What's streaming now: Bradley Cooper conducts, Lidia Bastianich cooks and Percy Jackson quests
This weekโs new streaming entertainment releases include Bradley Cooperโs loving look at the life of Leonard Bernstein in โMaestro,โ Percy Jackson finds out that Greek myths arenโt just a history lesson in โPercy Jackson and the Olympiansโ and PBS celebrates chef Lidia Bastianich.
Marvel's 'Falcon' promises action, explores race, patriotism
(Disney Plus via AP)NEW YORK โ When Steve Rogers handed Sam Wilson his Captain America shield at the end of Marvel's massive 2019 event โAvengers: Endgame,โ Wilson tried it on for a beat. That reluctance and skepticism is front-and-center as Wilson's story continues in โThe Falcon and the Winter Solder,โ a new six-episode Disney+ series that promises an exploration of patriotism and race alongside its shootouts and soaring chase scenes. While โEndgame" appeared to promise a quick transition for Anthony Mackie's Falcon to take up the Captain America mantle, as he has in the comics, the creator of โFalconโ promises only complications. AdSo will there be a Black Captain America by the time the final credits roll in April? Agent, a sometime antagonist to Captain America who twists American patriotism to darker ends.
Disney+ subscribers reach 86.8 million worldwide
Chapek said Disney+ subscribers worldwide have reached 86.8 million, up from 74 million last month. But Disney also kept its biggest films โ including Marvel's โBlack Widow," Pixar's โLuca,โ a โLion Kingโ prequel โ on course for theatrical release. Jenkins becomes the first woman to direct a โStar Warsโ film. Among the โStar Warsโ series are two spinoffs of โThe Mandalorian,โ set during the series' timeline: โRangers of the New Republicโ and โAhsoka,โ with Rosario Dawson. Seven Disney films topped $1 billion worldwide.
Disney delays 'Black Widow,' Spielberg's 'West Side Story'
NEW YORK โ The Walt Disney Co. has further postponed its next mega-movies from Marvel, including โBlack Widow,โ while also postponing Steven Spielberg's โWest Side Storyโ a full year in the company's latest recalibration due to the pandemic. Ten of Disney's top films shuffled release dates Wednesday, uprooting several of the company's major fall releases. The Scarlett Johansson Marvel movie โBlack Widow,โ last set for Nov. 6, heads to May 7 of next year. That was the date set for โWest Side Story,โ but Spielberg's musical will instead debut in December 2021. Given the interconnected nature of Marvel releases, the latest delay of โBlack Widowโ had a domino effect on other films.
Chadwick Bosemanโs death increases colon cancer awareness, how it disproportionately affects Blacks
Boseman was known for his iconic roles playing Jackie Robinson in โ42โณ and Marvelโs โBlack Panther.โThe 43-year-old passed away Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer. His death is now shining a light on the disease and how it disproportionately affects the Black community. Liz Taylor of Viera says she admired Chadwick Bosemanโs bravery to keep going and even star in major films, despite his colon cancer diagnosis. Peggie Burgess held back tears talking about her sister who she said died in 2003 from stage 4 colon cancer. You can find more info on prevention and risk factors here.
You should revisit these 11 movie franchises while quarantined
Luckily for us, there are tons of films that have gone on to become major movie franchises, with sequel after sequel bringing back some of the most beloved characters of all time. So, if you want to take a break from binging โThe Officeโ for the 10th time and want to dig in to some classics, consider watching these movie franchises from front to back. โStar WarsโWriter and director George Lucas created a movie about a team of rebels fighting evil in a galaxy far, far away, and itโs gone on to become one of the most influential movie franchises of all time. โToy StoryโA lot of the movie franchises are for teens and adults, but the โToy Storyโ movies are great because the entire family can enjoy them. โMarvelโAnyone who has gone to see a Marvel movie knows that there are a ton of them.