"The Chair" (Netflix) An original dark comedy six-episode series introduces us to Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve," "Grey's Anatomy," "Arliss") as Ji-Yoon Kim, an English professor at prestigious Pembroke University who takes over as department chair when the professor previously in that position (Jay Duplass) makes a scandalous mess of everything. Not helping matters are older staff members who don't want to see any changes in administration, and younger instructors who want to throw the old ways under the bus. With Everly Carganilla, Ji-yong Lee, Nana Mensah, Bob Balaban, Holland Taylor, David Morse; the showrunner, executive producer and writer is Amanda Peet, who previously starred opposite Duplass in the HBO series "Togetherness."
"Untold: Deal with the Devil" (Netflix) This five-part documentary series opens each episode with a headline-making moment in sports then delves deep into the circumstances -- as experienced by athletes, coaches, fans, team owners, and others on the inside‚ that brought the event to the attention of the world. Among the topics are the Pacers-Pistons NBA brawl in 2004, the journey of gold-medal-winning Olympic decathlete Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner), the near-murder of boxer Christy Martin by her husband in 2010, and Olympic tennis medalist Mardy Fish's battle with anxiety issues. Directors include Chapman Way and Maclain Way ("Wild Wild Country"), Floyd Russ ("Zion"), Laura Brownson ("The Rachel Divide," "Lemon)" and Crystal Moselle ("Betty," "The Wolfpack").
"Sweet Girl" (R, 1 hour, 36 minutes, Netflix) An action/mystery thriller shot in and around Pittsburgh (locals will recognize many of the settings) that concerns a good-hearted husband and dad (Jason Momoa, "Aquaman") who rears up to exact revenge on a pharmaceutical company that pulls a potentially life-saving drug from the market just before his wife dies from cancer. With Isabela Merced ("Dora and the Lost City of Gold"), Adria Arjona, Marisa Tomei; directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza.
"Annette" (R, 2 hours, 21 minutes, in theaters and on Amazon Prime) A flashy, visually provocative rock opera that alternately confounds and delights concerns an edgy comedian (Adam Driver, who steals the show), his opera diva lover (Marion Cotillard), and their unusual baby girl. It's the much talked-about musical that opened the recent Cannes Film Festival. With Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver, Simon Helberg, Rila Fukushima; directed by Leos Carax.
"In Bruges" (R, 1 hour, 47 minutes, Amazon Prime) From 2008, a unique approach to the gangster hit-man genre -- violent, funny, and unpredictably dark -- is presented via Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) who hunker down in the medieval Belgian city of Bruges to mop up the mess made during a recent difficult job. Yet the city, which they anticipate being placid and peaceful, turns out to be anything but. With Ciaran Hinds, Ralph Fiennes; directed by Martin McDonagh ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri").
"The Skeleton Twins" (R, 1 hour, 33 minutes, Amazon Prime) Released theatrically in 2014, this darkly dramatic and wildly mood-shifting comedy brings together a pair of estranged middle-aged twins (Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig) who take on the painstaking task of figuring out why each of their lives veered so incredibly off course. With Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook; directed by Craig Johnson.