1 The documentary "Amy" is as powerful and memorable as the late Amy Winehouse's kohl-eyed soul music — only the film leaves you numb. Even though he never met Winehouse or saw her in concert, filmmaker Asif Kapadia has masterfully put together a well-rounded portrait with a collage of cellphone videos, childhood home movies, photos and news/TV footage, glued together by voice-over interviews with various principals in her world. The film captures her life, art and issues (bulimia, drugs, booze, bad boyfriends and inability to deal with fame) with a compelling dramatic arc, even though we already know the ending.
2 Pining for "Downton Abbey"? The next best thing is the intentionally humorous series "Another Period" (9:30 p.m. Tue., Comedy Central), set in 1902 Newport, R.I. This Ben Stiller-produced sendup of early Edwardian pretensions follows the contretemps and travails of wealthy sisters Beatrice and Lillian Bellacourt (Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero), their extended family and, of course, their servants, making for a giggly Gilded Age. Some of the jokes are a bit strained, but with Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men") as the maid and a visit from Helen Keller, the new sitcom's growing pains can be forgiven.
4 Fans of "Dirty Mind"-brand Prince had better get their dirty hands on "Adorn" singer Miguel's new album "Wildheart." The nude cover art only hints at the salacious things going on inside the Los Angeles R&B artist's mind, but he keeps the naughty lyrics from feeling too raunchy or trite with Marvin Gaye-style romanticism and flowery, psychedelic production variously reminiscent of Terence Trent D'Arby and OutKast.
3 In Sarah Vaughan's new novel, "The Art of Baking Blind," Jenny's marriage is crumbling, Vicki's toddler is demanding, Karen has secrets (and how) and Claire struggles to make ends meet. This is a book about women and motherhood, about wanting babies and trying to please those who birthed you. The bakers are competing to become the British Betty Crocker, and their revealed lives bring each into sharper focus. Any woman who has struggled with balancing work and family will find a character to root for.
5 What makes the "Minions" a phenomenon with 7-year-olds? Probably the infantilized sense of humor, babbling Euro-gibberish and portraits of most adults as pushy supervisors like the first two films' evil villain Gru. It's funny because it's true! Director Pierre Coffin's "Despicable Me" spinoff is deliberately silly — it makes Pixar's "Inside Out" look like a TED talk — but never shoddy.
