Yahoo Lifestyle What to watch: Robbie Williams, from pop star to great ape
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If you were into British pop music in the 1990s, you probably know well the boy band hits and solo anthems of one Robbie Williams.
Seeing him as a chimpanzee might be a shock.
The music biopic "Better Man" takes you on a wild journey through the life of the cheekiest Take That member, one of several things you should be watching. With Golden Globes handed out and Oscar nominations on the way, take the time see Adrien Brody in "The Brutalist," though if you need something to watch at home, giddy up for "American Primeval." Plus, being that it's the new year, now's the time to start planning out your 2025 movie and TV calendars. (And most importantly, today we're thinking of our LA friends dealing with the wildfires. All the love to those folks.)
Now on to the good stuff:
See Robbie Williams as a singing, dancing chimp in 'Better Man' biopic
Many biopics are boring affairs, but "Better Man" is never dull. It's an admirably eccentric jukebox musical that boasts plenty of tropes but makes the winningly bizarre choice of depicting Robbie Williams as a simian man who sings, dances and curses a lot. (Peep my ★★★ review.) Music critic Melissa Ruggieri chatted with Williams – the real one, not the chimp – who thought the idea was "genius," he says. The approach "has done what it was supposed to do, which is to get people talking and be contentious. I would say it’s about eight to 12 minutes where the audience is going, ‘What?’ and then you completely forget and you’re taken on a ride that you’ve never seen.”
"Better Man" is the start of a year full of big movies coming to movie theaters. I put together a roundup of 15 must-see films to check out in 2025, from "Superman" and "Snow White" to "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Jurassic World Rebirth."
Watch Adrien Brody's latest award-winning turn in 'The Brutalist'
Never sleep on Adrien Brody playing a Holocaust survivor in a period drama. His gutsy portrayal as a Jewish musician in "The Pianist" won him a best actor Oscar and he's aiming for another one as a Hungarian architect trying to make a life for his family in postwar America in "The Brutalist." My colleague Patrick Ryan interviewed Brody, who just scored a Golden Globe and is a favorite to win another Academy Award, about how it's taken him decades to find this kind of "ambitious" role. It's also one that's personal to the actor, he says: "It instantly tapped into my mother and grandparents’ struggle of coming to America. Even in spite of assimilating and becoming Americans, you’re still a foreigner.”
And take it from me, fam, Brody does not disappoint. Be sure to see "The Brutalist," the best movie of 2024, when it's in a theater near you.
Stream Netflix's hyperviolent Western drama 'American Primeval'
Savage? Cool! Primal? I'm down with that! Bloody? Sweet! Ruthless? Well, now you're just threatening me with a good time. The new Netflix Western drama "American Primeval" centers on an unlikely group of folks traveling through Utah circa 1857 and getting caught up in an undeclared war between Indigenous nations, the government, westward pioneers and a Mormon militia. In her ★★½ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler says the crazy violent show is "often fascinating, sometimes riveting but more often gratuitous and dull, with a level of barbarity that might make even the worst 'Game of Thrones' villains blush."
Kelly also put together a list of the TV shows she's most looking forward to in 2025, including "Daredevil: Born Again" (which definitely makes my cut), "Yellowjackets" and "Stranger Things."
Even more goodness to check out!
The new sitcom "Shifting Gears" is just for the Tim Allen completists. (Insert Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor grunts here.)
For those like me old enough to remember trainwreck TV at its start, that Netflix docuseries about "The Jerry Springer Show" is a nostalgic throwback.
The latest in our The Essentials series features "Abbott Elementary" scene-stealer Janelle James discussing the recent "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" crossover and her love of drumming.
Morning TV is getting an Avenger: Scarlett Johannson signs on to be a guest co-host on "The Today Show."
"Wicked" director Jon M. Chu wants Britney Spears to be involved in the making of her upcoming biopic. (If he does it "Better Man" style, fingers crossed that Britney is a flamingo.)
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch: 'Better Man,' 'Brutalist,' stream 'American Primeval'
