The It List: 'Speed' celebrates 25 years, Leo DiCaprio's 'Ice on Fire' premieres, Madonna drops 'Madame X' and the best in pop culture the week of June 10, 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 June 10-16, including the best deals we could find for each.
STREAM IT: Speed (25th anniversary)
![I’m the lonely guy,” Keanu Reeves didn’t say last week. “I don’t have anyone in my life ... hopefully it’ll happen for me.” These quotes went viral shortly before they were revealed to have been entirely fabricated, just like the ones that Drew Barrymore denies ever giving to an Egyptair inflight magazine last year. But inevitably we believed them, their sweet, weary optimism fitting the image of a man we have long decided is beautiful, profound and achingly sad, and someone whom we all desperately want to find love. Specifically with Sandra Bullock.In recent years, every mention of Sad Keanu, the meme that has helped turn Reeves into the internet’s most enduring and universally agreed-upon imaginary boyfriend, has been trailed by a responding Twitter call urging Sandra Bullock to come and rescue him. Forever intertwined as co-stars, friends and fantasy romantic partners, the pair share remarkably similar public profiles, the same melancholy energy, and a mutual inoffensiveness that makes anyone sending animosity their way appear untrustworthy. And regardless that it’ll never happen, and that Bullock has been very happily involved with photographer Bryan Randall since 2015, it hasn’t stopped many of us, in our weakest or silliest moments, wishing they’d truly get together.Twenty-five years ago this week, Speed introduced us to their unique appeal as co-stars. The film remains one of the all-time perfect action movies, a relentless onslaught of thrills, set pieces and quotable dialogue, but it lingers most in the mind for one specific reason: it’s also a secret romantic comedy, the only difference being that Reeves and Bullock’s meet-cute involved a bomb on a bus. “Relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last,” Bullock quips towards the end of the film, in reference to the explosions, kidnappings and hostage crises that came before. But it’s a line that wouldn’t feel out of a place in a Kate Hudson movie, while the trajectory of their characters’ relationship over the course of their bus ride treads ground that will be familiar to anyone who has watched You’ve Got Mail too many times – initial distrust, cagey bartering and blossoming feelings, before full-blown attraction.That the pair are such a warm and compelling double act in the film is particularly impressive considering Annie, Bullock’s character, is a complete non-entity on paper. Watch Speed again and look past Bullock’s wonderfully daffy performance and you won’t find out any of Annie’s personal interests, nor what she does for a living. She doesn’t even get a last name until the sequel. But somehow, through sheer force of will, Bullock makes Annie an equal to Reeves’s Jack, the pair perfectly in tandem with one another despite a script that gives her little to work with.When Jack loses faith, Annie picks him up. When she hits a homeless woman’s baby carriage full of tin cans, it’s Jack that calms her. They’re also ludicrously sexy together. When, at the very end, Annie pledges to base their fledgling relationship around sex rather than the intense situation they’ve barely gotten out alive from, you genuinely believe they’re about to get frisky right there in that upturned subway carriage.On set, Reeves and Bullock were interested in one another. “It was hard for me to ... really be serious,” Bullock confessed to Ellen DeGeneres last year. “He would look at me and I’d be like [giggles].” She added that they had never actually dated. “There’s just something about me that I guess he didn’t like...” Only that wasn’t strictly true. “She obviously didn’t know I had a crush on her either,” Reeves told DeGeneres last month. “It was nice to go to work, she’s such a wonderful person and a wonderful actress.”By now, Reeves’s ineffable melancholy is well-known, immortalised through gloomy paparazzi pictures and his run of roles playing stoic, endearing loners like John Wick and The Matrix’s Neo. But Bullock has her own melancholic aura, too. It’s harder to spot, or at least harder to remember, possibly because she’s most famous for her shiny, girl-next-door roles. But it’s definitely there, Bullock often projecting a quality that is downbeat and battle worn. Intriguingly, it surfaced right after Speed, Bullock choosing roles that saw her play lonely rather than effervescent.Whether in romantic comedies like While You Were Sleeping or thrillers like The Net, Bullock nails a kind of guarded self-isolation, her characters choosing to take themselves out of the world in order to get through the day. It’s an outsider quality that’s all over her filmography – in the casual if genuinely mean workplace ribbing she experiences pre-makeover in Miss Congeniality, the detached hostility that ultimately saves her life in Bird Box, or the way Alfonso Cuaron sent her to the loneliest place imaginable, literal space, in Gravity. But the most striking incarnation of this less appreciated element of Bullock’s skillset occurred when she collaborated with Reeves for the second time.No one ever really talks about The Lake House, primarily because it is insane. But the 2006 film, which reunited the pair as two lonely souls finding one another via a mystical time portal located in a lakefront mailbox, is the finest distillation of the pair’s plaintive energy, and a film that entirely hinges on our pre-existing desire for the pair to make out with each other.They are Kate and Alex, the former living in 2006 and the latter in 2004, who are linked by their respective ownership of the titular house. They correspond via letters, about boring tenancy details at first, before realising the magic of their mailbox. They can’t explain what is happening, and neither can the needlessly convoluted film itself, but they strike up a friendship, which slowly evolves into love.Intriguingly, Reeves and Bullock only truly share one scene in the film, and the credibility of their characters’ mutual attraction singlehandedly rests on it. Taking place in 2004, after Alex tracks down the Kate that exists in his timeline, it is a scene captured in one single static shot, director Alejandro Agresti allowing the purity of the pair’s chemistry to flourish uninterrupted. Through eight minutes of dialogue, Kate recalls the life she could have lived, Alex falls in love, they dance to Paul McCartney and finally share a kiss.Released 12 years after their first on-screen collaboration (Reeves having wisely passed on Speed 2), The Lake House was an unexpected choice for a reunion. But it feels, in an odd sense, more of a tonal fit for the pair than the bright, high-octane action of Speed, both Reeves and Bullock then, and certainly now, matching its autumnal weariness. As beloved and uniquely ordinary and approachable as they appear, certainly in comparison to how enormously rich and famous the pair are, they’re also adults who we know have survived very public traumas (the pair have famously contended with tragedy, stalkers and personal betrayal within the past two decades), and have emerged clear-headed if a little bruised.In any good fictional romance, part of the pleasure in watching two people fall in love is in the moments where love is barely on the table. When it is lingering and unutterable, obvious to everyone around them but shot down in flames a little too enthusiastically if explicitly stated. And Reeves and Bullock, or at least the version of them that we think we know, occupy that warm middle ground. They are two people with such sincere chemistry and friendship, who have lived such similar public lives and reacted to their extreme fame with similar degrees of charity and kindheartedness, and who at least at one point shared a mutual attraction, but have yet to actually come together.And to see that in action, the vague illusion of two people slowly dancing around one another through the years, gives us a little bit of hope for our own lives. That something that once seemed promising but didn’t pan out might come around again, or that romantic love will eventually coalesce when the time is right. Wanting Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock to become a real-life item is, without question, weird. But it’s a weirdness that provides a level of starry-eyed comfort that suggests a kind of order within chaos. And if they’re never going to actually get together, a third on-screen collaboration wouldn’t be the worst thing they could do for us. Consider it another act of charity. 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Not all action movies from the 1990s are built to last, but Speed is just as sprightly now as it was when it hit theaters a quarter century ago. Chalk that up to an irresistible premise — a bomb-strapped bus has to stay above 50 miles per hour or it goes boom — a crackerjack script by Graham Yost (with a major assist by an uncredited Joss Whedon), Jan de Bont’s nimble direction and, last but not least, the dynamic duo of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Even though it’s impossible to imagine anyone but Bullock as accidental bus driver, Annie Porter, the part was originally offered to Halle Berry. Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment recently, the actress revealed precisely why she declined to ride shotgun opposite her John Wick: Chapter 3 co-star. “When I read the script, the bus never left the parking lot. Then I saw the movie and it went all over town! It was like I was duped.” For his part, Reeves knew what he was getting into from the beginning: “It was running, jumping, fighting and gun work — a lot of gun work” he told us about his preparation for his breakout action hero role. All together now: Whoa.
Speed is available to rent or purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.
WATCH IT: The Dead Don’t Die
While Jim Jarmusch’s deadpan zombie comedy lacks some of the emotional… um, bite of his sublime vampire picture, Only Lovers Left Alive, it’s still a ramshackle good time. More of an extended sketch than a carefully-crafted narrative, The Dead Don’t Die turns a small army of the undead (whose ranks include Iggy Pop and Sara Driver) loose on a one-motel town populated by such famous faces — and Jarmusch regulars — as Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Adam Driver. From its first frames, the film is unapologetically self-aware about devouring zombie movie cliches and spitting them back out with a wink, a smile and a bit of bloody violence.
The Dead Don’t Die opens in theaters on June 14. Check Fandango and Atom Tickets for showtimes and ticket information.
WATCH IT: Ice on Fire
Leonardo DiCaprio is so prolific in his environmental endeavors — from appearances in Lil Dicky videos to more traditional activist-leaning work — that it's hard to keep track of everything the A-lister is tirelessly doing to open our collective eyes to the perils of climate change. The new HBO doc Ice on Fire, in which he narrated and produced, is one of his most urgent cross-pollinations of entertainment and activism yet. And while we've seen plenty of eco-docs released in recent years, what sets Ice on Fire apart the most is its focus on solutions — real, tangible, technological, even profit-generating solutions when it comes to reversing damage once thought irreversible. Bonus props to HBO for making this one sound Game of Thrones-related. Whatever it takes, people, whatever it takes.
Ice on Fire premieres Tuesday, June 11 on HBO.
HEAR IT: Madonna, Madame X
The queen of pop has returned to reclaim her throne! Adventurous as ever, on her Latin-influenced 14th studio album (and first album since 2015) she teams with Maluma, Offset’s Quvao, Swae Lee, Diplo and her Music/American Life/Confessions on a Dance Floor collaborator Mirwais. She’ll promote the record with an unprecedented club tour and Vegas residency in the fall.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
READ: Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw
Country music star Tim McGraw teams with the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of works about the lives of Andrew Jackson (American Lion), Thomas Jefferson (The Art of Power) and others, to tell the story of some of America’s most well known songs, such as “Born in the U.S.A.” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They cover more radio-friendly songs, too, and the book teases anecdotes about iconic performers — Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Carole King and Duke Ellington, to name a few — as well as politicians and changemakers, such as Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. Although the lyrics to many of the songs are included, the karaoke machine you’ll want to use for singing along is not.
Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
WATCH IT: Pose (Season 2 premiere)
This FX drama about the underground "ballroom" scene of the '80s and '90s has gotten a lot of credit for being groundbreaking. (It's the first cable series to feature a cast of transgender characters played by actual trans women, for one.) But don't let that eat-your-vegetables word fool you. Pose is great entertainment, arguably the best (and certainly the most heartfelt) series that celebrity producer Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) has ever made. Season 2 kicks off with Madonna's single "Vogue" sweeping the nation, bringing a gay ballroom dance trend into the mainstream — just as the AIDS virus begins truly decimating downtown New York. Stars Billy Porter and MJ Rodriguez have already received award nominations for Season 1 (now streaming on Netflix); tune in to Season 2 to see why.
Pose Season 2 premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 10 p.m. on FX and FX+ streaming service.
HEAR IT: Bruce Springsteen, Western Stars
His first studio album of entirely original material since 2012’s Wrecking Ball and first solo album since 2005's Devils & Dust, Western Stars finds the Boss in a mellow mood, influenced by ‘70s California pop (think Glen Campbell, Burt Bacharach) and a "range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope.” A more rockin’ album with his E Street Band will reportedly follow in 2020.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
HEAR IT: Janet Jackson's Control on vinyl
Janet Jackson is one of those artists who's had so many hits over the years, you tend to think she's released dozens of albums in the process. That's why it's staggering to look back at just how many singles she generated from her third LP, 1986's Control. "What Have You Done For Me Lately." "Nasty." "Control." "When I Think Of You." "Lets Wait Awhile." More than half of the album's nine songs were top 5 Billboard singles, and "Pleasure Principle" came pretty close, too (it peaked at 14). Arguably the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee's greatest album, Control is now on vinyl for the first time since its initial release.
Buy Control on vinyl on Amazon.
HEAR IT: Confronting: O.J. Simpson podcast
Twenty five years after Kim Goldman’s older brother, Ron Goldman, was infamously murdered alongside Nicole Brown Simpson, she’s reexamining what happened in a 10-episode podcast. Listeners will hear Kim, who was 22 when Ron died, speaking to prosecutors including Marcia Clark from the 1995 trial, former Simpson house guest Kato Kaelin and jurors who ultimately found O.J. Simpson not guilty in the deaths of Ron and Nicole. Kim said that while there has been much coverage of the story, she wanted to ask deeper questions about the loss of Ron, who would now be 50. “It’s really hard to kind of wrap my head around who he would have become,” she told ABC News. “Those are ... realizations that are really hard for me, because they'll never be.”
Confronting: O.J. Simpson is available from Wondery on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
WATCH IT: Jessica Jones (Season 3 premiere)
With the premiere of Jessica Jones’s third and final season, the curtain falls on Netflix’s corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the Hell’s Kitchen-based private eye (Krysten Ritter) is going out swinging, and her adopted sister, Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) gets to throw a few punches as well courtesy of her newfound superpowers. Although the duo begin the season as enemies, they renew their friendship when they find themselves working the same case: pursuing a serial killer who has a special hate-on for empowered women. While the first eight episodes suffer from some of the glacial pacing that afflicted all of Netflix’s Marvel shows, if you’ve been following Jessica and her fellow Defenders since the beginning, you’ll want to see how it ends.
Jessica Jones premieres on June 14 on Netflix.
READ IT: The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America by Jim Acosta
While you might not be familiar with the name of CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, you more than likely saw his November 2018 confrontation with President Trump during a White House press conference, where Acosta asked the president about “demonizing immigrants.” A White House intern tried to take Acosta’s microphone away. Trump was visibly angry and referred to Acosta as “a rude, terrible person,” then suspended Acosta’s access to the White House altogether. The viral moment sets the stage for the journalist’s story about what it’s like to report on Trump and his team, and why it’s crucial a free press is still around to cover a 46th president and beyond.
The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America is available to order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
HEAR IT: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)
Jackson Maine’s A Star Is Born backing band (and Neil Young’s real-life backing band) are ready for their closeup, with an all-star album that features Young, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Shooter Jennings, Randy Houser and Lucius.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
If you’re looking for an authentic account of Bob Dylan’s seminal roadshow tour — which criss-crossed the country between 1975 and 1976 — it ain’t this movie, babe. While Martin Scorsese’s film incorporates a plethora of authentic concert footage and backstage material, the legendary director and avowed rock music fan also mixes plenty of fiction into his fact via a number of invented characters and situations. That approach may frustrate some, but it’s in keeping with Dylan’s own penchant for spinning tall tales about his past. More refreshingly, it punctures the ballon of self-importance that can envelope these moments in time, giving them more significance than they perhaps deserve. As the singer himself remarks early on in the film, the Rolling Thunder Revue was just a thing that happened; Scorsese’s slyly-crafted movie turns it into a happening.
Rolling Thunder Revue premieres on Wednesday, June 12 on Netflix.
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