Kung Fu Panda 4 chops, PBS plays nightclub and Kevin Hart chats

This combination of photos shows promotional artwork for the film Aftersun, left, the animated film Kung Fu Panda 4, center, and the series Perfect Wife. (A24/Universal/Hulu via AP)
(A24/Universal/Hulu via AP)

The debut of Echoes, a sequel to Orphan Black, and the documentary Bread & Roses, which examines the impact on the lives of Afghan women after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021, are among the new TV shows, movies, music and games. directed to a device near you.

Also among streaming deals worth your time, selected by The Associated Press entertainment journalists: Jack Black returns to perform Kung Fu Panda 4, R&B-pop artist Kehlani has a new album, and Kevin Hart's interview show Hart to Hart is back for a fourth season on Peacock.

Movies

Jack Black returns to the world of Kung Fu Panda for the fourth installment in the series, arriving on Peacock on Friday, June 21. Kung Fu Panda 4, his character Po was asked to leave the position of Dragon Warrior and choose a successor. Critic Mark Kennedy wrote in his review for The Associated Press, the first new installment in the series in eight years is a reliably funny, sweet and wonderfully realized passing of the torch, with one leg in the past and another in the future, an elegant and a hello. The film also features the voices of Awkwafina, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong.

If these photos from the set of Gladiator II have you wanting more of Paul Mescal before that film comes out in November, you're in luck: After Sun arrives on Netflix Friday, June 21. His poignant performance as a single father vacationing in Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter earned him an Oscar nomination in 2023 (the award went to Brendan Fraser that year for The Whale). The film itself, from writer-director Charlotte Wells, topped the AP list of the best films of 2023. Screenwriter Jake Coyle wrote that it is an accumulation of details and feelings so keenly observed that you barely notice the current of sorrow that will ultimately knock you out completely. Or for something completely different, you can watch Jessica Alba as a special forces commando in Trigger warning, also streaming on Friday June 21.

The documentary Bread and roses examines how the lives of three Afghan women were affected after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021. Filmmaker and producer Sahra Mani explained that the closure of girls' schools in Afghanistan is not just a matter of feminist concern ; It is rather a question of international security. The Taliban recognize that children of educated mothers are difficult to indoctrinate and are less likely to become their future soldiers. Produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi, and executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, Bread & Roses will be available on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 21.

Lindsey Bahr, AP film screenwriter

Music

The Grammy Award-winning R&B-pop artist Green will soon return with their fourth studio album, Crash, a follow-up to 2022's critically acclaimed Blue Water Road. (That one, AP Entertainment writer Mark Kennedy, described as demonstrating his effortless ability to move between pop, R&B, rap, trance and dance.) On Crash, these eclecticisms have only continued to flourish. On the single After hours, Kehlani brings her smooth vocals to the club over a dance hall beat; on Next 2 U, she weaves big, explosive electronic beats into an energetic love anthem. They're going to have to come get me/They're going to have to take care of me/To be next to you, she sings.

New releases this week include Exodo by Peso Pluma, left, and Crash by Kehlani.
Courtesy of Double P Records and Atlantic Records

In 2023, Eslabon Armado and Lightweights She dances alone The single surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify last month, becoming Mexico's first regional Top 10 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 4. The song became synonymous with what seemed to be a new global musical movement: All around the world, regional mexican music a catch-all term that encompasses mariachi, banda, corridos, norteo, sierreo, and other genres was being adopted. Pluma, in many ways, has become a leading figure in the global phenomenon and will release a new album on Friday June 21, the double disc titled xodo. In interviews he has promised to explore many different sounds in and outside of the corridos that have made him an international name, as already demonstrated by Peso Completo, which features reggaetnero Arcngel.

Disco, for many, is the sound of resilience and joy which makes it so strange to consider that its story is, several decades after its creation, still neglected and under-celebrated. On Tuesday, PBS seeks to challenge remaining vintage prejudices with a three-part documentary series called Disco: soundtrack to a revolution. We find there the big names of disco of yesterday and today: Labelles Nona Hendryx, Sylvesters Jeanie Tracy, Pierre Kim and Jessie Ware among them.

On Saturday, June 22, HBO and MAX will premiere a new documentary chronicling the life of Stevie Van Zandtactor, musician and beloved member of Bruce Springsteen s E Street Band, titled Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple. It promises to deliver a treasure trove of never-before-seen footage from The Sopranos to early days in Jersey clubs, to headlining stadiums and everything in between. And yes, of course Springsteen is featured alongside other talking heads including Paul McCartney, Bono and Darlene Love.

Maria Sherman, AP music writer

Watch

Kevin Harts interview show Hart to Hart returns for a fourth season on Peacock on Wednesday, June 19. This season, the actor and comedian will sit down for one-on-one chats with Ben Affleck, George Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Samberg, Judd Apatow and Niecy Nash.

Hulu dives into nature true story of Sherri Papini, the California woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016. Her claims were so bizarre that it took investigators six years to piece together what happened. The three episodes of Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini drop Thursday June 20.

Krysten Ritter stars in Orphan Black: Echoes.
Courtesy of AMC

Echoes, A sequel series to Orphan Black debuts Sunday, June 23 on AMC and BBC America. The show, produced by and starring Krysten Ritter, is set in the year 2052, almost 40 years after the events of the original. Ritter plays Lucy, a woman we meet after undergoing a medical procedure she no longer remembers. His wife is Kira, the now adult daughter of Sarah Manning. Orphan Black fans may remember Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany) was the protagonist of the original series. At the recent premiere, Ritter told the Associated Press that Echoes is different from its predecessor by saying, “How do we approach clones?” My character is played by different actresses at different ages. The episodes will also air on AMC+.

August Winter, left, and Krysten Ritter star in Orphan Black: Echoes.
Courtesy of AMC

Erin French, television personality, chef and owner of the famous Maine restaurant called Lost Kitchen, has a new unscripted series on Magnolia Network called Getting lost with Erin French. She travels the country in an Airstream with her husband, Michael, looking for recipe ideas. The series debuts on Magnolia Network on Sunday, June 23. It is broadcast the same day on Max and Discovery+.

Alicia Rancilio

Video games

It's December 1975 and you're stuck on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. To make this Christmas even bluer, you're all alone except for a mysterious entity that seems to have wiped out the rest of the crew. This is the configuration for Always awakens the depths, the latest mystery from British studio The Chinese Room. The developers are known for their offbeat interactive tales like Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and their new adventure aims to combine the creeping terror of those titles with full-blown Lovecraftian horror. Take a deep breath and dive in Tuesday on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5, or PC.

Lou Kesten