The It List: The return of 'Big Little Lies' and the Jonas Brothers, 'Ghostbusters' and 'Gremlins' turn 35 and the best in pop culture the week of June 3, 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 3-9, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: Big Little Lies (Season 2 premiere)
The so-called Monterey Five return sharing both a new nickname and a terrifying secret. Enter none other than Meryl Streep, who’s there to uncover the truth about the sudden, mysterious death of her son Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) and oh, man, there’s going to be some juicy drama.
Streep has revealed that she immediately agreed to join the cast of the Emmy-winning show when Nicole Kidman, who plays her daughter-in-law, asked her to do so, even without having read a script. “I believe in these girls, and that first season blew me away," Streep told ET last week at the premiere. “Everything about it: the writing, the depth of the performances, the style, the music, the whole world. And I couldn't wait to see where it was going to go."
Now with a lot of shows that take a long break between seasons — the last time a new episode aired was back in April 2017 — it’s easy to let the details slip away, but that’s not so with this addictive dramedy, probably because the ending of the debut season was so shocking. Or is it just that we watched it so many times?
The second season of Big Little Lies premieres on Sunday, June 9 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
HEAR IT: Jonas Brothers, Happiness Begins
JoBros fans have been burnin’ up for a reunion for years, and now Joe, Nick, and Kevin have finally re-teamed for their first studio album in 10 years. And the brothers aren’t playing. Heavy-hitter hitmaker collaborators include Justin Tranter, Greg Kurstin, Ryan Tedder and Shellback.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH: The Secret Life of Pets 2
2016's The Secret Life of Pets was one of those pleasant surprises families love to discover: An animated movie no one will mind when the kids want to play it over and over (and over). The new follow-up isn't quite as good, to be frank, but it still retains the fun-loving vibe, charm and sweet messages of the first film (though it abandons one of its most promising storylines — our hero Max coping with the arrival of a human baby boy — way too early). Much of the casting news has surrounded Patton Oswalt replacing disgraced comedian Louis C.K. as the voice of Max, but it's barely noticeable. The better story is the fact that this film marks the first animated feature for Harrison Ford, who (awesomely) essentially plays himself — if he were a cantankerous farm dog named Rooster. The movie shines every time he's (heard) on screen.
Get tickets for The Secret Life of Pets 2 on Fandango.
WATCH IT: The Brady Bunch: 50th Anniversary TV & Movie Collection
It’s strange how some things in our culture are parodied so much that we begin to forget what the originals were like. With this collection of the original, all 117 episodes that aired from 1969 to 1974, fans can revisit memorable moments, such as Marcia getting hit in the face with a football, Peter’s voice cracking while singing “It’s Time to Change” and Mike schooling his family with nonsensical advice, as they actually happened and then compare them to The Brady Bunch Movie and its sequels, which are all here. Brady diehards will appreciate the chance to revisit other follow-ups to the show, including short-lived series The Brady Brides (1981) and 1990’s The Bradys, as well as the classic sitcom’s offspring such as The Brady Kids animated series (1972-73) and Growing Up Brady, the 2000 TV movies based on Barry Williams’s memoir, ahead of the upcoming Brady reunion show on HGTV.
The Brady Bunch: 50th Anniversary TV & Movie Collection is available at Amazon.
WATCH IT: The Tony Awards
Invariably the most feel-good of major awards shows, the Broadway celebration boasts live musical numbers you won't see anywhere else and stars who are legitimately thrilled just to be nominated. Among the shows presenting this year: a controversial new production of Oklahoma! (yes, that Oklahoma), the hilarious Beetlejuice musical and the acclaimed original musicals Hadestown, The Prom and Be More Chill. Even if you're not a Broadway person, many of the nominees (Adam Driver, Annette Bening) will be familiar. James Corden is hosting, so we anticipate a pitch-perfect, showtune-themed riff on Carpool Karaoke.
Watch the 73rd Annual Tony Awards live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m. on CBS and CBS All Access.
STREAM IT: Ghostbusters (35th anniversary)
When there was something strange in the neighborhood in the summer of 1984, moviegoers knew exactly who to call. Ivan Reitman’s comedy favorite is the textbook definition of a happy accident: After a difficult production and extensive editing room tinkering, the director emerged with a movie that’s ragged around the edges, but held down in the center by its stellar cast, from the central quartet of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson to supporting players Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Rick Moranis. The franchise has been trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle ever since, from 1989’s Ghostbusters II (which celebrates its 30th anniversary on June 16) to 2016’s underappreciated reboot. 35 years later, the first movie remains the one that gives us the best dose of that freaky ghost.
Ghostbusters is available to rent or purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.
HEAR IT: Avicii, TIM
All profits from the posthumous album from the Swedish superstar DJ, who tragically died by suicide last year, will go toward the Tim Bergling Foundation, launched to address mental health and suicide prevention. The record features contributions from Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Imagine Dragons and Avicii’s “Wake Up” collaborator Aloe Blacc.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Batman on 4K Ultra HD
Thirty years ago, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton proved that a ghost with the most could become a big-time superhero. Now, that first Batman — plus its three sequels — have been given a major visual upgrade via these new 4K Ultra HD editions. Watched again today, there’s still no comic book movie quite like Burton’s 1989 franchise-launcher, which creates a richly textured universe where Victorian horror, German expressionism and American superhero imagery exists side-by-side. For the record, 1992’s Batman Returns offers an even more radically unique vision of the Dark Knight, and easily ranks in the Top 5 of Burton’s filmography. And while Joel Schumacher’s two Bat-films suffer mightily in comparison, they are a fascinating time capsule of a pre-Marvel Studios age when the genre was finding its way.
The Batman 4K UHD editions are available for $24.99 each on Amazon and Walmart.
STREAM IT: Gremlins (35th anniversary)
Whether you’re watching it after midnight or before lunch, Joe Dante’s horror comedy remains a delight at any time of day. Released during the same summer weekend of ’84 as Ghostbusters, Gremlins introduced audiences to one of the cutest critters in creature feature-dom: the cuddly mogwai, Gizmo. Too bad the rest of his kind are such monsters. A Looney Tunes fan from way back, Dante incorporates cartoon logic into a horror movie premise — something that he’d amp up in his masterpiece, Gremlins 2: The New Batch — and the results are still scarily great.
Gremlins is available to rent or purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.
WATCH: Jack Ryan Season 1 on Blu-ray
For all the debate over who the best Jack Ryan has been, there's now one indisputable fact: John Krasinski has played him the most. His 8-episode arc as Tom Clancy's famous number cruncher-turned-field operative tops previous leader Harrison Ford's two-film stint (topping one-and-done Ryans Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine). And the Office alum is pretty damn good at it, once again proving he has the mettle of true-blue action hero, and the wits to boot. The Amazon show is also worth checking out for some supporting players who won't be back for Season 2 (since the show is anthology-style), most notably breakout star Dina Shihabi, both stunning and gritty as the tortured wife of a terrorist kingpin.
Get Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Season 1 on Blu-ray and DVD on Amazon.
HEAR IT: Perry Farrell, Kind Heaven
The Jane’s Addiction rock star’s first solo album in 18 years was produced by Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti and features a virtual Lollapalooza of guest stars, including Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, the Foo Fighters’s Taylor Hawkins, the Cars’s Eliot Easton and Dhani Harrison.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
BOOK IT: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour
In the not-too-distant future, MST3K creator, Joel Hodgson, will hit the road for the final time as his bad movie-heckling alter ego, Joel Robinson. But at least he’s going out with a bunch of (B-movie) bombs! The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour kicks off in Brooklyn in September, followed by dates in Milwaukee, Charleston and Minneapolis, where the Satellite of Love first took flight three decades ago.
Tickets for Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour go on sale at Ticketmaster on June 7.
HEAR IT: Santana, Africa Speaks
The rock legend’s Rick Rubin-produced latest work, featuring vocals by Spanish singer Buika, is a fusion of rock, Latin, and jazz inspired by the music of the African continent. Many of the album's 13 tracks were recorded in one take during a 10-day spree at Rubin's famous Shangri La Studios in Malibu.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
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