Jason Momoa's passion project, a period drama set against the backdrop of the unification and colonisation of Hawaii, is finally here. For something lighter, Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest team up in a romantic comedy adapted from a bestselling novel, while Miley Cyrus makes her directorial debut.
For those drawn to real-life Hollywood drama, a new documentary dives into the fallout between Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
Here are some of the latest films, shows and music to stream this week.
New movies to stream
My Oxford Year (Netflix)
Sofia Carson is back with another romcom following March release The Life List – and this time she's heading to the UK. She plays Anna, an American, who thinks she has her life all planned out when she enrols for a year-long poetry programme at Oxford University. But everything changes after she meets Jamie, played by Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story star Corey Mylchreest.
“You can expect some laughs, a lot of love, maybe some sadness and a couple of surprises along the way, but you can expect to meet two very human characters and all of their amazing friends and family. Get ready for a lovely journey,” Mylchreest said.
Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful (Disney+)
Cyrus tries her hand at film directing with this visual companion to her ninth studio album of the same name. Described as “a one-of-a-kind pop opera fuelled by fantasy” and scored by 13 songs from the album, the film had its premiere at Tribeca Festival, with Cyrus sharing directing credits with Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter.
The pop star said she was inspired by Pink Floyd's 1979 classic The Wall. “My idea was making The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture,” she told Harper's Bazaar ahead of the album's release.
Lively vs Baldoni: The Hollywood Feud (OSN+)
An empowering film about leaving toxic relationships unravelled into one of the biggest Hollywood feuds in recent memory, as It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni traded insults and lawsuits following its release.
Amid leaks, sexual harassment allegations and multiple court cases, this documentary takes a deep dive into the fight – even as the cases are still being litigated – and looks at whether Lively is the victim or Baldoni (who is also producer and director of the film) is the target of a weaponised narrative.
New shows to stream
Chief of War (Apple TV+)
Jason Momoa fronts Apple's latest period epic, based on the true story of a Hawaiian warrior as he tries to unify the islands before western colonisation in the late 18th century. Featuring a predominantly Polynesian cast, and told from an indigenous perspective, the show is a passion project for creators Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, who share native Hawaiian heritage.
The first two episodes had their premiere on Friday, with new episodes to be released every Friday until September 19.
Washington Black (Disney+)
Based on the 2018 bestseller of the same name by Canadian novelist Esi Edugyan, Washington Black follows a young slave, Wash, who is forced to flee a sugar plantation in Barbados, thrusting him into a globe-spanning adventure. As he navigates uncharted lands in search of freedom, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of society.
Ernest Kingsley Jr plays the titular character, while Iola Evans plays Tanna Goff, a biracial woman Wash's love interest. Acclaimed actor Sterling K Brown, who is one of the producers, also stars.
One Night in Idaho: The College Murders (Prime Video)
Last week, Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death at an off-campus house in the still of the night. Their housemates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were unharmed.
The series centres on the families and friends of the victims, featuring exclusive interviews with Stacey and Jim Chapin (parents of Ethan Chapin) and Karen and Scott Laramie (parents of Madison Mogen).
Leanne (Netflix)
American comedian Leanne Morgan's stand-up special, I'm Every Woman, was a huge success for Netflix in 2023. Now at 58, she's turning that newfound fame into the premise of a sitcom.
In Leanne, Morgan plays a grandmother who is forced to start over with the help of her unfiltered family when her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman. Written by Morgan, the show explores how opening oneself up to new things later in life, from relationships to careers, is a feat of real courage.
New music to stream
Renee Rapp's Bite Me
Two years after her debut album, Snow Angel, Mean Girls actress and singer Rapp is back with Bite Me, a 12-track offering that Rolling Stone has called “one of the year's most exciting pop albums”.
Rapp is known for her no-holds-barred personality, and Bite Me is meant to reflect this persona.
With three singles already released – Leave Me Alone, Mad and Why Is She Still Here? – Rapp has described her sophomore project as “deeply personal and emotionally messy”.
“It’s a raw, unfiltered and vulnerable album about self-acceptance in its truest form,” reads a note on her website.
