A docuseries about Matthew Perry and the latest “Minions” movie 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: Daddy Yankee's new album, the fourth season of “The Gilded Age” and the video game “Phantom Blade Zero.”
— “Minions & Monsters ” (Wednesday on Peacock) is the third “Minions” movie and the seventh in the overall “Despicable Me” franchise. But the film, directed by Pierre Coffin, the voice of the Minions, is one of the yellow guys’ most charming. In the 1920s-set film, the Minions come to Hollywood as silent movie stars who embark on making a monster movie. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote: “The movie has playful references to old screen gods … but the kids in the audience won’t get them and their parents are just too tired.”
— In “Hanging by a Wire” (Wednesday on Paramount+), director Mohammed Ali Naqvi chronicles a 2023 rescue in Pakistan. Eight people (two adults and six teenage boys) were suspended in a cable car over a chasm after a wire broke. With archival footage and firsthand accounts, the film chronicles the drama from every angle, on the ground and above.
— Back in 2022, the reggaeton icon Daddy Yankee announced his retirement. It was short-lived. Songs — written and released after revealing he had converted to Christianity — followed. And on Friday, he will release a new album, “La Postal,” a 15-track concept album where each track is a love letter to, well, love: romantic love, familial love, self-love and so on. The first taste arrived in the form of “BOTZ (Kiss Me Again),” high-energy, mainstream-friendly romantic reggaeton from the man who knows it best.
— The Canadian rock band Nickelback will release their 11th studio album, “Everything Under the Sun,” also on Friday. Expect their familiar recipe of glossy hooks, post-grunge rock riffs and gravelly vocals, from energetic opener “Rattle The Cage” to power ballads like “Make Me Love You.” There are also a few surprises: Guest appearances range from Sammy Hagar to actor Ryan Reynolds.
— Country star Dustin Lynch will release his seventh studio album, “Clean Slate,” also on Friday. Across 12 tracks, Lynch sharpens his tools; these are radio-ready stompers in the making. “There’s a lot of life on this record,” Lynch said in a press release. “Falling for somebody, missing somebody, looking back at things you might do differently now, going out and having a damn good time, and figuring out what matters when everything else gets quiet.”
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Parker Posey hosts “The Mob,” a Hulu competition series from the team behind “The Traitors.” Twelve celebrities — including Aida Turturro, Bruno Tonioli, Debi Mazar and Joe Gorga — live in an Italian villa and complete tasks drawn from mob movies, all for a shot at up to $250,000. The group picks one member as the don, who decides who gets paid and who goes home. It debuts Monday with new episodes weekly.
— A three-part Netflix docuseries, “The One About Matthew Perry,” revisits the life of the late “Friends” star, best known as Chandler Bing. Emmy-winning director Mary Robertson draws on interviews with Perry's sister, Mia Perry Bowick, along with friends and collaborators, plus photos and videos not seen before. It premieres Tuesday, just before the third anniversary of the actor’s death.
— In “Nocturne,” on Apple TV, Liev Schreiber plays a former soldier and homicide detective who leaves Philadelphia for a small Pennsylvania town, only to see a serial killer, played by Stephen Graham, target his community and family. Zazie Beetz co-stars as an FBI agent. The 10-episode series, adapted from Lars Kepler’s novels “Lazarus” and “The Sandman,” premieres Friday, Oct. 30, with two episodes.
— Michael C. Hall returns as Dexter Morgan when “Dexter: Resurrection” begins its second season Friday, Oct. 30, on Paramount+. This time he’s up against two killers in New York, one with a long history and one new, and he’s also dealing with middle age. Dan Stevens and Brian Cox join the cast, and Uma Thurman returns.
— Julian Fellowes’ period drama “The Gilded Age” returns for a fourth season Sunday, Nov. 1, on HBO Max. Carrie Coon’s Bertha Russell deals with the fallout of her social rise, while Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn looks for a way back to the top. Jim Gaffigan appears as President Grover Cleveland.
— “Phantom Blade Zero” aims to create an entirely new genre: “Kungfupunk.” Beijing-based developer S-Game describes it as a mix of martial arts, steampunk machinery, the occult and “elements that do not fit a single category.” It’s the tale of an elite assassin named Soul who’s framed for his master’s murder and has just 66 days to live. Can he survive long enough to unravel the conspiracy? If not, at least he can wreak vengeance with a wicked assortment of swords and a few less pointy secondary weapons. Start carving your path Thursday, Oct. 29, on PlayStation 5 or PC.
— Dalton’s Dinos is one of those weird roadside attractions that make cross-country drives so fun. Sure, it looks like it’s been abandoned, but you’ll soon discover there are “Terrible Lizards” underground. In this debut release from North Carolina’s WDR Studios, you have no weapons to fight the monstrous beasts. Instead, you’ll need all the running, jumping and climbing skills you can muster to explore a sprawling subterranean environment and escape with all your limbs intact. Dig in Thursday, Oct. 29, PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
