Latest news with #NomaDumezweni
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Murderbot star Noma Dumezweni on the culture that's made her
Born in Swaziland before moving to England as a child, Noma Dumezweni is an actress whose prolific career spans theatre, film and television. She recently starred as Queen Selina in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, with other film credits including Mary Poppins Returns. On the small screen, Dumezweni has appeared in Only Murders in the Building, The Watcher, Normal People and Doctor Who. On stage, she played Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which won her a Laurence Olivier award for best supporting actress, and she has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2006, she won the Olivier Award for her performance in A Raisin in the Sun. Dumezweni is currently in Apple TV+'s sci-fi series Murderbot opposite Alexander Skarsgård, based on Martha Wells' books about a security android who is horrified by human emotion, yet drawn to its vulnerable 'clients'. I'm currently listening to the Ezra Collective album Where I'm Meant To Be. I still have to catch up with more recent releases. They give me so much joy – to my ear, they are so creatively free, beautiful! The book that influenced me the most is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. I felt such a revelation in my own awareness of my senses. It's the history of the making of perfumes and a stunning perspective on how we humans, in all our rancid and sublime emanations, wish to connect. I'm currently reading All Fours by Miranda July. I actually paused for a few weeks as I am a postmenopausal woman… ha! The book cause a lot of feelings to come up. She's excellent. I am also loving Sonny Boy by Al Pacino. I have many favourite films. Spy with Melissa McCarthy is my screen comfort food! Rose Byrne is magnificent, Peter Serafinowicz is ridiculously out there, and I have to bow down to Jason Statham's brilliant commitment, playing with the glorious comedy genius that is McCarthy. I also loved the film There's Still Tomorrow from writer, actor, director and comedian Paola Cortellesi. I went down a rabbit hole finding out more about this Italian talent. Brava! I'm currently watching Matlock with the great Kathy Bates alongside a stunning newcomer, Skye P Marshall. The best hotel room in the world is at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City. I went for the first time last year for a wedding, and I get it now! My favourite building is somewhere along London's South Bank, depending on the light. This year, I'm looking forward to my kid finishing their high-school journey. What's next is so exciting! Murderbot begins when she finishes, so we'll watch together. If I could have designed one thing it would have been the Citymapper app – wherever you travel, it's so brilliant. If I could bring back one trend it would be looking people in the eye; acknowledging their presence with a simple 'hey' or nod as they pass you by. People more often seem shocked when I smile and say 'hello'. It brings them into the present. We need that.
Geek Girl Authority
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
MURDERBOT Recap: (S01E03) Risk Assessment
Murderbot Season 1 Episode 3, 'Risk Assessment,' deftly fleshes out the dynamics between our core group, simultaneously taking its time with character development while keeping the narrative action moving at a steady clip. It's a delightful blend of comedy and science fiction, complete with a fun fight scene in the episode's final minutes. The central mystery is also intriguing enough to keep us tuning in week after week. Bring on the creatures, the aliens, the killer robots, the human pheromones and more fictional TV shows-within-a-show. RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Murderbot episode, 'Eye Contact' Murderbot, 'Risk Assessment' We open with the PresAux team preparing to depart for the DeltFall habitat. Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) wonders if this is the right move. Perhaps they should launch an emergency beacon. Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) notes that the Company wants them to give up, to quit their expedition. Thus, the plan is to investigate this issue themselves. Plus, maybe they can learn more about the creatures, whether alien synthetics killed them and the strange map anomalies. Mensah urges Gurathin to stay put with Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) while she heads for DeltFall with Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu), Arada (Tattiawna Jones), Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) and our titular Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård). Naturally, the SecUnit isn't thrilled about accompanying the humans. It would rather not be crammed into a hopper with them and their raging pheromones. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 3, 'Risk Assessment.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Part of the Team (Whether You Like It or Not) Then, Mensah asks the SecUnit if it could remove its helmet. It might help the others to see the SecUnit's human-appearing face and view it as part of the team. Great. The last thing our bot wants is to be part of any team. We love our antisocial misanthrope. RELATED: Alexander Skarsgård Goes Rogue in Murderbot Trailer Next, Murderbot watches Strife in the Galaxy while en route to DeltFall. Sure, it's no The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon , but it's a decent watch. I desperately need Murderbot to start a YouTube TV review channel. Ratthi remarks to Pin-Lee and Arada that it's a good thing that DetFall's emergency beacon didn't launch. Mensah agrees. She asks the SecUnit for its opinion. Realizing Mensah is talking to it, the SecUnit switches off Strife in the Galaxy to answer her. 'They have three contracted SecUnits,' Murderbot says. That aside, DeltFall's communication equipment could've taken a hit if they had been attacked by a hostile. Mensah counters that the emergency beacon still should've been triggered despite DeltFall's destroyed comms system. No More Machine Ratthi wonders if the SecUnit has feelings. After all, it looks human. Ratthi feels it's wrong to enslave a being that seems no more machine than Gurathin. Murderbot doesn't like that, to the humans, it seems like it has human emotions. RELATED: David Dastmalchian Joins Apple TV+ Murderbot Adaptation While the humans discuss pointless human sentiments, the SecUnit checks in with those remaining at the PresAux habitat. Bharadwaj seems to be doing better … well, physically. We see her crying until Gurathin silently approaches. Upon seeing him, she quickly wipes her tears away. Bharadwaj shares that she can't stop picturing the two-mouthed creature bursting from the ground. She can still smell it. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 3, 'Risk Assessment.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Gurathin offers his therapy modules to help Bharadwaj cope with the intense trauma she experienced. She politely declines. Then, Murderbot watches as Gurathin sneaks into Mensah's quarters. Why doesn't anyone lock their doors? Initially, the SecUnit wonders if Gurathin is secretly working for the Company. Humans Are Weird Perhaps he plans to kill the crew, sell the proprietary data on the black market and use that money to purchase 'luxury goods' for himself. Nope. Gurathin is merely obsessed with Mensah. He buries his face in her pillow. Humans are weird. I say that as one. RELATED: New TV Shows This Week (May 18 – 24) Suddenly, the satellite signal falters. Pin-Lee remarks that the satellite's been having outages since the group arrived. They've been tracking it to determine if there's a pattern. Murderbot confirms this, claiming that the Company makes all SecUnits periodically check client logs. Uh-oh. It can't let them know it spies on them of its own volition. Understandably, Pin-Lee is upset. They scold the SecUnit for this invasion of privacy. Pin-Lee is now having doubts like Gurathin. What if this SecUnit is really just a faulty killing machine? And now the Company might be watching them. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 3, 'Risk Assessment.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Munitions Inspection Later, while the others are asleep, Mensah asks Murderbot to sit with her at the controls. Murderbot would rather watch its shows, though. I get that. Mensah insists that the others didn't mean what they said about it. You know, that Murderbot is an agent of the Company and could kill them all. Mensah pivots, explaining that her family didn't want her to go on this trip. Uncomfortable, Murderbot interrupts her, claiming it must check the munitions. RELATED: On Location: The Lighterman in Apple TV+'s Slow Horses The following day, the PresAux hopper hovers over the DeltFall habitat, which looks more aesthetically pleasing than the PresAux one. The SecUnit doesn't detect the other SecUnits, but Ratthi remarks that all hoppers are accounted for. Murderbot urges Mensah to park outside the perimeter, though, for safety protocol reasons. Before departing, Mensah asks Pin-Lee if they have weapons experience. They admit their experience mostly lies with games. Ratthi compliments them for being adept at the game KillJoyBloodLustTechRiot (try saying that 10 times fast). DeltFall Arada remarks that she didn't know Pin-Lee played that game. 'I don't,' Pin-Lee responds before they chat more about the game with Ratthi. Uh-oh. Methinks there might be troubled waters in this marriage. Mensah urges Ratthi to stay put and keep watch. After all, he was sleeping during the training session on Port FreeCommerce. RELATED: On Location: The Phoenicia Diner on Apple TV+'s Severance Later, Ratthi warns the quartet about a bevy of crustaceans as they pass through a creek. Hey, those crustaceans could be hostiles, waiting in the wings to attack any passersby. Mensah suggests they keep the channel open for essential communication only. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 3, 'Risk Assessment.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Next, Murderbot orders the trio to stay behind while it surveys the DeltFall habitat proper. It has the largest weapon, you know. Mensah opens a private channel to chat with the SecUnit herself. Murderbot blasts open the door before entering. Then, it spots a destroyed SecUnit, half of its head blown off. Murderbot lies to Mensah, claiming said SecUnit is merely on standby. Surveying the Surroundings Mensah asks for an update. Murderbot claims nothing is going on, and the DeltFall team doesn't need their assistance. Lies and fallacies! RELATED: Apple TV+'s Neuromancer Series Uploads 3 New Cast Members We see the entire team is dead. It's a bloody affair. Murderbot decides to lie to Mensah because humans do irrational things when upset. Fair enough. Mensah orders the SecUnit to leave now. In response, Murderbot creates static interference and cuts off comms. Oops. Before Mensah loses the signal, our eponymous bot urges the trio to return to the hopper in 10 minutes if it doesn't emerge by then. Murderbot is proud of itself for causing the static, citing episode 807 of Sanctuary Moon as inspiration. Eight seasons of a TV show? In this economy? (I wish.) A Fight and a Stranger Outside, Mensah, Pin-Lee and Arada head back to the hopper per Murderbot's instructions. Well, Mensah hesitates. Inside the habitat, the SecUnit observes that one of DeltFall's SecUnits went rogue, and the other two tried to stop it. Mess aside, Murderbot notes that the 'scenario' is too clean. RELATED: Severance Renewed for Season 3 by the Will of Kier (and Apple TV+) Additionally, one SecUnit died trying to protect the communications hub. The other two? Surely, they killed each other simultaneously … just like the Season 1 finale of Strife in the Galaxy . While contemplating the implausible plotlines of Strife in the Galaxy , one of the presumed dead SecUnits comes back to life, attacking our titular bot. Thankfully, Murderbot rises victorious, taking out the enemy in an almost video game-esque fight sequence. The SecUnit examines the now-dead SecUnit, noting that someone overrode its combat module. Who did this? Behind Murderbot, we see what appears to be another SecUnit, this one in all black, approaching. When Murderbot whirls around to address the intruder, said SecUnit fires at it. RELATED: Read our Murderbot recaps Murderbot drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+. TED LASSO Season 4 Is Officially a Go at Apple TV+ Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
Geek Girl Authority
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
MURDERBOT Recap: (S01E02) Eye Contact
Murderbot Season 1 Episode 2, 'Eye Contact,' offers some terrific scenes with Alexander Skarsgård and David Dastmalchian. They really go toe-to-toe in scenes as tense as they are hilarious. Skarsgård continues to be painfully relatable as our antisocial, sardonic SecUnit through which we view this world. 'Eye Contact' is a fun, action-packed episode — surprisingly so for its short 26 minutes. RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Murderbot episode, 'FreeCommerce' Murderbot, 'Eye Contact' We open with Gurathin (Dastmalchian) informing the group that the SecUnit is in stasis. He's killed all the security cameras in the area, too. Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) believes they must travel to one of the blanked-out areas on the maps to figure out what's going on. Again, why wasn't the creature that attacked Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski) and Arada (Tattiawna Jones) categorized as 'hazardous fauna'? Well, Mensah means herself. After all, she's a terraforming expert. She can take samples and measurements and leave quickly. Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) asks about taking proper safety measures. Gurathin volunteers to accompany her, citing that he has weapons training. Mensah insists he must remain behind in the habitat for monitoring purposes. Arada suggests that Mensah take Murderbot. Gurathin vehemently opposes this. Ratthi (Akshay Khanna) realizes this is why Gurathin asked them to meet in the hopper — to get away from the SecUnit. Stupid F*cking Humans Mensah remarks that the SecUnit seems to be going through something. Gurathin reminds her that those bots are killing and maiming machines. He insists he'll see to Murderbot's liquidation personally when they return it to Port FreeCommerce. Bharadwaj boards the hopper, surprising the gang. She's healed quite miraculously thanks to her time in med bay. Bharadwaj volunteers to accompany Mensah to the survey site. RELATED: Alexander Skarsgård Goes Rogue in Murderbot Trailer Later, Murderbot (Skarsgård) realizes its clients are going exploring without it. 'Stupid f*cking humans,' it mutters to itself. True that. We are. Meanwhile, Mensah wonders aloud if this is stupid of them to do without the SecUnit. She also wonders if Bharadwaj should've stayed behind. Bharadwaj insists she feels better. She needs to get back out there. Murderbot watches them from stasis. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 2, 'Eye Contact.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Then, Gurathin calls our titular bot into the other room. Once it complies, Gurathin asks it to remove its helmet. Perhaps because this somewhat humanizes it. Gurathin orders it to sit. He observes that the SecUnit has an issue with eye contact. Murderbot forces itself to connect with him, as uncomfortable as it is. Listen, eye contact sucks. Hate it. 97 Percent Gurathin pivots, asking the SecUnit how its system is doing after the attack from that two-mouthed creature. Our titular bot remarks that its efficiency is at 97 percent and rising. Gurathin wonders what it's like to be a SecUnit. Murderbot reveals that it's always been a SecUnit — it doesn't know anything else. RELATED: David Dastmalchian Joins Apple TV+ Murderbot Adaptation Bored and unstimulated by the conversation with Gurathin, Murderbot checks in with Pin-Lee and Arada. The couple is too lovey-dovey for Murderbot, though. Gurathin asks the SecUnit if it knows why he advised Mensah not to take it along for the survey trip. 'Because I look at you, and I feel something's wrong,' Gurathin says. Uh-oh. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 2, 'Eye Contact.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Later, Mensah and Bharadwaj land the hopper at the survey site. Mensah urges Bharadwaj to stay aboard and keep watch in case they need to escape. Gurathin logged the creature's sound footprint, so if Bharadwaj hears one coming, she should let Mensah know. Threesomes and Interrogations Elsewhere, Pin-Lee admits that almost losing Arada scared the crap out of her. So, if Arada wants to have a threesome with Ratthi, Pin-Lee gives it the stamp of approval. However, it must remain above board. They'll have him sign a consent form. Meanwhile, Murderbot tries to escape Gurathin, but the latter lures it back in. Did you know that the Preservation Alliance doesn't have SecUnits? Murderbot must tip its figurative hat to Gurathin for his impressive interrogation techniques. RELATED: New TV Shows This Week (May 11 – 17) According to Gurathin, in the PA, they view AIs and constructs as people. He joined the PA six years ago after befriending Mensah. He adds that the Corporation Rim considers it property. It must do everything the PreservationAux team says — unless this endangers them. So, Gurathin orders it to make and maintain eye contact. Ouch. Murderbot slowly turns to face Gurathin. It's uncomfortable. You can feel it. Then, Bharadwaj asks Mensah for an update as the latter braves dangerous terrain to the survey site. A drone from the hopper monitors Mensah. No hostiles detected … yet. At the habitat, Gurathin continues to make Murderbot uncomfortable by mentioning that SecUnits aren't designed to be empathic. Comfort Units, on the other hand, are made for *whispers* sex . What Planet Are You From? Gurathin finds it curious that the SecUnit comforted Arada the day before. How would it know to do that? Our eponymous bot responds that it has a combat trauma module for just such a situation. RELATED: On Location: The Lighterman in Apple TV+'s Slow Horses Then, we learn that Murderbot learned quite a bit from watching Episode 537 of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon , its favorite show. 'What planet are you from?' 'Do you have children? Tell me their names.' It's dialogue plucked verbatim from this episode. Also, 537 episodes of a show? If this is the future, I'm in. Gurathin is a tough nut to crack. He doesn't fall for Murderbot's 'I must check the perimeter' bit. Worse, Gurathin tries to probe Murderbot's recent files. So, our SecUnit shows him something different. We see Arada, Pin-Lee and Ratthi sign a consent form before getting it on. Threesome time! A Ping Murderbot asks Gurathin if he's alright after watching his fellow expedition mates start having sex. Then, the SecUnit pivots, reassuring Gurathin that if there were a threat, it would be eliminated. However, their verbal sparring session is (mercifully, for Murderbot) cut short when our bit gets a ping from the hopper's sensors. RELATED: On Location: The Phoenicia Diner on Apple TV+'s Severance Mensah continues climbing a steep hill with her supplies during a storm. She contacts Bharadwaj, revealing that something in her equipment is glitching, making her sensors 'go crazy.' The SecUnit notes that Mensah is having another panic attack, but she's too stubborn to turn around. Mensah orders Bharadwaj to send a drone ahead to scan the area. Murderbot contacts Mensah, informing her that it detected a potential threat. It asks her to return to the hopper. Gurathin chimes in, revealing that the SecUnit is using satellite comms to conduct surveillance. Behind Mensah, we see the creature burst through the surface before diving beneath it again, like a giant sandworm. Mensah hears it growling. Murderbot contacts Bharadwaj, who reveals she's detecting a vibration identical to the attack the day before. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 2, 'Eye Contact.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. Map Lacuna Suddenly, the two-mouthed creature emerges behind Mensah. She cowers before lying flat on the ground. Thankfully, it soars above her, heading toward the center of the map lacuna. It grounds to a halt beside others of its kind. These other creatures are either dead or asleep. RELATED: Apple TV+'s Neuromancer Series Uploads 3 New Cast Members The drone flies ahead of Mensah, but when it lowers into the atmosphere above the creatures, it explodes. A peculiar — and inexplicable — type of force field seemingly absorbs the drone debris as it scatters. What could make the drone explode like that? Murderbot informs Gurathin that Mensah is returning to the hopper. It asks for permission to patrol the perimeter, which Gurathin grants. Gurathin encourages Murderbot to recover its missing memories, the ones the Company wiped when it was refurbished. He offers to do it himself. 'No,' Murderbot replies. This takes Gurathin aback. 'I mean, I'll try,' the SecUnit adds. Aliens, Y'all Next, after Mensah and Bharadwaj return, Gurathin expresses his relief that they're back and unharmed. Later, the gang reunites to discuss their findings at the survey site — the one the Company didn't want them to explore. The consensus is that those creatures aren't connected under the surface. They're also not alive. So, confirmation that they are, indeed, corpses. RELATED: Severance Renewed for Season 3 by the Will of Kier (and Apple TV+) Gurathin surmises there's something beneath the surface that drew those creatures in and killed them. The discussion pivots to aliens. Like the ones on TV! Ratthi explains that alien synthetics could have glitched the survey satellites, causing those gaps or blanks in the maps. This could be old alien remnants from millions of years ago that shot their drone out of the sky. Does this mean they stop surveying? Or is the Company aware of the alien synthetics, marking them as invaluable and preventing anyone else from having a stake? Pin-Lee remarks that it's illegal to exploit something like this. MURDERBOT Season 1 Episode 2, 'Eye Contact.' Photo courtesy of Apple TV+. DeltFall Is DeltDead Mensah reveals there's another survey team on the other side of the planet, DeltFall survey. Should they ping them? Murderbot observes from afar as the gang tries to contact the other team. Mensah introduces herself and urges the team to respond. Unfortunately, the DeltFall team can't come to the phone right now … or ever. We see they're all dead in their hopper, including their SecUnit. Mensah assumes their comms are down, so she proposes they check in on the other team in person and bring Murderbot along. What could possibly go wrong? RELATED: Apple TV+ Sets Premiere Date for The Buccaneers Season 3 and Shares First Look Murderbot drops new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+. TED LASSO Season 4 Is Officially a Go at Apple TV+ Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
The National
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
New movies, shows and music to stream, from manga adaptation Bet to Oscar-winner The Brutalist
A new live-action manga adaptation comes this week, this time from the popular Kakegurui series, which has already been made into a live-action TV show and movies in Japan. Meanwhile, The Brutalist, which earned Adrien Brody his second Best Actor Oscar, is finally available to stream. Here are some of the latest films, shows and music to stream this week. Based on the bestselling book series of the same name by Martha Wells, Murderbot is a comedy/thriller about a security robot who begins to develop free will. It hides its intelligence and reluctantly joins a group of scientists on a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to binge-watch futuristic soap operas – until things go sideways. Alexander Skarsgard (Succession) plays the robot alongside an ensemble cast including Noma Dumezweni (Presumed Innocent), David Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer) and Sabrina Wu (Joy Ride) among others. Since 2004, Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman have turned their motorcycle journeys into three hit TV shows – Long Way Round, Long Way Down and Long Way Up – and two bestselling books. Their fourth international trip and show is called Long Way Home, now streaming on Apple TV+. For this journey, the duo travel across 17 European countries on cranky old bikes, starting at McGregor's home in Scotland, going into Holland, up through the Nordics, Arctic Circle, down to the Baltics, before going through the Alps and France. They spent about two months on the road before finishing at Boorman's home in England. Stanley Tucci is back. After CNN cancelled his Emmy Award-winning show Searching for Italy in 2022, the acclaimed actor returns to give the world a taste of his Italian heritage, this time with National Geographic. For this show, Tucci visits 10 of the most distinctive regions in Italy to discover how food can unlock what makes them so special. Each episode ends with the award-winning actor creating a meal that captures that region's very essence. JJ Abrams co-created this show, a crime thriller led by Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson. Set in the 1970s, it follows the FBI's first black female officer Nina (Hilson), who attempts to stop a crime syndicate with the help of a getaway driver Jim (Holloway). Japanese manga series Kakegurui, written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Toru Naomura, has been hugely successful since its release in 2014. It has spawned an anime series, novels, live-action TV and film adaptations and even a video game. Netflix, which bought streaming rights to the anime series, is now introducing a live-action English version. The original story centres on a prestigious school where the social status of students is decided through gambling. When one new student learns the cheating methods of other gamblers, she disrupts the status quo, causing chaos. In the premise for Bet, the new student is given a mysterious past and she's set on revenge. The Brutalist has been a rousing success since it was first screened to rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival in September. It has grossed more than $50 million globally on a $10 million budget, and it was nominated for 10 categories at the 2025 Oscars, where it won three – including Brody's second for Best Actor. The film tells the story of a struggling architect named Lazlo Toth (Brody), a survivor of a Jewish concentration camp, who fights for decades to build his own masterwork in an America that barely accepts him. Released in 2018, this is comedian Jonah Hill's directorial debut. The film is sets in 1990s Los Angels and follows a 13-year-old boy, who escapes a troubled home life to spend time with an older group of skateboarders. Mid90s received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised it for its nostalgic take on the 1990s. A follow-up to their 2020 documentary film Kiss the Ground, directors Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell return on familiar ground armed with top Hollywood stars to drive home their message of regenerative farming. Like its predecessor, Common Ground further delves into farming practices and the important role healthier soil plays in a better planet and a more sustainable world. Actors Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson feature in the film. The Voice alum Morgan Wallen's fourth album comes two years after his hugely successful One Thing at a Time, which remained on top of the US Billboard 200 chart for 19 consecutive weeks. The country album features a number of high-profile collaborators, including Tate McRae, Eric Church and Post Malone. Wallen is expected to set off on a tour to promote the album later this year.
CNET
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
'Murderbot': How to Watch Apple's New Sci-Fi Comedy Thriller
Alexander Skarsgård stars as the titular character in Apple TV Plus's Murderbot. Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus is packed with excellent sci-fi TV offerings, and Murderbot, the platform's newest arrival, will make the streamer's content lineup all the more exciting. Based on Martha Wells' Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning bestselling series, Murderbot is a sci-fi comedy that follows a self-hacking security robot drawn to humanity -- despite finding human emotions revolting. Alexander Skarsgård leads the series as the cyborg in question. Can the Murderbot keep its free will a secret and serve out its assignment to keep its vulnerable human clients safe? Or will it succumb to its more profound desire: watching futuristic soap operas and pondering its place in the vast, unknowable maw of the universe? Alongside Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski and Tattiawna Jones star. The Weitz brothers wrote, directed and produced the series; David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are the executive producers. Scroll on to learn the episodic release schedule for Murderbot and more streaming details about the series. Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2025 When to watch Murderbot on Apple TV Plus Murderbot's first two episodes, FreeCommerce and Eye Contact, will be available on Apple TV Plus on Friday, May 16. The remaining episodes will stream on the platform each Friday until the Season 1 finale on July 11. If you don't have an Apple device, sign up for the service via Prime Video channels or on your Android device. James Martin/CNET Apple TV Plus Home of Murderbot To indulge in the delightful craziness of Murderbot, you'll need a subscription to Apple TV Plus. The streamer costs $10 a month, and if you're a new subscriber, you can get a seven-day free trial. For those who purchased a new Apple device, three months of Apple TV Plus is free, as long as you redeem the offer within 90 days. See at Apple TV Plus How to watch Murderbot from anywhere with a VPN If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with your favorite shows or movies while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds; they can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content. If you're considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance. If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider's installation instructions, ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying whether your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
