The It List: Sundance breakout 'Fire of Love' tells extraordinary love story of married volcanologists, 'Black Bird' series features Ray Liotta in one of his final roles and all the best in pop culture the week of July 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 July 4-10, 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: Fire of Love is a visually stunning account of one hot romance
Better cue up your Elvis playlist, because Sara Dosa’s acclaimed Sundance documentary is guaranteed to make your temperature rise. Working with hundreds of hours of archival footage shot by late volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, Fire of Love tracks their decades-long marriage to each other and, more importantly, to the art and science of filming erupting volcanos. Scored to Nicolas Godin’s majestic score and filmmaker Miranda July's whimsical narration and featuring some of the most spectacular nature photography you'll see this side of a David Attenborough doc, Fire of Love is an immersive visual experience that cries out for a movie screen. Kudos to National Geographic for making sure that general audiences can see it big: The nature giant’s documentary arm — which previously released 2018 Oscar-winner Free Solo — broke a heated bidding war by writing a seven-figure check to acquire the film. — Ethan Alter
Fire of Love premieres Wednesday, July 6 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.
STREAM IT: Ray Liotta gives one of his final performances in Black Bird
When Ray Liotta died last month in the Dominican Republic, the Goodfellas star left behind several posthumous performances, starting with the Apple TV+ drama Black Bird. The six-episode limited series is based on the true story of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a high school football star who received a lengthy jail sentence after being caught selling drugs. Enter the FBI, which offers him a path to freedom if he agrees to transfer to a maximum-security prison with the intention of becoming buddies with Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) — who they suspect of killing nearly twenty women. Liotta plays Jimmy's doting father, "Big Jim," who refuses to turn his back on his son despite his misdeeds. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently, Egerton said that Liotta appeared to be "in ailing health" when they worked together. But this exclusive clip from Black Bird features a tense father and son conversation that proves that Liotta was still in fine dramatic form. — E.A.
Black Bird premieres Friday, July 8 on Apple TV+.
STREAM IT: A young girl joins nautical monster hunters in animated adventure The Sea Beast
The last time Chris Williams went to sea, the catch was pretty darn impressive. The Moana co-director takes the helm all to himself with The Sea Beast, an animated adventure following the young girl Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator), who stows away on a ship in hopes of assisting her favorite monster hunter (Karl Urban) as he battles ferocious creatures far off-shore. See Urban’s Jacob Holland in action in the exclusive clip above. — K.P.
The Sea Beast premieres Friday, July 8 on Netflix.
STREAM IT: Celebrate 10 years of Sharkfest by sinking your teeth into these new documentaries
For ten years now, National Geographic has been educating summertime beachgoers why they shouldn't be afraid of going in the water. Their annual series Sharkfest is the anti-Jaws, offering fascinating deep dives into the rich lives — and diverse and non-human eating habits — of Earth's shark population. The 2022 edition kicks off on July 10 and features over 30 hours of new content, airing on the National Geographic network and streaming on Disney+. The lineup includes documentaries about the world's biggest hammerhead, "camo sharks" capable of changing their colors and regal shark queens. This exclusive clip from Camo Sharks takes you to South Africa's Seal Island, where fur seals are in constant threat of being dinner for Great white sharks. Good thing the camera crew already has a bigger boat. — E.A.
Sharkfest premieres Sunday, July 10 on National Geographic and Disney+.
STREAM IT: Kesha raises hell in spooky supernatural series
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kesha has long been fascinated by supernatural phenomena, which she has explored in her podcast, Kesha and the Creepies. “I've been searching since I was a little kid. I never really knew what I needed the answers for, but I always have been searching,” she recently told Yahoo Entertainment. Now in her new Discovery+ series Conjuring Kesha, for which she is the executive producer, the “Raising Hell” singer literally expands that journey. Over six spooky episodes, she hits the high road with famous friends (comedian Whitney Cummings, pop star Betty Who, bounce rapper Big Freedia, former Bachelorette Jojo Fletcher, supermodel Karen Elson) to visit haunted sites — including a mental hospital with a history of lobotomizing women and queer people — and make contact with the other side. — Lyndsey Parker
Conjuring Kesha premieres Friday, July 8 on Discovery+.
WATCH IT: Everything Everywhere All At Once is everything on 4K Ultra HD
We’re halfway through 2022 (if you can believe it), and it’s largely been a very, very good year for movies so far. Undoubtedly one of the greatest discoveries of '22 has to be Everything Everywhere All At Once, the other multiverse movie released, from the directing duo known as Daniels. The Michelle Yeoh-starring kung-fu/sci-fi mind-bender is best enjoyed the least you know about it, so we won’t even share the plot here. Just know if you missed it in theaters it’s flying at you quick on home entertainment, arriving this week. You have no excuse now. — K.P.
Everything Everywhere All At Once releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, July 5 on Amazon.
WATCH IT: Dreaming Walls takes viewers inside Manhattan's world-famous Chelsea Hotel
Since 1885, the Chelsea Hotel has stood at West 23rd Street, welcoming short-term and long-term residents even as the landmarks around it rose and fell. Those residents have included artists whose work has profoundly impacted the world, from Mark Twain and Bob Dylan to Patti Smith and Doris Chase. But all those years of wear and tear have left their mark on the Chelsea, necessitating an extensive — and controversial — renovation that happened amidst legal battles and changes in ownership. The elegiac documentary Dreaming Walls ventures inside the hotel's halls during this turbulent period, documenting the people who still hope to call it home. It's a rare opportunity for people outside of Manhattan to visit this landmark space, and imagine themselves in the rooms where so much history was made. This exclusive clip from the film features one resident reflecting on the Chelsea's status as the last bastion of a bohemian version of New York that no longer exists. — E.A.
Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel premieres Friday, July 8 in theaters and on most VOD services.
HEAR IT: Journey brings the Freedom rock
Freedom doesn’t feature Steve Perry (whose voice can currently be heard on Stranger Things Season 4) or original Journey bassist Ross Valory, who was controversially fired in 2020. But the ever-rotating lineup for this record — the stadium-rockers’ first in more than a decade — does include Perry soundalike Ariel Pineda, who has capably fronted the band since 2007. Plus, Freedom is the first Journey album to feature bassist Randy Jackson (yes, the American Idol guy) since 1986’s Raised on Radio. So, suffice to say, Freedom has that classic rock radio sound we’ve all come to expect from the Hall of Famers. — L.P.
Freedom by Journey is available Friday, July 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
WATCH IT: A Capitol Fourth returns to America's capital for the first in-person July 4 celebration since 2019
After two years of virtual editions, A Capitol Fourth rings in July 4th back where it belongs: live from Washington D.C. PBS and Capital Concerts's annual shindig celebrates Independence Day with a star-studded lineup capped by a lavish fireworks display. Emceed by country star Mickey Guyton, the night's performers include Glee star Darren Criss, "I Will Survive" songstress Gloria Gaynor and The Greatest Showman's vocal scene-stealer, Loren Allred. Other events include a 100th anniversary tribute to the Lincoln Memorial, and a 65th anniversary celebration of the original Broadway production of West Side Story, with Chita Rivera — who originated the role of Anita that won Oscars for Rita Moreno and Ariana De Bose — performing a tribute to the legendary musical. Talk about fireworks. — E.A.
A Capitol Fourth airs Monday, July 4 at 8 p.m. on PBS.
HEAR IT: James Bay makes an artistic Leap
The Brit Awards Critics' Choice Award-winner returns with Leap, collaborating with a who’s-who of superstar producers and co-writers, including Finneas, Foy Vance, Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), Joel Little (Taylor Swift, Lorde) and Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves). Bay has described Leap, his third full-length record and first since 2018, as “a cohesive album, born out of the least cohesive time"; the lead single, “One Life,” is a tribute to his longtime girlfriend Lucy Smith, with whom he welcomed their first child in October 2021. — L.P.
Leap by James Bay is available Friday, July 8 to download/stream on Apple Music.
— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo