COMING SOON
Out this week
Albums
* I’m the Problem by Morgan Wallen: Fourth album by the American country music singer; comes after 2023’s One Thing at a Time; includes the singles ‘Lies Lies Lies’, ‘Love Somebody’, ‘I’m the Problem’, and ‘Just in Case’, as well as the songs ‘What I Want’ (with Tate McRae), ‘Number 3 and Number 7’ (with Eric Church), ‘The Dealer’ (with Ernest), and ‘I Ain’t Comin’ Back’ (with Post Malone).
Movies
* Final Destination Bloodlines (starring Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt) – horror, sixth instalment in series, a direct sequel to The Final Destination (2009); a college student (Juana) fights to prevent Death from reclaiming her family’s bloodline.
* Hurry Up Tomorrow (starring Abel Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan) – musical thriller, a companion piece to The Weeknd’s sixth studio album; an insomniac musician (Tesfaye) is pulled into an existential journey by a mysterious stranger.
* To Live and Die and Live (starring Amin Joseph, Skye P. Marshall, Omari Hardwick, Cory Hardrict, Maryam Basir) – drama; a film director (Joseph) struggling with addiction returns home for his stepfather’s funeral and has to shoulder more responsibilities than he can cope with.
STAR
Janet Damita Jo Jackson
- Born on 16 May 1966 in Gary, Indiana, U.S.
- Is the youngest of ten children in the Jackson family that propelled to fame with the success of her brothers’ band, the Jackson 5.
- Performed with her sisters as a child.
- Appeared in The Jacksons variety show (1976 – 1977).
- Had roles in the sitcoms Good Times (1977 – 1979) and Diff’rent Strokes (1980 – 1984) and the musical drama Fame (1984 – 1985).
- Released her self-titled debut album, Janet Jackson, in 1982.
- Gained pop stardom following the releases of the albums Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989).
- Has released eleven studio albums, the latest of which is 2015’s Unbreakable.
- Is one of the world best-selling artists.
- Has also appeared in films including Poetic Justice (1993), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), and For Colored Girls (2010).
- Has been married thrice: to singer James DeBarge (1984 – 1985; annulled), dancer René Elizondo Jr.
- (1991 – 2003; divorced), and businessman Wissam Al Mana (2012 – 2017; separated). Has a son (born in 2017) with Al Mana.
SPOTLIGHT
Thunderbolts*
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Director: Jake Schreier
Tagline: Not super. Not heroes. Not giving up.
- Action; caught in a deadly trap, a group of misfit antiheroes are forced to work together on a dangerous mission.
- Is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the final instalment of MCU’s Phase Five.
- Had been in consideration for a decade since James Gunn expressed an interest in making a Thunderbolts film during the production of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Was officially revealed to be in development in 2022.
- Production was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes, causing some cast changes.
- Has grossed over US$270 million on a $180 million budget.
- Has received positive reviews, with critics praising Pugh’s performance and finding the film more enjoyable than other recent MCU instalments.
- Score composed by Son Lux.