What’s Streaming on Sony Crackle Original, HBO Now, & Prime Video Original
Sony Crackle Original
Rob Riggles’s Ski Master Academy
Thursday, Aug. 23
What if actor Rob Riggle were a huge movie star who headlined a franchise of action films — think The Fast and the Furious on Jet Skis — and also ran a school that teaches water sports? That silly concept is the premise of this bonkers new comedy helmed by the former Daily Show correspondent, who plays a brash, fictional version of himself (above, with guest star Jamie-Lynn Sigler).
Following a series of terrible accidents at the academy, Riggle comes under scrutiny for his institution’s unsafe practices. “Rob is in danger of going to jail and having his academy shut down or bankrupted by his negligence,” explains executive producer Bennett Webber. More important, the events could also tank the global box office of his upcoming movie, Ski Master 6: Ski No Evil.
Rob Riggle’s Ski Master Academy
To mitigate potential fallout, Riggle gives a disastrous, all-day press conference to defend himself. “He uses a lot of distraction and double-speak blaming others,” continues Webber, noting that he was inspired by real-life press conferences gone awry. Over eight episodes, the action flips between Riggle’s cringe-worthy media Q&A and the sometimes fatal incidents of the summer.
Along the way, we’ll meet a variety of characters who will at turns help and hurt Riggle, including former NFL pro Brian Urlacher (playing himself), who opens a canoe camp that encroaches on the school’s turf; a vengeful ghost (Jamie Chung); and the very tan celebrity chef Gaston Lebone (Haley Joel Osment, above), who nearly ruins Riggle’s birthday bash. Executive producer Jonathan Stern says all the notable guest stars — David Arquette and Dermot Mulroney also play themselves—were game to get goofy, “no questions asked.” They were simply following Riggle’s lead. Says Stern, “Once you put Rob Riggle on a Jet Ski, the rest comes naturally.”
HBO Now
The Blind Side
Available now
Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life mother figure to Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron, center left, with Jae Head and Bullock), a disadvantaged teen who would go on to become a Baltimore Raven. The 2009 drama details how Oher bounced around foster homes before being taken in by the Tuohys and getting inspired to use his talents for football.
THE BLIND SIDE, from left: Jae Head, Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, 2009.
It’s Complicated
Available Now
Maintaining a good relationship with your ex is always a little tricky, especially around major milestones… like a child’s graduation from college. For Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin), what should be a time of celebration gets a little too amorous, and they realize they have plenty of unresolved feelings left to sort through in this 2009 rom-com.
IT’S COMPLICATED, from left: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, 2009.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Available now
Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. turn the hard-boiled noir detective genre on its ear in this fun, brilliantly paced thriller from 2005. Small-time thief Harry Lockhart (Downey) becomes an actor and is then assigned to tail a real detective (Kilmer) to learn his craft. Soon, the two are involved in a deadly murder case that ends with a bang.
KISS KISS BANG BANG, Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr., 2005,
Amazon Prime Video Original
All or Nothing: Manchester City
Series Premiere, Friday, Aug. 17
Nothing fuels sports fanaticism more than a winning team. This eight-part docuseries records fan and player euphoria as English soccer’s Manchester City broke records to become Premier League champs. Their banner 2017–18 season included the most goals: 106 (21 of which were scored by Argentinian Sergio Agüero). With perfectionist coach Pep Guardiola in charge, All or Nothing is an apt title.
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic (right) battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London.
