The Brainerd Dispatch - Today's Entertainment Magazine
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Brainerd Dispatch • July 4 - 10, 2021 •19 By Raye Smith TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "We the People" - Season 1 This isn't your ordinary civics lesson. Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are bringing the new series "We the People" to Netflix on Sunday, July 4. Formatted into 10 three-minute mini-episodes, this educational musical series teaches lessons about the basics of American rights and citizenship in a brand new way, featuring musi- cal numbers from stars including Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures," 2016), "Slide" singer H.E.R., "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, Brandie Carlile ("A Star is Born," 2018), "Me, Myself & I" singer Bebe Rexha, superstar composer Lin-Manuel Miranda ("Hamilton," 2020) and more. The series harnesses the entertainment power of animation and music, aiming the education towards younger audiences who may just be beginning to understand their rights as a citizen and the power of the people. A truly collaborative venture, each musical number tack - les topics from understanding taxes to voting rights and citizenship. The series was created by the Obamas with Chris Nee ("Doc McStuffins") and Kenya Barris ("Black-ish") and features episodes directed by Benjy Brooke ("Teen Titans Go! To the Movies," 2018), Everett Downing Jr. ("Hair Love," 2019), Trisha Gum ("Robot Chicken"), Jorge R. Gutiér- rez ("The Book of Life," 2014), Da- ron Nefcy ("Holiday Road," 2012), Peter Ramsey ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," 2018), Tim Rauch ("BoJack Horseman"), Victoria Vin- cent ("Little Bunny," 2016), Mabel Ye ("Kid Cosmic") and Kendra Ryan in her professional debut. "Resident Evil: Infinite Dark- ness" - Season 1 Get ready game fans, "Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness" is debut- ing on Netflix this Thursday, July 8. Following Capcom's hit Resident Evil video game franchise, this CGI animated sci-fi horror series takes place between "Resident Evil 4" and "Resident Evil 5," when the White House is threatened by a mysterious combination of attacks: computer hackers and zombies. Nick Apostolides ("Resident Evil 2," 2019) returns to voice Leon S. Ken- nedy, a federal agent tasked with investigating the zombie outbreak. Teamed up with TerraSave staff member Claire Redfield, voiced by Stephanie Panisello, who is also returning to her "Resident Evil 2" (2019) character, the pair must work together to figure out what all of this is really about. Created by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, a producer on many of the games in the Resident Evil franchise, with Eiichiro Hasumi in his directorial debut, the series also features the voices of Ray Chase ("One Punch Man"), Billy Kametz ("Pokémon"), Doug Stone ("Naruto"), Joe J. Thomas ("Detec- tive Conan: Crimson Love Letter," 2017), Brad Venable ("Hero Mask") and Jona Xiao ("Hightown"). "Atypical" - Season 4 Dive back into a story that's any- thing but typical when "Atypical" returns to Netflix with its fourth and final season on Friday, July 9. The series stars Keir Gilchrist ("It's Kind of a Funny Story," 2010) as Sam Gardner, a teenage boy with autism spectrum disorder, as he seeks out love and inde- pendence, all while dealing with growing up and going to college. This dramedy takes viewers on a heartwarming journey with Sam and his proud-but-overprotective mother, Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight," 2015), as she tries to support her son on his hunt for independence. His sister, Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine, "The Glass Castle," 2017), and father, Doug (Michael Rapaport, "Prison Break"), are also along for the ride. Filled with the drama and complica- tions that stem from living life and having relationships, "Atypical" is a coming-of-age story like never be- fore. From creator and writer Robia Rashid ("How I Met Your Mother"), "Atypical" also stars Nik Dodani ("Murphy Brown"), Graham Rog- ers ("Ray Donovan"), Amy Okuda ("The Guild"), Jenna Boyd ("The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants," 2005), Fivel Stewart ("Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft," 2013), Nina Ameri ("Jack the Dog," 2001), Raúl Castillo ("Army of the Dead," 2021), Angel Laketa Moore ("ER") and Rachel Redleaf ("Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood," 2019). WHAT'S NEW ON DISNEY+ "Black Widow" (2021) It's the moment fans have been waiting for: Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, is finally joining the MCU lineup with her very own fea- ture film. After years of uncertainty about the film's development, "Black Widow" premieres in the- aters and on Disney+ with premier access on Friday, July 9. Taking place after the events of "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) and before the events of "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), this latest Marvel hit finds Natasha alone and forced to confront her past when faced with a dangerous conspiracy. To bring down an evil force, Nata- sha must deal with her past as a spy and mend the broken relationships she left in her wake. Florence Pugh ("Little Women," 2019) and Rachel Weisz ("The Lobster," 2015) star as fellow red room-trained Black Widows, while David Harbour ("Stranger Things") stars as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle ("The Handmaid's Tale") as Rick Mason, William Hurt ("Lost in Space," 1998) as Thaddeus Ross, and Ray Winstone ("The De- parted," 2006) as Dreykov. Based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee, Don Heck and Don Rico, the film is directed by Cate Shortland ("SMILF") and features a story by Jac Schaeffer ("WandaVision") and Ned Benson ("The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him," 2013), with a screenplay by Eric Pearson ("Thor: Ragnarok," 2017). WHAT'S NEW ON HBOMAX "Gossip Girl" - Season 1 Get ready Upper East Siders, "Gossip Girl" is back with a series reboot, and it's going to be just as juicy as the original. Debuting on HBO Max on Thursday, July 8, the reboot will feature a whole new cast of characters and one or two familiar faces and voices here and there. Taking place eight years after the original "Gossip Girl" website went dark, a new generation of New York City private schoolers are learning what it's like to be under social scrutiny — all thanks to social media. Original cast member Kristen Bell ("Frozen," 2013) is returning to the series to voice her original role as narrator, while Jordan Alexander ("Unbury the Biscuit"), Emily Alyn Lind ("Re- venge"), Whitney Peak ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"), Eli Brown ("Run Hide Fight," 2020), Thomas Doherty ("Descendants 2," 2017), Zión Moreno ("Control Z"), Tavi Gevinson ("Enough Said," 2013) star as the new cast of the series. The show also features new actors Evan Mock and Savannah Smith in their screen debuts. The original team of creators, Joshua Safran ("Quantico"), Stephanie Savage ("Nancy Drew") and Josh Schwartz ("The O.C."), are returning to the series as executive producers, while Karena Evans ("Mary Kills People") acts as a director on the series. Don't miss the return of this beloved teen series, which prom- ises to be jam-packed with all of the twists, turns and drama that made the original so popular. WHAT'S NEW ON SHUDDER "Son" (2021) How far is a mother willing to go to protect her son? Find out with "Son," the new film airing on Shudder this Thursday, July 8. This Irish-American horror film brings gruesome twists and turns, with a mother (Andi Matichak, "Hallow- een," 2018) facing her past when her son (Luke David Blumm, "The King of Staten Island," 2020) comes down with a mysterious (and rapidly worsening) illness. With a horrific childhood in a cult and a terrifying visit from past members, she goes on a desperate mission to save her son — but exactly how far will she go? The film comes from director and writer Ivan Kavanagh ("The Canal," 2014), and also stars Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild," 2007), Cranston Johnson ("Hap and Leonard"), Blaine Maye ("Joe Bell," 2020) and J. Robert Spencer ("Heterosexuals," 2010). A scene from "We the People" Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff in "Black Widow" Zion Moreno, Jordan Alexander and Savannah Smith from HBO's "Gossip Girl"