New movies

“Blitz” >> Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” streaming Friday, on Apple TV+, is a wartime odyssey about a 9-year-old biracial boy (Elliott Heffernan) who, after being sent to the countryside during the Nazi bombing of London, tries to get home to his mother (Saoirse Ronan). “Blitz,” McQueen’s first narrative feature since 2018’s “Widows,” sometimes feels stuck between a conventional war drama and something more adventurous. But it’s vividly drawn, and, as I wrote in my review, “more complicated and unsparing than the average WWII drama.”

“The Piano Lesson” >> Denzel Washington’s quest to bring the works of August Wilson to the screen have already produced several exceptional films, and performances, in “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In “The Piano Lesson” (on Netflix Friday), he hands the reins to his son, Malcolm Washington, who makes his directorial debut in a production starring John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Erykah Badu, Ray Fisher and Corey Hawkins. The film, set in 1930s Pittsburgh, is about a family wrestling with the legacy of a family heirloom, and of slavery. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr praised it as a “a literal ghost story, with creaks, spooks and shadows lurking.”

“Spellbound” >> Following its first foray into feature film animation, 2022’s “Luck,” Skydance returns with another original animated tale in “Spellbound” (on Netflix Friday). The film, set in the magical world of Lumbria, is about a young girl (voiced by Rachel Zegler) who must save the rulers of Lumbria, her parents (Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem), after they’re turned into monsters. “Spellbound,” produced by former Pixar boss John Lasseter, features original songs from Disney legend Alan Menken.

New shows

“Interior Chinatown” >> In “Interior Chinatown,” actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang plays a Chinese American background actor in a police procedural who dreams of becoming a leading man. It’s adapted from a novel by Charles Yu, who also served as showrunner of the series. Taika Waititi is an executive producer. “Interior Chinatown” premieres Tuesday on Hulu.

“The Sex LIves of College Girls” >> It’s the beginning of sophomore year for the ladies of Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” The show, created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, follows roommates at a fictional college in Vermont. Season three, premiering Thursday, brings back original leads Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur and Alyah Chanelle Scott but will wrap up Reneé Rapp’s storyline. She quit the show to focus on her music career. Mia Rodgers and Gracie Lawrence have been added to the mix as series regulars.

“Based on a True Story” >> Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina have more problems when season two of “Based on a True Story” begins streaming Thursday on Peacock. Season one saw their characters, Ava and Nathan, launch a true crime podcast with an actual serial killer (played by Tom Bateman). In the new episodes, the couple are new parents attempting to return to a normal life, until a string of murders draws them back into amateur sleuthing.

“Cruel Intentions” >> The 1999 film “Cruel Intentions” starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar remains a cult classic but Prime Video has updated the story with a TV series. Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess play wealthy stepsiblings who hatch a plan to seduce and deceive one of their college classmates, who also happens to be the daughter of the vice president of the United States. The show also has plenty of Easter eggs in the that call back to the movie.