You saw “Rocketman” and thought, “OK, well it all happened just like that.” And then someone told you that, no, that was a fantastical musical biopic and not documentary, and you learned the difference. But now here comes the actual documentary: “Elton John: Never Too Late,” directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish. There’s a lot of ground to cover, as Elton John looks back on his 50-plus year career, with an emphasis on the early days, while he preps for his final North American concert at Dodger Stadium. As you’ve probably already heard, it’s story of struggle with his sexuality, more struggle with various addictions and wild, excessive ’70s fame that, thankfully, the artist made it through to become the icon he is today. What you haven’t heard is his first-hand account of it all. Disney-branded television is behind the project, so expect some theatrical dates before it makes its way to Disney+, and if you’re in England for the London Film Festival in October, maybe you can catch it when it makes its world premiere.
Ariana DeBose cooks up a mystery in ‘House of Spoils’
Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose enters spooky season with a knife in her hand as “Chef” in the upcoming Blumhouse thriller “House of Spoils.” From writers-directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (who co-directed 2020’s cool indie thriller “Blow the Man Down”), the supernatural story involves a woman opening her own restaurant amidst the usual chaos and self-doubt (you’ve watched “The Bear,” you get it) but also an added ingredient: the spirit of the property’s deceased owner who’s seemingly quite displeased over being displaced by a high-end eatery. It co-stars Barbie Ferreira (“Euphoria”), Arian Moayed (“Succession”) and Marton Csokas (“Lord of the Rings” trilogy), alongside what will no doubt be a lot of gorgeous-looking food you’ll salivate over until terror ruins your appetite. The film takes its Fantastic Fest bow this month and then drops on Prime Video October 3, just in time for scary movie month. Prepare by upgrading to some fancier couch snacks.
Amber Ruffin has some ‘News for You’
Amber Ruffin, a hilarious, shining fixture on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” — who also hosted her own late-night series for Peacock, “The Amber Ruffin Show” — recently came out as queer, and we approve when celebrities we already know we like join the team. Meanwhile, soon she’ll appear alongside Michael Ian Black (“Wet Hot American Summer”) on CNN’s forthcoming American adaptation of the BBC comedy panel series “Have I Got News for You. “The Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. will host the combination news/quiz show that tests the knowledge of various well-known guest panelists. Ruffin and Black will be “team captains” on the show, which suggests a kind of gladiator-style coaching of grudge match throwdowns between guest comedians and political pundits. We hope so, anyway. It premieres September 14 on CNN, so become conversant in current events quickly or you won’t know what’s going on.
‘Mid-Century Modern’ gets Hulu series order
Well, that was fast. In June we learned that “Will & Grace” creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, along with Ryan Murphy, were building an old-fashioned multi-camera (shot in front of an audience) sitcom for Hulu. These sorts of things tend to take time to develop. A long time. But not this time: It taped last month, got great word of mouth, and now Hulu has given “Mid-Century Modern,” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Linda Lavin (“Alice”) and Nathan Lee Graham (“The Comeback,” “Katy Keene”), a series order. The series follows three friends — Lane, Bomer and Graham — who become housemates in gay retirement enclave Palm Springs where Lane’s character lives with his mother (Lavin). It’s the perfect inside-a-lovely-home setting because no one can venture out into the blistering heat. Anyway, get ready for queer-leaning jokes about wrinkles that will almost certainly make “The Golden Girls” look like a beacon of body positivity. We’re watching it anyway. Expect it to drop on Hulu faster than you imagined.
Romeo San Vicente: “A certain age” is the best age.