The It List: 'Lion King,' 'Big Little Lies,' 'Suits,' 'Queer Eye,' Comic-Con toy exclusives and the best in pop culture the week of July 15, 2019
The It List is Yahoo’s weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for July 15-21, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: The Lion King remake hits theaters on July 19
With Jon Favreau following up his spellbinding work on the CGI remake The Jungle Book, one of the coolest casts in eons (Donald Glover! Beyoncé! Seth Rogen! Billy Eichner! Alfre Woodard!), and of course all the classic songs we fell in love with in the 1994 animated original, The Lion King was one of our most hotly anticipated titles of not just the summer, but the entire year. And it mostly delivers. Critics have rightly pointed out that the film sometimes has trouble overcoming the simple fact that lions, no matter how photoreal, aren't the animal kingdom's best emoters.
There are also few surprises in what is a very faithful remake of the '90s toon. But Disney's latest high-tech remix is still must-see material due to its stunning and groundbreaking visual triumphs, not to mention hilarious film-stealing performances from Rogen and Eichner as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively.
Get tickets for The Lion King on Fandango.
WATCH IT: Big Little Lies Season 2 finale airs July 21
Just seven weeks after they came back into our lives, the Monterey five and all their secrets are floating away, perhaps for good this time. There’s a lot to tie up in the finale episode called “I Want to Know,” including the mystery of who’s going to be blamed for the big death (Will Bonnie break?), whether Mary Louise is going to win custody of Celeste’s boys, whether Madeline and Ed will stay together and much more. Of course, HBO is keeping a tight lid on what will happen, but we can tell you this: Performances by Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and the entire cast will be impressive, the music and the beach scenes will be gorgeous and there will be so much drama.
The Big Little Lies Season 2 finale airs Sunday, July 21 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
WATCH IT: Suits final season premieres July 17
This season is a big one for the Chicago legal drama, as viewers see the resolution of storylines as well as the return of old characters, such as Patrick J. Adams’s Mike Ross. Adams, who left the show in 2017, has teased that his character will make a reference to wife Rachel Zane, who was once played by none other than royal Meghan Markle. In celebration of the final season, fans in Los Angeles also can check out “Suits: A Farewell Celebration Exhibit,” a free exhibition of costumes and photos from the show now through Sept. 15. Fans everywhere will want to stay tuned after their favorite show for the debut of Pearson, a spinoff starring Suits's Gina Torres, following her at the mayor’s office.
Suits premieres July 17 at 9 p.m. on USA.
WATCH IT: Eyes Wide Shut celebrates its 20th anniversary on July 16
Released posthumously after Stanley Kubrick’s death in March 1999, Eyes Wide Shut has always had an unfinished feel about it. And it’s possible that had the famously exacting director lived a few months longer, he would have made some nips and tucks to his sprawling account of a wealthy New York City doctor (Tom Cruise), who embarks on a surreal city odyssey after his wife (Cruise’s then-spouse Nicole Kidman) confesses thoughts of infidelity. But the movie’s unsteady footing complements its dreamlike tone and structure, with Cruise drifting from set-piece to set-piece, including a memorable stop at a high-end orgy in a suburban mansion. Two decades later — long since removed from the behind-the-scenes accounts of its difficult production, as well as the speculation about how Cruise and Kidman’s real life impacted the reel lives of their characters — Eyes Wide Shut remains a fascinatingly enigmatic capper to Kubrick’s legacy, reflecting themes and ideas he’d been exploring throughout his career in a rough-edged form that settles into your subconscious.
Eyes Wide Shut is available to rent or purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.
WATCH IT: Queer Eye Season 4 premieres July 19 on Netflix
It’s here: the new season of the happiest makeover show ever! Catch up with the stylish Fab 5 as they set out to improve the lives of an entirely new batch of heroes, as Netflix releases all eight episodes. And this season promises to be sweeter than ever. In the season opener, the guys visit grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness’s high school music teacher, Mrs. Dooley, and the tears start flowing.
The fourth season of Queer Eye is available on Netflix beginning July 19.
WATCH IT: Shazam! available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital this week
After the disasters that were the overly dark Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad and Justice League, the DCEU has rebounded nicely with a string of crowdpleasers in Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam!. That latest entry, which hits home entertainment this week, marked the most dramatic gear shift from a studio eager to lighten up a bit, so to speak. The family-friendly entry is like an unofficial remake of Big, following a foster kid (Asher Angel) who, with the help of some supernatural luck, turns into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi). Though the film feels a bit hokey at times, it's ultimately a winner thanks to Levi's super-sized charisma and the endearing family Angel's Billy Batson falls into, most notably breakout Jack Dylan Grazer as his hilarious, wise-for-his-age friend Freddy Freeman.
Buy Shazam! on Blu-ray, DVD or digital on Amazon.
READ IT: Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi YA novel hits shelves July 16
With a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender arriving on Netflix next year, Nickelodeon continues to find new storytelling avenues for their beloved animated franchise. The Rise of Kyoshi is the first officially-licensed novel to be set in the Airbender universe, unfolding two generations before the events of the show. Author F.C. Yee’s narrative follows Aang’s predecessor, Avatar Kyoshi, as she travels the Earth Kingdom, honing her powers and preparing for her future. And unlike that other Avatar, there are no blue cat-people to be found.
The Rise of Kyoshi is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
WATCH IT: Weird Al’s UHF premiered 30 years ago on July 21
“Weird Al” Yankovic only wrote and starred in one movie during his illustrious career as America’s chief songwriting spoofster… but it’s the best movie about a struggling UHF TV station that creates crazy new shows to drum up business ever made. The “Eat It” singer plays George Newman, who lands the job of running Channel 62 by his uncle. With a dearth of programming, George concocts such eyeball-grabbing programs as Wheel of Fish, Raul’s Wild Kingdom and, best of all, Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse, starring Michael Richards’s mop-wielding janitor. A near-perfect parody of ‘80s TV, UHF can and should be studied by future generations as a time capsule of that decade’s pop culture hits and misses.
UHF is available to rent or purchase on iTunes and Vudu.
BUY IT: DC Comics The Strange Lives of Batman Action Figure Multipack for sale exclusively at Comic-Con
Even a serious-minded hero like Batman can’t wear the same outfit for eighty years. As a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, Mattel has assembled a jaw-dropping four-figure multipack that shows off some of the Caped Crusader’s most unlikely looks. Modeled directly after Batman’s strange Silver Age adventures in the 1950s, fans can ooh and ahh over such lovingly ripped-from-the-comics recreations as Rainbow Batman and Zebra Batman. All four figures are housed in a fantastic box that’s mocked up to resemble a Silver Age comic book. Here’s hoping Robert Pattinson models one of these outfits in the new Batman movie.
The Strange Lives of Batman Action Figure Multipack is a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive. Visit Mattel for more information.
HEAR IT: chloe mk, Fantasy album from The Voice winner Chloe Kohanski
The Voice Season 13’s winner, formerly known as Chloe Kohanski, finally drops her debut EP. Along with her name change, the former Blake Shelton protégé has also traded her classic rock sound for glitchy indie-dance with a Y2K-pop twist. Lead single “To Be Young” is sure to be a big summer anthem.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
BUY IT: Hot Wheels Marvel Spider Machine GP-7 for sale exclusively at Comic-Con
This summer’s blockbuster, Spider-Man: Far From Home, sends the wall-crawler off to Europe. But if you ask us, Spidey’s best overseas trip is the one he took to Japan in the late 1970s. At the same time that Nicholas Hammond played Spider-Man in a series of American TV movies, Shinji Tōdō donned the red-and-blue suit for a Japanese TV show that ran for 41 wonderfully bizarre episodes that made room for giant robots and intergalactic visitors. Hot Wheels turns that Spidey’s signature ride — the Spider Machine — into a small, but mighty die-cast car that’ll get your geek sense tingling.
The Spider Machine GP-7 is a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive. Visit Mattel for more information.
HEAR IT: How Did This Get Played? podcast from Earwolf
An all-new sister show to the long-running (and insanely popular) bad movie podcast How Did This Get Made?, Played pits comedians Heather Anne Campbell and Nick Wiger — plus special guests — against some of the worst video games ever ported onto any console. Think such legendarily terrible titles as Superman 64, Sonic ’06 and Dragon’s Lair, which frustrate the hosts for our amusement. The games may not be a lot of fun to play, but it’s a blast hearing Campbell and Wiger tear apart the graphics and gameplay, while recalling the era of bargain-bin 8-bit and up “favorites” like Low G Man.
How Did This Get Played? is available to download on all podcast platforms.
HEAR IT: The Flaming Lips, King’s Mouth: Music and Songs album serves as soundtrack to an immersive art installation
Everyone’s favorite Oklahoma eccentrics return with a 12-song concept album featuring narration from none other than the Clash’s Mick Jones. The album serves as the soundtrack for frontman Wayne Coyne’s immersive art installation of the same name.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
HEAR IT: Various Artists, The Lion King (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) album available now, including Beyoncé’s “Spirit” single
One of the most anticipated movie blockbusters of the year comes with a suitably royal soundtrack, featuring queen Beyoncé and Donald Glover as well as contributions by two heavyweights involved with the original 1994 classic, Elton John and Hans Zimmer.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD at Amazon.
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