2 days ago
'Alien' among us 👾
"In space, no one can hear you scream."
That was the tagline of the original 1979 sci-fi classic "Alien." More than 45 years later, you're going to hear all the screaming because the long-running franchise is back in a whole new way – and on our home planet – in the new TV series "Alien: Earth." Even if Facehuggers and Chestbusters freak you out, that's a definite recommendation for this weekend, as is the new Spike Lee flick "Highest 2 Lowest," the iconic director's fifth collaboration with Denzel Washington and a remake of Akira Kurosawa's "High and Low." And we got any Losties in the Watch Party crew? Daniel Kae Kim is back in a Prime Video spy show.
Now on to the good stuff:
See a new take on an old fave with the sci-fi series 'Alien: Earth'
The "Alien" franchise has gone a lot of different directions in five decades – not all of then stellar. Last year's movie "Alien: Romulus" went back to the roots of the OG films, and Noah Hawley's outstanding TV show "Alien: Earth" also does wonders with the series by taking the action from space to Earth with a crash-landed spacecraft (carrying nothing exactly pleasant) and corporations competing to unlock immortality. In her ★★★½ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler writes that the show harks back to the halcyon days of Ridley Scott's first movie with "eight episodes of terror, both comfortingly familiar and disturbingly novel."
There is an interesting timeliness to "Alien: Earth," too: While the iconic "Alien" Xenomorph does show up, the series also explores powerful tech companies vying for dominance. "The show is about humanity being trapped between its monster past when we all were just food and its AI future, and in both cases, something's out to kill us," Hawley tells my bud Marco della Cava in a discussion of the drama's modern themes.
Celebrate Spike Lee and Denzel Washington's reunion for 'Highest 2 Lowest'
When Spike Lee and Denzel Washington get together, they don't miss. "He Got Game"? Best basketball movie ever. Washington snagged an Oscar nod for the great "Malcolm X." "Inside Man" was a standout heist thriller. "Mo' Better Blues" is a cool jazz flick. And their latest collab "Highest 2 Lowest" − which stars Denzel Washington as a music mogul with a moral dilemma – reunites them as older but wiser artists for a love letter to New York City, music and sports that proves each still has a lot of game. (Peep my ★★★ review.)
If you're wanting to stick closer to home for new movies, there's a bunch hitting streaming services this week, including Netflix thriller "Night Always Comes" and "The Legend of Ochi." Plus: "Superman" is out in digital release now and that's a super-fun time.
Stream Daniel Dae Kim's Amazon espionage show 'Butterfly'
"Lost" fan favorite Daniel Dae Kim has a pretty exciting 2025, being named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world and earning a Tony Award nomination for his role in the revival of "Yellow Face." But even though he's busy, Kim stopped by our New York City studio to chat with my man Ralphie Aversa about his new Prime Video espionage thriller "Butterfly." Kim plays a former U.S. intelligence agent living in South Korea when an enemy agent tries to kill him and has to confront his past to save his family. The opening of the show features Kim belting out The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," but in real life, the actor doesn't go near a karaoke mike. "I do love 'Mr. Brightside,' " he jokes. "It doesn't matter who starts it − everyone finishes it, and that to me is a sign of a good karaoke song."
In addition to "Butterfly" and the aforementioned "Alien" show, the Kansas City Chief docuseries "The Kingdom" and a "Snoopy" musical make Kelly's roundup of streaming TV premieres this week.
Even more goodness to check out!
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@ and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
