Chadwick Boseman as James Brown: 10 best to watch, read or hear this week

'Get on Up'

"Black Panther" is fine but if you want to see the late Chadwick Boseman at his best, check out his magnetic portrayal of legendary James Brown in this not-quite-the-usual biopic. "Get on Up" shifts back and forth in time, depicting Brown as too unconventional to fit into your idea of a musical film. Boseman nails all of the singer's facets: tireless and melodramatic performer, dedicated activist, bad boy and negotiator/businessman who believed so strongly in his talent that he never failed to stand up for himself. HBO Max

'Long Time Running'

Boseman's heroic cancer fight reminded us of this visceral 2018 documentary about another creative force who kept working until the end: Gord Downie of the mighty Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip. Cameras followed the late singer on his group's triumphant farewell tour, culminating in a televised hometown show that became a national event. Sporting a First Avenue hat throughout, Downie inspires, confounds, comforts and haunts. If you weren't a fan, you will be. Netflix

'Capt. Picard's Poetry for the Soul'

Actor Patrick Stewart, best known to the world as Capt. Picard of "Star Trek" but better known to theater lovers as a Shakespearean titan (he also starred opposite Mercedes Ruehl in the Guthrie Theater's 2001 production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?") has been reading a sonnet a day to soothe our weary souls. He started on Instagram nearly six months ago and has now migrated to Twitter. "When I was a child in the 1940s, my mother would cut up slices of fruit for me (there wasn't much) and as she put it in front of me she would say: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away,' " Stewart wrote. "How about, 'A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away'?" Twitter

Virtual Sound for Silents

The Bourne films

Individually, the first three movies in the Jason Bourne franchise are terrific thrillers with Matt Damon's character surviving one impossible chase after another. But if you really crave an adrenaline rush, watch them in one sitting. You'll find it easier to fit together the puzzle pieces that all come together in "The Bourne Ultimatum," the third, and best, of the bunch. The six-hour binge also lets you judge whether Chris Cooper, David Strathairn or Joan Allen delivers the best impression of Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive." Peacock

'Jimmy Carter: Rock 'n' Roll President'

With testimony from Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Nile Rodgers and Jann Wenner, this film makes a case for how the Georgia governor used his love of American music — from gospel to country — to fuel his 1976 presidential campaign. The Allman Brothers and Jimmy Buffett performed fundraisers for him. He quoted Dylan in speeches. At the White House, he presented jazz stars, invited Gregg Allman and Cher as his first dinner guests, and discovered that Willie smoked weed there with the Prez's son. To paraphrase Dylan, Carter welcomed the counterculture into the establishment. Opens Wednesday in virtual movie theaters.

'Biography: I Want My MTV'

'Cobra Kai'

Follow-ups to ''The Karate Kid" haven't provided many kicks, even when they've put a sash on Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith. The startling exception is this series, which first appeared on YouTube Premium. Ralph Macchio is back, but the real star is William Zabka, returning as the bully Johnny Lawrence. He's got a lot more to do this time around than be a jerk, as does Martin Kove, who reprises his role as the mean sensei. Before diving in, go back and re-watch the original. Sure, the 1984 hit gets a black belt in cheesiness, but Pat Morita provides a master class in how to take a stereotypical role and make it something special. Netflix

'In Winter's Kitchen'

Cherish your farmers market. Indulge in home-baked bread, made from organic grains. Published in 2015, Beth Dooley's collection of personal essays about Minnesota artisan food people — farmers, bakers, cheesemakers and others — will whet your appetite as it teaches you about the land. Dooley crisscrosses the state, interviewing Hmong farmers, century farmers, high school students who raise turkeys, people who grow organic corn and people who make cheese. It's a reminder that the joys of life can be as simple as biting into a sweet ear of corn slathered with grass-fed butter. Milkweed Editions

'McEnroe vs. Borg'