The It List: TLC debuts another unique medical reality show, get the real story of 'The Invisible Pilot' who faked his own death to work for drug lords and the CIA, Mayim Bialik makes directorial debut and the best in pop culture the week of April 4, 2022
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 April 4-9, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)
WATCH IT: Body Parts restores limbs and lives
Dr. Allison Vest invites viewers into her "mad scientist's lab," where she creates prosthetic body parts — "from noses, ears, eyes, fingers, toes [to] other bits and pieces" — for her patients, who are trauma victims, cancer survivors and people who were simply born that way. "Everybody comes through these doors feeling like something's missing," Vest says, "that's what we're trying to restore here." While Vest, a trained artist, does fascinating and impressive work, the emotion is what really shines through in the limited series. A man without a nose confides in Vest that his condition is "very embarrassing," and it makes people look at him. He’s lonely and wants her help so he can find a girlfriend. And a mother is moved to tears when she sees what Vest has done for her young son. "My baby," she says, "you've got ears again!" — Raechal Shewfelt
Body Parts premieres Wednesday, April 6 at 10 p.m. on TLC.
WATCH/STREAM IT: An Arkansas man’s dangerous, secret double life is investigated in HBO limited docuseries The Invisible Pilot
The Hollywood cliché version of a man’s secret double life is having a second family somewhere. For Gary Betzner, it was way more complicated. The real-life Arkansas daredevil pilot and crop duster jumped off a bridge in 1977 after his car broke down, leaving his family shocked and seeking answers. They arrive 45 years later for the world to see, too, in HBO’s three-part docuseries The Invisible Pilot, which reveals Betzner was actually making millions of dollars as an international drug smuggler who also transported contraband for the CIA in one of the biggest political scandals in modern times. Watch an exclusive clip (courtesy of HBO) above. — Kevin Polowy
The Invisible Pilot premieres Monday, April 4 on HBO and HBO Max.
STREAM IT: Return to Space chronicles SpaceX's historic 1st astronaut launch
A new Netflix documentary directed by Oscar winners Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (The Rescue, Free Solo) focuses on the rise of Elon Musk's SpaceX company and its two-decade mission to resurrect and revolutionize America's space travel ambitions by returning two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, to the International Space Station. Return to Space offers an intimate look inside the first crewed spaceflight launched from U.S. soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. "Earth is the cradle of humanity. You cannot stay in the cradle for ever," says Musk in the trailer.
Return to Space premieres Thursday, April 7 on Netflix.
WATCH IT: Jeopardy host Mayim Bialik releases her directorial debut, As They Made Us
Mayim Bialik turns her life into art in As They Made Us, a loosely autobiographical story inspired by her own parents — played onscreen by Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen. Written and directed by the Jeopardy host, the film shifts back and forth in time as it follows Abigail (Glee's Dianna Agron) as she reflects on her tumultuous childhood while caring for her now-elderly mother and father and also trying to mend her relationship with her estranged sibling (Simon Helberg, Bialik's former Big Bang Theory co-star). "In families where there's a lot of love, a lot of creativity and a lot of connection that doesn't mean that's the whole story," Bialik tells Yahoo Entertainment about her directorial debut, which deals frankly with parental failings. (Look for our full interview later this week.) This exclusive clip from the film features Abigail and her mom freaking out after they learn that Hoffman has been toking up on the sly. — Ethan Alter
As They Made Us premieres Friday, April 8 in theaters and on most VOD services.
WATCH/STREAM IT: Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton share secrets and lies in the new thriller All the Old Knives
It's spy vs. spy in All the Old Knives, a twisty thriller that pairs Star Trek's Chris Pine with Star Wars's Thandiwe Newton. After years apart, CIA operatives and ex-lovers Henry (Pine) and Celia (Newton) have a reunion dinner at a lush seaside restaurant. But there's a deeper mission behind the meeting: One of them holds the answer to a tragedy that's haunted the agency for years — and by the time the evening is over, one of them will learn the truth... and the other may be dead. The two stars share some behind-the-scenes secrets from the film in this exclusive featurette, which also reveals how the ambitious production was completed using some good ol' movie magic. — E.A.
All the Old Knives premieres Friday, April 8 in theaters and on Prime Video.
STREAM IT: Michael Mann trades Miami for Japan in the new HBO Max series Tokyo Vice
Cue the Phil Collins tunes: Miami Vice creator, Michael Mann, heads across the Pacific for Tokyo Vice, an eight-episode event series set in Japan's most populous city during the late 1990s. Mann is an executive producer on the show, and also directed the series premiere, his first time behind the camera since 2015's Blackhat. West Side Story's Ansel Elgort stars as real-life journalist Jake Adelstein — who wrote the book that inspired the series — who arrives in Tokyo looking to cover the city's criminal underworld, and forms an uncertain alliance with the police force. Rinko Kikuchi and Ken Watanabe are among the bevy of Japanese stars that play Adelstein's various friends and foes. This exclusive clip from Tokyo Vice features Elgort's charged confrontation with a Yakuza member... who makes him an offer that'll be difficult to refuse. — E.A.
Tokyo Vice premieres Thursday, April 7 on HBO Max.
HEAR IT: Camila Cabello’s new album is a family affair
The former Fifth Harmony Star’s third solo album was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was inspired by her experience of reconnecting with her family and her Cuban-Mexican roots and “manifesting collective joy.” Cabello will celebrate the release of the record, which features Ed Sheeran, Willow Smith, María Becerra and Yotuel, with a virtual TikTok concert, “Familia: Welcome to the Family,” on April 7. — L.P.
Familia by Camila Cabello is available Friday, April 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WATCH IT: Scream (5) slices and dices its way to Blu-ray
How meta is Scream, the first movie in the Wes Craven-created horror series that refused to call itself Scream 5? It even makes fun of its title (and let’s all admit, it’s ridiculously stupid) within the movie. Arguably the best installment in the franchise since the original, Scream (5) starts off slow but really gets cranking once its legacy characters (Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox) show up. It’s understandable why co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were able to convince an initially hesitant Campbell to return; their blend of wicked self-parody, smart humor and grisly kills would make Craven proud. Blu-ray features include filmmaker commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes and more. — K.P.
Scream (5) releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, April 5 on Amazon.
HEAR IT: It’s a new Dawn for Jack White
Jack White hasn’t released a solo album since 2018, but now the White Stripe/Raconteur/Dead Weather-man/Third Man Records mogul/hardest-working man in indie rock is making up for lost time with two 2022 releases. The first, this week’s Fear of the Dawn, boasts the blistering, guitar-driven garage rock sound White’s best known for; in July, he’ll strip it all back for a companion folk album, Entering Heaven Alive. Expect to hear songs from both LPs when White embarks on his Supply Chain Issues tour, kicking off Friday (Fear of the Dawn’s record release day) in his native Detroit. — Lyndsey Parker
Fear of the Dawn by Jack White is available Friday, April 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: Mondo continues to score with soundtracks on vinyl
Vinyl’s comeback was years ago completed. Movie music is as good as it’s ever been, with tastemakers like Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino crafting cinematic playlists, and composers young (Nicholas Britell) and old (Hans Zimmer) regularly gifting us scores. So we’ve gotta send some flowers to Mondo, the pop culture purveyors who continue to drop sensationally packaged soundtracks and scores on the greatest release format. Recent gems include both from Wright’s twisty Swinging Sixties-set thriller Last Night in Soho, Zimmer’s intergalactic Oscar-winning Dune score on double LP, the moody sounds of Michael Giacchino’s The Batman compositions and the iconically Peter Gabriel-lead ‘80s favorite Say Anything. — K.P.
Film soundtracks on vinyl are available on Mondo.
STREAM IT: Nick and Vanessa Lachey host your new reality dating show obsession The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
Fans of The Bachelor, Temptation Island and the like will want to catch the newest reality dating series, which comes from the creators of another show in the genre, Love Is Blind. That show's hosts, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, are at the helm here, too, as six couples decide whether it's time to move forward in their relationships or end them altogether. They'll do that by living in a trial marriage with someone else for eight weeks. (Because that makes sense, right?) Afterward, they'll choose whether they want to leave — engaged — with the person who arrived with them. And it's as dramatic as it sounds, with tears, shouting and at least one demand to remove a contestant's microphone. — R.S.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On premieres Wednesday, April 6 on Netflix.
HEAR IT: Play Father John Misty for me
Josh Tillman’s fifth studio album (and first since 2018), Chlo? and the Next 20th Century, isn’t even out yet — but music journalists are already raving about the critics’ darling’s latest opus. The Guardian called it “transcending” and “uniformly melodically stunning,” and Uncut said its 11 tracks “go right to the gut” and “are deeply striking a few listens later thanks to their sumptuous arrangements, exceptional playing and emotional pull.” Misty diehards will want to splurge on the limited-edition Chlo? boxed set, which comes with a hardcover book and two unusual 7-inch singles: Lana Del Rey’s cover of the album track “Buddy's Rendezvous” and Jack Cruz’s cover of Misty’s “Kiss Me (I Loved You).” — L.P.
Chlo? and the Next 20th Century by Father John Misty is available Friday, April 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WATCH IT: Clifton Collins Jr. gives a career-best performance in Jockey, hitting Blu-ray
There are few things better in film fandom than when one of your favorite character actors finally gets the lead role they deserve — and Clifton Collins Jr. knocks his straight out of the ballpark (or racetrack, you know, if there were balls). Collins earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for playing an aging jockey who can feel his body breaking down on him — he has broken his back three times — but vows to keep on riding, especially with his trainer (Molly Parker) wrangling a potential title-winning horse and the arrival of a young jockey (Moises Arias) who claims to be his son. This feature debut from real-life son of a jockey Clint Bentley and hitting Blu-ray this week is achingly beautiful, from its stunning cinematography to its trifecta of winning performances. — K.P.
Jockey releases on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, April 5 on Amazon.
PLAY IT: Get ready to roar with ToyMonster's new line of Jurassic World toys
So many dinosaurs, so little time. Before Jurassic World Dominion roars at the box office this summer, build your own dino-army with the Jurassic World Captivz Dominion Collection from ToyMonster. This fresh line of mini-figures retails for $4.99 each and includes T.Rex's, Giganotosaurus's and raptors .. oh my! The Pop N Lock dinosaurs are housed in slime eggs that you have to crack open to see what's inside. There's also a Mega Egg ($19.99) that includes a gameplay mat, a backpack case and a pull-back dino car. Talk about your (pre)historic toys. — E.A.
The Jurassic World Captivz Dominion Collection will be available Sunday, April 17 at all major toy stores.
HEAR IT: Wet Leg are ready for British Summer Time
Wet Leg exploded from seemingly out of nowhere (from the Isle of Wight, actually) in summer 2021 with their cheeky, guitar-spiked, deadpan-delivered, ‘90s-damaged viral smash, “Chaise Longue,” and its charmingly off-kilter DIY music video. Now their self-titled debut album is one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2022. As evidenced by the record’s equally earworm-y tracks “Wet Dream” and “Ur Mum,” it is clear that the Zeitgeist-capturing “Chaise Longue” was no fluke. Expect these Isle of Wight ingenues to rule the festival circuit all summer long (or longue?) this year. — L.P.
Wet Leg by Wet Leg is available Friday, April 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
STREAM IT: Spy x Family anchors a new lineup of Crunchyroll anime releases
Talk about your spy games: Crunchyroll's new original anime series, Spy x Family follows secret agent Twilight as he faces off two of his most formidable opponents: his assassin wife and telepathic adopted daughter. And that's not the only big premiere coming to the streaming service this month. Crunchyroll is also debuting new seasons of The Rising of the Shield Hero and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. — E.A.
Spy x Family premieres Saturday, April 9 on Crunchyroll.
— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo
