'Listen! Please!'
Commissioned to make a short film about racism, Minneapolis singer/choir director/producer J.D. Steele interviewed four Twin Cities Black elders — Josie Johnson, the First Lady of Minnesota civil rights and the first Black regent at the University of Minnesota; Bill English, co-founder of Sabathani Community Center; Mahmoud El-Kati, professor emeritus of history at Macalester College, and Steele's mother, Sallie Steele Birdsong. All in their 80s, the four migrated to Minnesota from the South. In the 18-minute documentary, they speak of struggles, including encounters with law enforcement that felt like racial profiling. To hear the pain, to hear the hope in "Listen! Please!" is a profound experience. YouTube and Facebook
'Jay's Longhorn'
If you missed the sold-out local screenings, this documentary on Minneapolis' short-lived but highly incubatory punk-rock club of the late 1970s is now available for streaming. The rowdy scene that birthed the Suburbs, Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Suicide Commandos is colorfully detailed by Twin Cities filmmaker and music nut Mark Engebretson alongside early tour shows by the Police, Elvis Costello, B-52's and Talking Heads, with on-screen talking heads including Bob Mould, Curtiss A, Lori Barbero and Chan Poling. Amazon Prime
'Palm Springs'
If you were surprised to see an Andy Samberg movie among the Golden Globe nominees, you haven't seen this inventive alternative to "Groundhog Day." Samberg plays a slacker stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day over and over. The former "SNL" goofball may be the main draw, but the real star is Cristin Milioti, playing a fellow "prisoner" who breaks the sad sack out of his routine. Milioti, who previously shined in "How I Met Your Mother" and the "Star Trek" episode of "Black Mirror," would be Queen of the Rom-coms, if that title still meant anything. Hulu
'Funny Thing About Minnesota ... '
Local writer Patrick Strait hosts a free virtual party celebrating the launch of his breezy new book about the early days of stand-up in the Twin Cities. Some of the main characters, including Louie Anderson, Jeff Gerbino and Lizz Winstead, are expected to pop in. But the VIP will be Scott Hansen, the controversial figure who is at the heart of Strait's chronicles. Don't be surprised if the comic/promoter has a few bones to pick during the discussion. 7 p.m. Facebook and YouTube
'Kubo and the Two Strings'
Oregon-based animation studio Laika has produced a handful of stop-motion gems that have not gotten the attention they deserve. This poignant fable is about a heroic boy and his superpowered musical instrument. The film is gorgeous — especially in a scene with hundreds of glowing paper lanterns. Charlize Theron and George Takei lead the voice cast of the film, which was produced with an assist from an Eden Prairie company's 3-D printers. Amazon, Hulu, YouTube
'The Great Pottery Throw Down'
One of the classier competition shows, along the lines of "The Great British Baking Show" or "Project Runway," this series features a judge who cries in two-thirds of the first season's six episodes (Keith Brymer Jones), every bad "clay" pun you can think of and quite a few busted vases. It's a kick to see how many Brits are amateur potters and how the kiln transforms what looks like a pile of mud into a 12-piece tea set. HBO Max
'Punky Brewster'
More than 30 years after she left the air, little Miss Independent returns. This time around, Soleil Moon Frye's character is a recently divorced mother raising a diverse family, including an adorable orphan who's got her own supply of Punky Power. It's a little odd to watch a grown-up Brewster chug beers and make jokes about her sex life, but for the most part, the misadventures consist of wholesome family fun. Starts streaming Thursday on Peacock
