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By the power of Grayskull – and 1980s nostalgia – He-Man is on cinema screens again.
And no, not that bad 1987 Dolph Lundgren movie. Nicholas Galitzine is the next ripped guy to wield a magical sword and a loin cloth in the new “Masters of the Universe.” Make sure the fantasy action-adventure is on your to-watch list as well as Jennifer Lopez’s latest romantic comedy, Netflix’s “Office Romance,” with “Ted Lasso” standout Brett Goldstein. And if you’re looking for a TV series to watch, give “Not Suitable for Work” – think Gen Z “Friends” – a try or look further ahead and plan for the best shows this summer.
Now on to the good stuff:
Given that I played with He-Man figures, watched the He-Man cartoon religiously and even had He-Man bed sheets, I’m clearly the target audience for the new “Masters of the Universe” movie. And it doesn’t disappoint: The film is a sugar-bombed breakfast cereal in film form, with Nicholas Galitzine as Eternian prince Adam and his musclebound alter ego He-Man, and Jared Leto chewing scenery with a skull face as the villainous Skeletor. (Peep my ★★★ review.)
I also put together a parent’s guide for the new movie (since it might not be right for your little ones) and interviewed Galitzine about how he got his He-Man physique. Lots of working out and eating, obviously, but half the challenge for him was mental. “Some days, I remember I’d come into the gym, and I just would feel nothing left in my body. No energy,” he says. “It was just trying to deal with those small failures, and then recessing, coming in the next day, and trying to push harder.”
Hot take time: I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Jennifer Lopez romantic comedies. And the ones that do work for me – “Marry Me,” for example – not everyone else loves. But I dig Netflix’s “Office Romance” (streaming now) for pairing Lopez with Brett Goldstein, the “Ted Lasso” star who also co-wrote the script, and tempering the usual rom-com sentimentality with a bawdy sense of humor and dry English wit. (Peep my ★★★ review.)
My LA colleague KiMi Robinson talked with director Ol Parker about the challenge of finding a suitable costar for the “megastar” Lopez. And “Office Romance” is one of several new movies on streaming I rounded up for y’all, a list that also includes the excellent Pixar comedy “Hoppers” and fabulous documentary “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.”
Mindy Kaling attempts to give a younger generation of fans its own version of “Friends” with the new Hulu comedy “Not Suitable for Work” (streaming now). TV critic Kelly Lawler doesn’t think it’s the second coming of Rachel, Ross, Joey, etc., but writes in her ★★½ review that it’s “a worthy and amusing attempt to capture a less-cynical view of Generation Z.” Avantika and Ella Hunt star as roommates in a Manhattan apartment complex, and KiMi talked with them about the show and the “sweet” gift that supermodel guest star Gigi Hadid sent Hunt.
While “Not Suitable for Work” didn’t make Kelly’s roundup of the most must-see shows of summer, others did like the DC superhero drama “Lanterns,” Netflix’s “Little House on the Prairie” reboot, Season 4 of the beloved “Ted Lasso” and “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle.”
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.
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