The griping Vatican-based thriller “Conclave” about picking a new pope and Stephanie Hsu starring in the dark comedy “Laid” as a woman whose former lovers keep unexpectedly dying are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Dwayne Johnson stars as Santa’s bodyguard in the movie “Red One,” internet star MrBeast hosts his own reality competition show on Prime Video called “Beast Games” and Little Big Town host a Christmas special on NBC.
– What goes on inside the Vatican before white smoke flows out of the Sistine Chapel? “Conclave” (streaming now on Peacock), about the election of a new pope, is a gripping thriller that imagines how the gathering of cardinals could go. The film, directed by Edward Berger and based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, stars Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal tasked with running the conclave. Nominated for six Golden Globes, “Conclave” is a major Oscar contender and one of the rare recent adult-oriented dramas to succeed at the box office. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “a deliriously fun watch in the way that tense, smart thrillers with an ensemble of great actors can be.”
– It was easy to miss Clint Eastwood’s “Juror No. 2” in cinemas, but the 94-year-old’s latest arrives Friday, Dec. 20 on Max. And “Juror No. 2,” despite its small theatrical footprint, has been much praised by critics. In it, Nicholas Hoult plays a juror in a murder trial who’s struggling with a moral dilemma.
– A sled-full of new Christmas movies arrive every year, with hopes of establishing themselves as a new holiday classic. Of them, “Red One” (now streaming on Prime Video) is distinguished by being the biggest, most garishly wrapped one yet. In the $250 million movie, Dwayne Johnson stars as the bodyguard for a more militaristic Kris Kringle (J.K. Simmons), who teams up with a deadbeat hacker (Chris Evans) to rescue Santa after he’s kidnapped. In my review, I wrote that “there is ample time during ‘Red One’ to ponder who, exactly, put a Marvel-ized Santa on their wish list.”
– Mati Diop’s “Dahomey,” one of the year’s nonfiction highlights, is not to be missed. Diop, the French Senegalese director of “Atlantics,” documents the return of 26 art works seized by French troops during the 1890s from the African kingdom (now southern Benin). In the film, currently streaming on Mubi, Diop casts a wide and fantastic net in chronicling their voyage home, with a wide array of voices debating the ethics and meaning of reparations — including even those of the Dahomey treasures, themselves.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
— ’Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. That is, until Monday, when “Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry” airs on NBC, available to stream on Peacock the following day! What says “happy holidays” more than some of country music’s modern greats bringing their twang from the famous Nashville stage to the family living room? A group of great guests, probably – and those include Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Sheryl Crow, Kirk Franklin, Josh Groban, Kate Hudson and Orville Peck.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— A new docuseries on Apple TV+ reveals the habits and behaviors of animals in the wild. Filmmakers spent three years tracking 77 unique species in 24 countries, and capturing everything from jumping spider courtship dances to a killifish in Trinidad breathing through its tail when out of the water. Hugh Bonneville narrates “The Secret Lives of Animals, " debuting Dec. Wednesday.
— Stephanie Hsu stars in a new dark comedy for Peacock as Ruby, a woman whose former lovers keep unexpectedly dying in mysterious, outrageous ways. Ruby and her best friend AJ (Zosia Mamet, doing her wry observational bit) dig into the past to make sense of what’s happening and save lives. The process prompts Ruby to learn hard truths about herself. “Laid” is based on an Australian series. There are also a number of fun guest stars including Finneas O’Connell, Chloe Fineman and Josh Segarra. “Laid” premieres Thursday on Peacock.
— Internet star MrBeast, (real name: Jimmy Donaldson) whose YouTube channel has more subscribers than any other — is now the host of his own reality competition show on Prime Video called “Beast Games.” Contestants wear tracksuits and compete in wild games for a $5 million prize. It’s like “Squid Game,” without the dying. “Beast Games” premieres Thursday on Prime Video.
— Alicia Rancilio
— Season 2 of “Squid Game” drops on Netflix the day after Christmas, but you and your family can get an early start if you’re already itching for a fight to the death. The streamer is inviting subscribers to download Squid Game: Unleashed, an online battle royale for up to 32 players. It includes familiar season 1 competitions like Glass Bridge and Red Light Green Light, as well as deadly new devices like buzzsaws, wrecking balls and lava pits. Last one to survive ... well, you don’t get any money but at least you don’t get squished. The contest begins Tuesday, Dec. 17, on iOS and Android.
— Lou Kesten
Little Big Town performs during the 92nd annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes in a scene from "Conclave." (Focus Features via AP)
This combination of images shows promotional art for the series "Beast Games," from left, the film "Juror #2," and "The Secret Lives of Animals." (Prime/Warner Bros./Apple TV+ via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon’s case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.
A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry said it wants to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power in connection with his ill-conceived power grab.
The team on Monday morning tried to convey a request to Yoon’s office that he appear for questioning on Wednesday but was rerouted to Yoon’s personal residence, Son Yeong-jo, an investigator with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, told reporters.
Son cited presidential secretarial staff as claiming they were unsure whether conveying the request to the impeached president was part of their duties. He declined to provide specifics when asked how investigators would respond if Yoon refuses to appear.
Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Saturday over his Dec. 3 martial law decree. His presidential powers have been subsequently suspended, and the Constitutional Court is to determine whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.
Yoon has justified his martial law enforcement as a necessary act of governance against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party that he described as “anti-state forces” bogging down his agendas and vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets of the country’s capital, Seoul, in recent days, calling for Yoon’s ouster and arrest.
It remains unclear whether Yoon will grant the request by investigators for an interview. South Korean prosecutors, who are pushing a separate investigation into the incident, also reportedly asked Yoon to appear at a prosecution office for questioning on Sunday but he refused to do so. Repeated calls to a prosecutors’ office in Seoul were unanswered.
Yoon’s presidential security service has also resisted a police attempt to search Yoon's office for evidence.
Also Monday, the Constitutional Court met for the first time to discuss the case. The court has up to 180 days to rule. But observers say a ruling could come faster.
In the case of parliamentary impeachments of past presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016 — the court spent 63 days and 91 days respectively before determining to reinstate Roh and dismiss Park.
Kim Hyungdu, a court justice, told reporters earlier Monday that the court will “swiftly and fairly” make a decision in the case. He said Monday’s court meeting was meant to discuss preparatory procedures and how to arrange arguments at formal trials.
Upholding Yoon’s impeachments needs support from at least six out of the court’s nine justices, but three seats are vacant now. This means a unanimous ruling by the court’s current six justices in favor of Yoon's impeachment is required to formally end his presidency. Kim said he expected the three vacant seats to be filled by the end of this month.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became the country’s acting leader after Yoon's impeachment, and other government officials have sought to reassure allies and markets after Yoon’s surprise stunt paralyzed politics, halted high-level diplomacy and complicated efforts to revive a faltering economy.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party criticized Lee’s proposal for the special council, saying that it’s “not right” for the opposition party to act like the ruling party.
Lee, a firebrand lawmaker who drove a political offensive against Yoon’s government, is seen as the frontrunner to replace him. He lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a razor-thin margin.
Yoon’s impeachment, which was endorsed in parliament by some of his ruling party lawmakers, has created a deep rift within the party between Yoon’s loyalists and his opponents. On Monday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, a strong critic of Yoon's martial law, announced his resignation.
“If martial law had not been lifted that night, a bloody incident could have erupted that morning between the citizens who would have taken to the streets and our young soldiers,” Han told a news conference.
Yoon’s Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in more than four decades, harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s. Yoon was forced to lift his decree hours later after parliament unanimously voted to overturn it.
Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament in an effort to stop the vote, but they withdrew after the parliament rejected Yoon’s decree. No major violence occurred.
Opposition parties have accused Yoon of rebellion, saying a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and would have no right to suspend parliament’s operations even in those cases.
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea's ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun reacts during a news conference to announce his resignation after President Yoon Suk Yeol's parliamentary impeachment, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants shout slogans during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
In this photo released by South Korean President Office via Yonhap, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol bows while delivering a speech at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, after South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach Yoon Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (South Korean Presidential Office/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference on removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, at the party office at the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants hold signs during a rally calling on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The signs read "Immediately arrest." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
