New movies and series: Catch up and look ahead

Stars of David

By Nate Bloom, Stars of David Contributing Columnist

Editor’s Note: Persons in bold are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of this column. Persons identifi ed as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in, or identify with, a faith other than Judaism. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identifi ed as Jewish.

“Red Rocket” opened in a limited number of theaters last month. But look for a major streaming service (like HBO) to pick it up this month or next. It stars Simon Rex, now 49. This very handsome fellow was an MTV VJ (1995-1997). From 1999-2005, he had a number of TV/movie gigs, including co-starring in a couple of short-lived TV series. After 2005, his acting career faded, and he scratched out a living in rap music.

Here’s the miracle — in 2020, director/writer Sean Baker called Rex, who he didn’t know, and asked him to star in his indie film, “Red Rocket,” as a washedup porn star who returns to his Texas hometown. Well, the film has gotten great reviews. There’s real Oscar talk about the film and Rex’s performance.

“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” based on Shakespeare’s famous play, opened in a few theaters last month (so as to be eligible for Oscar nominations) and will begin streaming on Apple+ on Jan. 14. It was written and directed by Joel Coen, 67. This is the first film that Joel Coen directed and wrote without his brother, Ethan Coen, 64 (they’ve always shared writing/directing credits). Denzel Washington plays Macbeth and Frances McDormand (Joel’s real-life wife) plays Lady Macbeth. Reviews have been very good.

“Cyrano,” a musical based on the famous play, “Cyrano De Bergerac,” played one theater in Los Angeles last month to be “Oscar eligible.” It will open in a limited number of theaters on Jan. 22 and may “expand” in the following weeks. The musical, “Cyrano,” was first an off Broadway show (2018). It got good, if not stellar, reviews. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion in “Game of Thrones”) stars as Cyrano. The music for the stage and film versions was composed by twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, 45. They are members of “The National,” a well-known arty rock band.

“The 355,” an action spy thriller, opens on Jan. 7. Jessica Chastain stars as a CIA secret agent who teams up with other international agents to recover a secret weapon. Simon Kinberg, 49, directed and co-wrote the film. He has co-written a number of “X-Men” films and is a top film producer.

Premiering on the 20th is “Single Drunk Female,” a comedy/drama series (Freeform channel, 10 p.m.). Sophia Black-D’Elia, 29, stars as Samantha Fink, an irreverent alcoholic who gets into trouble and can only avoid jail by moving in with her smothering mother (played by ‘80s “brat pack” star, Ally Sheedy, 59). Both actresses have non Jewish fathers and Jewish mothers. BlackD’Elia has described herself as Jewish and Sheedy has always been secular. By the way, Freeform has really “upped” its quality lately.

“As We See It” is an American series based on “On the Spectrum,” an internationally acclaimed Israeli series. All eight first-season “As We See It” episodes will begin streaming on Amazon Prime on Jan. 21. The Amazon series, like the Israeli series, centers on three youngish, autistic persons who live in a hostel for adults with autism. The hostel staff tries to transition these youngish folks into independent living. Rick Glassman, 37, an American comedian who has Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of autism), plays one of the three main characters in the Amazon series. “As We See It” was created by Jason Katims, 61, a veteran show-writer/producer who has an autistic child.

“The Gilded Age” premieres on HBO on Jan. 24. This “prestige” series was created and written by Julian Fellowes, the Brit who created and wrote “Downton Abbey.” It follows the clash, in the 1880s, between the “old money” New York City elite and rich newcomers. There are no Jewish characters in the first season. However, Morgan Spector, 41, whose father is Jewish, has a juicy part as George Russell, a classic “new money” robber baron. I suspect, in future seasons, wealthy Jewish characters will “brush up” against the “old guard.” This was the case in later seasons of “Downton Abbey.”

“The Afterparty,” an Apple+ series that premieres on Jan. 28, centers on a murder mystery at a high school reunion. Each of the eight episodes features a retelling of the same night from a different character’s perspective. Each episode has its own unique visual style and film genre to match the teller’s personality. The “eight” includes Tiffany Haddish, 42; Ike Barinholtz, 44; Ilana Glazer, 34; and Ben Schwartz, 40. This series has very good advance “buzz.”