gossip Girl (HBO Max)

HBO

Few shows have influenced the cultural lexicon of an entire generation the way this soapy teen drama did. The original Gossip Girl was a narrative rollercoaster filled with questionable hookups, designer drugs, and Blair Waldorf headbands. It delighted in its ostentatious antics, reveled in its misbehaving brood of well-bred socialites. It made Chuck Bass, an attempted rapist and sex club owner who might have murdered his father and definitely pimped out his girlfriend for a stake in a hotel, a romantic lead. The original Gossip Girl had balls, gilded storytelling balls. Its successor, this HBO Max contemporary shows shades of that same promise. It’s got a cast that’s both believably diverse and unbelievable gorgeous, tons of pop-cultured-skewed wit, a driving rivalry, and Kristen Bell once again narrating those welcome Upper East Side scandals, but it’s a little too self-aware and overly-earnest to be as enjoyable as its predecessor. Then again, it took the O.G. Gossip Girl a few seasons before it sent one of its own to Jesus Camp and brought characters back from the dead, so this new crew has time. Watch it on HBO Max.

10. (tie) UFO (Showtime)

SHOWTIME

Earlier this summer, the U.S. government’s so-called comprehensive report on Unidentified Flying Objects revealed, uh, nothing. Enter J.J. Abrams with this docuseries to dig into the cultural touchpoints of the very pressing UFO issue and who might be hiding the truth, if it’s “out there.” Since this is coming from Abrams (Cloverfield, Super 8), it’s difficult to know whether to expect a levelheaded tone or whether Fox Mulder would dig it. Watch it on Showtime.

10. (tie) Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (HBO Max)

HBO

The original Woodstock, held back in 1969, was an extended tribute to peace and love and extremely good vibes. The Woodstock held in 1999, 30 years later and featuring famously chill acts like Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock, had… oh, let’s say “less good vibes.” But what it lacked in vibes it made up with, uh, more uncontrolled fires. And violence. And portable toilet fiascos. It was a mess, as you can see when you watch this HBO docuseries about the whole thing, featuring Uproxx’s music critic and fiasco expert Steven Hyden. Watch it on HBO.

10. (tie) Cooking With Paris (Netflix)

Netflix

The skeptics among us might take one look at Paris Hilton’s new anti-aspirational Netflix cooking show and deem it just another entry in the “celebrities can’t cook” genre, of which Ludacris and Selena Gomez are ranking members. But those of us who remember that glorious moment in TV’s Golden Age, when Hilton used an iron to sizzle a slab of bacon, fry an egg sunny side up, and toast a cheese quesadilla before garnishing her brunch masterpiece with some boxed fruit loops know … this is a woman with a distinct culinary vision, and it’s on full display in this new series as she invites everyone from Demi Lovato to Kim Kardashian to witness her disturbed gastronomic genius. Ina Garten better guard her bag. Watch it on Netflix.

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How To Watch And Stream The Olympics Men’s Basketball Semifinals, USA-Australia And France-Slovenia

The Olympics men’s basketball tournament has reached its Final Four, with the action taking place overnight here stateside, starting with USA-Australia and followed by France-Slovenia, with plenty of big names headlining both games.

In the opener, Team USA will look to continue building on what has been steady improvement over the course of these Olympics, culminating in an impressive job closing out Spain despite the best efforts of Ricky Rubio scoring 38 points. Kevin Durant led the way with 29 points of his own, while Zach LaVine, Devin Booker, and others all came up with some big buckets when needed in the fourth. On the other side is Australia will be looking to extend their active win streak over Team USA to three games, having won both of their recent exhibitions in 2019 and earlier this summer in Las Vegas. Patty Mills, recently signed to the Brooklyn Nets, and Joe Ingles lead an Australia squad with plenty of quality NBA talent and enough shooting to give the Americans some problems if they don’t show up offensively themselves.

In the second semifinal, Luka Doncic will look to remain undefeated as part of the Slovenian national team, as they are 17-0 having won the EuroBasket title in 2019 with Doncic and have yet to lose since he arrived during Olympic qualifying. Doncic has been unbelievable in the tournament so far and will need to continue to do so to get by a France team that is rolling, having already beaten Team USA in group play behind the leadership of Rudy Gobert, Nic Batum, and Evan Fournier.

Neither game will be televised, as NBC continues to push people to Peacock with the men’s hoops tournament, but as always, those without Peacock premium but with a TV subscription (cable, satellite, or an online provider like YouTube TV) can still stream the action online.

USA vs. Australia
Tip Time: 12:15 a.m. ET
Stream: NBCOlympics.com (link here) or Peacock premium

France vs. Slovenia
Tip Time: 7:00 a.m. ET
Stream NBCOlympics.com (link here) or Peacock premium

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Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Drops Out Of The Band’s Upcoming US Tour After A Medical Procedure

The Rolling Stones are preparing to hit the road next month for their No Filter tour, which sees them making several stops in cities across the United States. Unfortunately, the band will begin the journey shy one member. Drummer Charlie Watts will not accompany the band for the tour after he was forced to undergo an unspecified medical procedure. Steve Jordan, who is a longtime associate of the band and a member of Keith Richards’ side project X-Pensive Winos, will replace Watts for the Rolling Stones’ future tour stops.

“Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation,” a representative for the band said in a statement. “With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”

Watts also released his own statement, in which he joked that “for once, my timing has been a little off.” He also said, “I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while,” adding, “After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid, I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation.”

While Watts is not one of the founding members of the Stones, prior to today, the drummer had yet to miss a performance since January 1963. Along with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, he’s the only member to appear on each album the they’ve released.

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‘Ghost of Tsushima’ Multiplayer Will Be Available As A Standalone Game For Anyone That Doesn’t Own It

Ghost of Tsushima was a smash hit for the PlayStation in 2020. Set in 13th century Japan on the island of Tsushima, players are able to explore a gorgeous world as a samurai warrior looking to overthrow the Mongols that have taken over the island. It’s a fun game that was nominated for multiple Game of The Year awards and the people who played it thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The only thing that was missing from it was a multiplayer experience, but that did eventually make its way to the game via a free update known as Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

A lot of players enjoyed the multiplayer mode, albeit saying it was a little long, but it had a hefty amount of content for free DLC. However, there are going to be players that want to play the multiplayer with their friends and not have to buy a $60 – $70 game just to do that. Sucker Punch saw this and decided that the best solution would be to sell the multiplayer as a standalone game for those players. On September 3, Legends will receive an update to the game that will shorten the survival mode and also add a new competitive feature called “Rivals.” That update will also be a standalone game that players who don’t own Ghost of Tsushima can purchase for $20. The new Rivals mode they’re going to introduce will be a competitive Horde mode where players not only have to survive their own waves but can spend collectible Magatama’s to make their opponents have a more difficult time. Whichever team completes their waves the quickest, or survives the longest, wins the match.

Alongside multiplayer, Sucker Punch has also been developing a Director’s Cut of the game that will come out later this month on August 20. The game will be available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 so anyone that wants to experience the new multiplayer mode, but hasn’t played Ghost of Tsushima before, can consider the Director’s Cut as a way to get the full experience. Of course, anyone that just wants a new game to play with their friends can purchase the standalone multiplayer and do that too.

While Sucker Punch’s offer seems a little unconventional it is actually following a trend that we might see from more games soon. In the past, a strong multiplayer mode could be a big sell for a game because it would tell players that they have something fun to do once they’re done with the story. However, that push to create strong multiplayer has gone so far in one direction that many video game fans feel that the single-player experience is becoming an afterthought. To make sure this doesn’t happen we’re starting to see games offer multiplayer as a completely separate side mode for anyone who doesn’t want to experience the single-player story. Some games, like the upcoming Halo Infinite, are even going a step further and making them free to play. This feels like a trend that his here to stay.

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What To Watch: Our Picks For The Ten Movies We Think You Should Stream This Weekend

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

1. The Suicide Squad (HBO Max)

WARNER BROS

It is time, once again, for a take on the Suicide Squad, the crew of DC villains who band together to cause chaos and/or save the day. This one is directed by Guardians of the Galaxy mastermind James Gunn and features everyone from Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn, of course) to Idris Elba and Joel Kinnaman to Sylvester Stallone (as a giant talking CGI shark). It all looks weird and fun and kind of exactly what you need in a summer weekend movie. And then when you’re done you can click over and binge the Harley Quinn animated series on the same streaming service. Big weekend for you. Watch it on HBO Max.

2. Jungle Cruise (Disney+)

Via Disney

Though the plot gets a bit convoluted in the second half of the movie, the dazzling, movie star-esque performances here by The Rock, Emily Blunt, and Jesse Plemons make this an entertaining movie well worth watching. Set in 1916, this movie about a race to be the first to get to a tree with magical healing powers has a distinct Indiana Jones/Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe to it. In fact, a couple of the scenes play like homages to those earlier films. And Jesse Plemons appears to be having the time of his life portraying the villain in this film, and who on God’s green Earth doesn’t love Jesse Plemons?! Watch it on Disney+.

3. Black Widow (Disney+ Premium)

Disney+

Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff finally gets a proper send-off in this actioner that aims to go back-to-basics but succeeds more on a personal level. The film fills in plenty of blanks following the events of Captain America: Civil War, but more importantly, we receive butt-kicking ladies in well-choreographed fight scenes and an emotionally resonant story that introduces us to the inner Natasha, as witnessed by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. She’s perhaps the only person in the world who’s allowed to tease Natasha, and their dynamic (and the chemistry between Scarlett and Florence) rules. The film also allows David Harbour to perform grunt-filled face work with a wild accent while the ladies swirl around him in hand-to-hand combat. It’s a winner. Watch it on Disney+ Premium.

4. Pig (VOD)

NEON

It’s Nicolas Cage hunting down his enemies after the disappearance of his beloved truffle-sniffing pig. And it’s allegedly good. Like, really, honestly good, not Fun/Bad Good. You really can’t ask for much more out of a film. Or anything else, really. Track it down on your VOD service of choice.

5. Zola (VOD)

KILLER FILMS

If you were on Twitter in 2015, you likely remember the first time you heard The Story of Zola. It was the Homer’s Odyssey of stripper trips, distilled into viral thread form, and it captivated an entire generation of drama-obsessed culture vultures. Its film adaptation channels the same chaos that made it so gripping to follow on our timelines, adding a seediness that can make some parts difficult to sit through. But what makes Zola so undeniably enjoyable is its unexpected take on female empowerment led by its two stars, Taylor Paige and Riley Keough who wield stripper heels and cutting shade to translate a pretty stark warning: Be careful who your friends are. Watch it on your VOD outlet of choice.

6. F9 (VOD)

universal pictures

Yes, sure, this hit theaters earlier in the summer and you probably/hopefully caught it then, but now it’s available to rent or own, so why wouldn’t you see it again? Name one other movie that sent Ludacris and Tyrese to outer space in a jet-powered Pontiac. Take all the time you need. And then track it down on VOD.

7. Vivo (Netflix)

Netflix

What we have here appears to be an extremely cute cartoon musical featuring a loaded cast (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Gloria Freakin Estefan) and a sweet premise. Per the studio: “A music-loving kinkajou embarks on the journey of a lifetime to fulfill his destiny and deliver a love song for an old friend.” Round up the kiddos if you need an excuse and see if the happy tears flow. Watch it on Netflix.

8. Gunpowder Milkshake (Netflix)

Netflix

It’s a darn shame that it took this long for Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Paul Giamatti to star in an assassin movie together, but at least it finally happened. Thank you, Gunpowder Milkshake, for giving the people (me) what they’ve been asking for. Watch it on Netflix.

9. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Hulu)

HULU

Questlove’s loving documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), includes performances from Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, and B.B. King. To quote *another concert* from the 1960s, play it f*cking loud. Watch it on Hulu.

10. Val (Amazon)

AMAZON

The short version goes something like this: Val Kilmer has been pointing a camera at himself for 40 years or so and now all that footage — and more — has been edited and compiled and massaged into an eye-opening documentary that touches on the very nature of fame. Val Kilmer is a fascinating guy. Not everyone can turn four decades of home movies into an interesting watch. Most of us can’t, actually. It’s all pretty impressive. Watch it on Amazon Prime.