George Clooney stars in 'Jay Kelly', a new Netflix film from director Noah Baumbach that premieres on Friday. Clooney plays a famous actor grappling with midlife regrets as his youngest daughter prepares for college. The cast includes Adam Sandler as his manager and Laura Dern as his publicist. The AP described the film as a 'love letter to Hollywood'.
Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning', which begins streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film concludes the storyline that began with 2023's 'Dead Reckoning Part One'. AP critic Lindsey Bahr noted that the series' dour tone makes some moments feel 'unintentionally silly'.
Michelle Pfeiffer leads the Christmas comedy 'Oh. What. Fun.' on Prime Video from Wednesday. She plays a matriarch who disappears after years of organising holiday festivities for her ungrateful family. The film, directed by Michael Showalter, also features Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary and Dominic Sessa.
Zac Brown Band releases their new album 'Love & Fear' on Friday, with singles including 'I Ain't Worried About It', 'Let It Run' with Snoop Dogg, 'Butterfly' with Dolly Parton, and 'Hard Run' with Marcus King. The band will perform at the Sphere in Las Vegas over several nights in December and January.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds offer 'Live God', a live album of tracks from 'Wild God' and older favourites. The Royal Danish Library has also put the 'Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition' online. On television, the Western series 'The Abandons' arrives on Netflix on Thursday, with Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey as widowed landowners in 1850s Oregon. Starz premieres 'Spartacus: House of Ashur' on Friday, an alternate timeline story featuring a female gladiator.
For gamers, Nintendo's long-awaited 'Metroid Prime 4: Beyond' is here. Samus Aran explores a jungle planet with hostile wildlife while gaining psychic abilities, and another bounty hunter pursues her.
