It’s over, basically. Besides a parking ticket to pay, a dorm to clean out or a life-or-death exam to ace, everyone seems to be making an end-of-semester escape.
Newly-found free time begs to be filled with this week’s distractions. There’s a new Marvel movie in theaters, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick return with a simple sequel, and weekly fave ‘The Last of Us’ picks up the pieces after a couple shaky episodes.
But first, a dreamy new album from Lucius is here to carry listeners into summertime.
Here are the hottest distractions from April 28 to May 5.
‘Lucius’ by Lucius
Indie pop quartet Lucius returned May 2 with a self-titled album, their first full-length since “Second Nature” in 2022.
Opening track “Final Days” sets listeners up for what’s to come — fuzzy guitars, infectious melodies and intuitive pop-perfect harmonies from singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig. “Do It All for You” serves a blissful, repetitious chorus over relentless synths.
Each track lingers long enough for fans to get a little lost in the rich soundscape. Even the briefest and final track “At the End of the Day” clocks in at 3:18, which isn’t short by 2025 standards.
Just add friends and fireflies for an ideal summer night. Shauna Reynolds
‘The Last of Us’ season two, episode four: ‘Day One’
“The Last of Us” gets back to basics with two weary travelers trying to survive the apocalypse, meeting colorful and explosive characters on the way.
The season has found its footing after a controversial beginning, with Ellie and Dina trying to make their way through Seattle in one piece while differing factions around them engage in gang warfare. Jeffrey Wright’s role as Isaac, the leader of the WLFs (or Wolves), is an expected dramatic highlight.
With a harrowing final act involving those factions and our two heroines, “Day One” is the best episode of this second season so far. With three episodes left, one must wonder how Ellie’s trip for revenge will end.
New episodes premiere weekly on HBO, and are simultaneously available for streaming on MAX. Richard Maneiro
‘Thunderbolts’
Marvel flips the superhero script with its new film “Thunderbolts,” assembling a team of ex-villains, misfits and other unpredictable characters for a mission that’s not ideally heroic.
The “Thunderbolts” have long been a part of Marvel Comics lore, originally introduced as villains in disguise. Over time, the group evolved into a more complex rotating lineup of antiheroes seeking redemption in a world that doesn’t fully trust them.
With a tone darker and grittier than Marvel’s usual angle, “Thunderbolts” is a fresh take for fans. Some are calling it Marvel’s answer to DC’s “Suicide Squad,” while others see it as a potential reset for the franchise. Either way, expectations are set high for “Thunderbolts” to deliver something bold and different.
“Thunderbolts” is in theaters now. Brianna Sorrell
‘Another Simple Favor’
While “A Simple Favor” was a messy drama starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, its sequel, set seven years later, is just a mess in Italy. Picking up years after the first film, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) has released a book about Emily (Blake Lively). However, the book tour takes a turn when Emily, free from prison, invites Stephanie to be her maid of honor. The dialogue is a garbled mess of crude and cringey lines. Many films lately have thrived on having an actor play two different characters, but this film is the gross exception. The only thing “Another Simple Favor” is good for is taking a drink every time Blake Lively makes a bizarre fashion choice.
“Another Simple Favor” is now streaming on Prime Video. Victoria Stone
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