'Tacos and Tastemakers'
The format of this new YouTube series is simple: Ali Elabbady talks with Twin Cities creatives over tacos. But each ingredient stands out. First, there's Elabbady, aka Egypto Knuckles, a music writer, radio host and self-described third-culture kid. He asks a good question and tells a good story, eliciting tales from fascinating people — Urban Lights Music owner Tim Wilson, singer Lady Midnight, musicians Dameun Strange and deVon Gray. Then there are the tacos, from joints like Tavial Grill and El Taco Riendo. The first season, filmed pre-pandemic, made us ache for good chat over a tiny table. YouTube
'Where Do We Go?'
The biggest pop star of 2019, Billie Eilish swept the big four categories at this year's Grammys — top album, record, song and best new artist. She's not letting a pandemic slow her down. Not only did she release artful videos for her James Bond theme "No Time to Die" and the single "The Future," but she will be staging a live concert from Los Angeles that promises to be interactive and immersive. 5 p.m. Sat., $30, livestream.billieeilish.com
'The Meaning of Mariah Carey'
While Carey was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year, this memoir isn't likely to win any writing awards. But fans will love such juicy nuggets as these: When she was 12, her older sister drugged her with Valium and tried to sell her to a pimp; her Juilliard-trained opera-singing mother was a Karen who'd call the cops on relatives; after a white friend met Carey's Black father for the first time, she instantly burst into tears; young girls at school chanted the N-word at Mimi; ex-husband Tommy Mottola was an abuser and racist; her marriage to Nick Cannon didn't work because they were working parents in showbiz. Henry Holt and Co.
'On the Rocks'
A big part of the appeal of Sofia Coppola's comedy rests on the premise that it would be fun to hang out with Rashida Jones and Bill Murray, bumming around Manhattan and riffing. She plays a woman whose husband (Marlon Wayans) may be cheating on her and he plays her dad, whom she knows to be an expert on cheating. It's a lighthearted farce with an edge that comes into focus as Jones' character tries to figure out what she wants from life. Apple TV+
Trey Anastasio
Phish concerts may be the ultimate one-band communal concert experience. For now, fans will have to settle for Phish head Trey Anastasio livestreaming for eight consecutive Fridays from New York's Beacon Theatre. Two weeks ago, the Trey Anastasio Band kicked off the series with their backs to the empty theater. The set featured material from his latest solo release, "Lonely Trip," as well as Phish's "Stash." The Beacon Jams continue through Nov. 27, with donations benefiting Phish's longtime nonprofit, the WaterWheel Foundation, and its new Divided Sky Fund helping people affected by addiction. 7 p.m. Fri., twitch.tv/treyanastasio
'James and the Giant Peach'
One of the best in a field crowded with greats, this adaptation of the Roald Dahl book is a stop-animation classic. Henry Selick's film has a lovingly handmade look and is all about kindness, despite the treatment plucky James receives when his care is entrusted to his cruel aunts (voiced by Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes). Susan Sarandon and Jane Leeves do imaginative voice work and add zip to a handful of charming songs. Netflix, Amazon
NewFest
Tackling queer topics from around the world, the New York-based LGBTQ film festival goes virtual for its 32nd edition. In the charming "Forgotten Roads," director Nicol Ruiz Benavides explores a later-in-life lesbian romance between two women in Chile. The documentary "Cured" takes viewers inside how the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1973. There are short films, too, such as the trans-focused "Beyond the Binary" and "Black Family Matters," about the Black queer experience. The fest closes with Faraz Shariat's "No Hard Feelings," about a second-generation Iranian-German immigrant who is sick of Grindr hookups. Working at a refugee camp, he gets tangled up in the lives of two siblings who soon will be deported. There are more than 120 films available on demand through Oct. 27. $12 per film, $95 for all-access pass, NewFest.org
'Letter to You'
Those who don't already worship Bruce Springsteen will treat this behind-the-music documentary like junk mail, but true believers will savor the chance to watch the Boss and the E Street Band lay down tracks for a new album shortly before the pandemic struck. You won't hear the classics, but Springsteen dishes on his early, early days with his first band as he waxes poetically on nostalgia and facing the great unknown. Apple TV
'Silicone Soul'
In this determinedly nonjudgmental documentary, former Minnesota filmmaker Melody Gilbert ("Married at the Mall") interviews people who have given up on making a connection with other humans and have turned to blow-up dolls instead. Those "relationships" are more about emotions than sex but if you guessed that the movie is really about loneliness, you nailed it. iTunes, Amazon
