EW Must List: Bridget Jones's Baby, Blood Simple Criterion Collection

Bridget Jones’s Baby

Renée Zellweger finally makes her big screen comeback in Bridget Jones’s Baby, and what better way to do it than at the center of a sequel in a beloved film series?

In Bridget Jones’s Baby, the Oscar-winning actress returns to the character that helped solidify her as a Hollywood staple over 15 years ago. This time around, the film follows Jones, who, after breaking up with her longtime beau (Colin Firth), crosses paths with a charming man from across the pond (Patrick Dempsey) and ultimately engages in a romantic relationship with him. She faces a seemingly insurmountable problem, however, when she discovers she’s pregnant and unsure of which suitor fathered the baby.

With returning actors like Zellweger, Firth, Jim Broadbent, and Gemma Jones, Bridget Jones’s Baby is a sweet, nostalgic retread, though a few new faces like Dempsey and Emma Thompson add some spice to the familiar mix.

Bridget Jones’s Baby arrives in theaters Sept. 9.

Blood Simple – Criterion Collection Edition

The Criterion Collection already features some of the best films of all time. From Altman to Hitchcock, the finest auteurs in history are represented mong Criterion titles, and on Sept. 20, the Coen brothers’ first full-length film, Blood Simple, joins the roster.

The film, about a rich man who hires a private investigator to murder his unfaithful wife, gets a pristine restoration and stellar behind-the-scenes features as it joins the prestigious Criterion lineup. Starring Frances McDormand, M. Emmett Walsh, John Getz, and Dan Hedaya, Blood Simple put Joel and Ethan Coen on the map, paving the way for the filmmaking duo to find success with major Oscar-winning releases like 1996’s Fargo and 2007’s No Country for Old Men.

Blood Simple is available from the Criterion Collection beginning Sept. 20. You can preorder the film now.

“Hard Girls” by KT Tunstall

You know her as the voice behind songs like “Suddenly I See” and “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” but the Scottish singer-songwriter has been many things across many sounds on the four albums she’s released since her 2004 debut. On her new album, KIN, Tunstall is admittedly something else altogether: ready for a change.

“As an artist I feel like I died. I stopped. I gave up. I didn’t want to do it anymore,” she said in a statement. Later, she told EW during an August interview, “The truth is, I’ve finally made peace with being a pop songwriter. This record was very much embracing my dharma as an artist, which is to write positive songs that have muscle, but also show their vulnerability.”

On her sixth studio set, Tunstall rocks out with bigger, string-driven sounds and pop choruses without sacrificing her signature indie swagger. Standout track “Hard Girls” is a breezy rock ditty perfect for cruising the streets with the windows down. Three years after the release of her last proper album, it’s time you welcome Tunstall’s voice back into your ears, because she’s not going anywhere any time soon.

KT Tunstall’s new album, KIN, is available Sept. 9.

Sunlit Youth by Local Natives

Ready for a glistening mix of sweet alt-rock to help kiss summer goodbye? Look no further than Local Natives’ new album, Sunlit Youth. The five-piece, Los Angeles-based indie rock band goes big on melody and lush on sonic diversity for their third album, which combines soulful vocals with an entrancing mix of ethereal string arrangements, whirring synths, and pulsing drums that wouldn’t feel out of place soundtracking an early autumn sunset.

Sunlit Youth is available Sept. 9 on iTunes.

My Favorite Murder

Feral Audio plays host to some of the best podcasts, from Call Chelsea Peretti to Steve Agee: Uhhh. The platform gives comedic voices a stage on which to shine, and My Favorite Murder is no exception. Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (co-host of another popular Feral Audio podcast, Slumber Party), the podcast features the duo discussing various murders that have occurred throughout history. Friends and fans are also welcome to share their stories with the hosts. With real-life murder stories making waves in pop culture thanks to projects like Making a Murderer and Serial, My Favorite Murder is a refreshingly lighthearted take on the true crime craze.

Subscribe to My Favorite Murder now on iTunes.