The It List: 'Hobbs & Shaw,' tickets for 'Friends' pop-up, 'Kiki's Delivery Service' and 'Glory' turn 30 and the best in pop culture the week of July 29, 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 29 to Aug. 4, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham team up for over-the-top action hijinks in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
The Fast & Furious cinematic universe grows a little larger — literally — with the arrival of the franchise’s first spinoff, which is built around the hulking frames of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Reprising their respective roles as DSS agent Luke Hobbs, and disgraced soldier-turned-criminal Deckard Shaw, the bickering duo are reluctantly partnered up for a globetrotting adventure that transports them from London to Russia to Samoa with Shaw’s sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), in tow. Hot on their heels is Idris Elba’s super-villainous “black Superman,” Brixton Lore, who is eager to recover a deadly virus that Hattie is carrying in her bloodstream. While director David Leitch is careful to incorporate a few F&F style car chases into the mix, Hobbs & Shaw is mostly an unapologetic throwback to the 1980s heyday of musclebound action stars — think Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Seagal — doing improbable things in increasingly ludicrous plots. Luckily, Johnson and Statham do those improbable things with a wink and a smile… and a number of crowd-pleasing insults. Expect these two to ride again in future sequels, at least one of which should allow Helen Mirren’s Mama Shaw to finally get behind the wheel of a stunt car.
Hobbs & Shaw opens in theaters on Aug. 2. Visit Fandango and Atom Tickets for showtime and ticket information.
WATCH IT: Hayao Miyazaki’s animated classic, Kiki’s Delivery Service, turns 30
Long before Harry Potter came along, high-flying Kiki was the first name in family-friendly witchcraft and wizardry. Hayao Miyazaki’s 1989 favorite was the fourth film released under the Studio Ghibli banner, and confirmed the studio’s reputation as a premiere purveyor of animated entertainment. The titular heroine puts her supernatural training into action after she settles down in a teeming city and sets up a delivery-by-broomstick business. There’s no Voldemort to speak of: just the accidents and misunderstandings that come with being a young witch in the big city. Besides its gentle humor and warm heart, Kiki’s Delivery Service also boasts one of the all-time great cartoon cats in the form of Kiki’s friendly feline familiar, Jiji, voiced to perfection by the late Phil Hartman in the English-language version of the film.
Kiki’s Delivery Service returns to theaters via Fathom Events on July 28, 29 and 31. Visit Fathom Events and Fandango for showtime and ticket information. The film is also available on Blu-ray at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
BUY IT: Tickets for the Friends Pop-Up Experience go on sale Aug. 2
Thanks to frequent reruns on cable and the fact that it’ll be there for you on Netflix through the rest of 2019, Friends has never really gone away. But as the sitcom marks the 25th anniversary of its premiere on NBC, fans can experience it in a whole new, very 2019 way: a pop-up, chock full of photo opportunities. The New York City venue, open Sept. 7 to Oct. 6, will feature recreated sets from the show, including Joey and Chandler’s apartment and the gang’s favorite coffee shop, Central Perk, along with costumes and props, such as that turkey Monica wears on her head (see “The One With All the Thanksgivings” episode). Be sure to bring a camera and get ready to sing The Rembrandts — if you ever stopped.
Tickets for the Friends Pop-Up Experience can be purchased at www.friends25popup.com.
WATCH IT: Hannah Brown gives her final rose away on the most dramatic finale ever of The Bachelorette
After another season of romantic dates, questions about whether some contestants were there for the right reasons and too many glasses of wine to count, it’s time for the traditional two-part season finale of the reality dating show. This go round, Bachelorette fans will see Hannah choose her potential husband from a field of three men (Jed, Tyler and Peter), which apparently wasn’t easy for her. A moment in the preview for the final episode depicts her instructing her driver to “Stop the car” and, because this is part of The Bachelor franchise, multiple people get emotional. Don't worry, Bachelor in Paradise premieres Aug. 5, so the drama's not coming to an end just yet.
The Bachelorette season finale airs Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
WATCH IT: Dear White People Season 3 premieres on Netflix
Justin Simien’s long-form adaptation of his acclaimed 2014 feature film continues to deepen the political and cultural commentary of its source material, without losing the creator’s up-to-the-minute sense of humor. One of Season 3’s funniest running gags involves a dead-on parody of The Handmaid’s Tale, and there are wry digs at Spike Lee and Netflix itself as well. Joining the returning cast of collegiate-aged characters this year are Blair Underwood as a tech-savvy professor that recently fled Silicon Valley and Giancarlo Esposito as the head of a mysterious order that operates in the shadows of the university’s crypt-like sub-basements. Dear everyone: no time like the present to jump onboard with one of the very best shows around.
Dear White People premieres Friday, Aug. 2 on Netflix.
WATCH IT: Glory marks 30th anniversary with release of 4K Blu-ray edition
The 1989 Civil War drama saw Denzel Washington win the first of his two Oscars thanks to his powerhouse performance as Silas Trip, a defiant private serving in an African-American regiment for the Union Army. Directed by Edward Zwick and co-starring Matthew Broderick as the white commanding officer of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment — comprised of standouts like Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher — the acclaimed historical film is getting a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release in honor of its 30th anniversary. Soak up the heart-stopping battlefield scenes, rousing James Horner score and emotional performances in all their (apologies) glory, and enjoy this bit of trivia: In his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Washington revealed that his son was making him a clay Oscar to celebrate. In an interview with Yahoo Movies last year, he also shared how the youngster requested a miniature regiment costume and would act out Glory. It’s little surprise, then, that that kid grew up to be an actor himself: BlacKkKlansman star and upcoming Christopher Nolan leading man John David Washington.
Buy the Glory 30th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray edition at Amazon.
HEAR IT: New LP from ex-Runaways, ex-Fanny members drops
Two trailblazing queens of noise — former Runaways singer Cherie Currie and the ex-Fanny drummer Brie Darling — come together for a historic album, The Motivator, of classic rock covers and new original feminist anthems.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj returns with new episodes starting Aug. 4
To kick off yet another hilarious season of Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, former YouTuber Lilly Singh — and her dog Scarbro — visited the Patriot Act set to get advice from her fellow Southeast Asian comedian before the premiere of her own groundbreaking late-night show, A Little Late With Lilly Singh. Although Minhaj jokingly says that Singh is “every uncle’s worst nightmare,” he helps the late-night newcomer brainstorm ideas on how to make her show a hit. You can watch Scarbro repay Minhaj for his advice by peeing on his office couch in the above video and then catch the brand new season of Patriot Act this weekend on Netflix.
Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj Season 4 starts Sunday, Aug. 4 on Netflix.
WATCH IT: The Nightingale, Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to The Babadook opens in theaters
Five years after scaring audiences silly with her breakout indie horror hit, The Babadook, Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent, returns to theaters with a nightmare of a different sort. Set against the backdrop of 19th century Tasmania, The Nightingale is a deliberately unsettling and unsparing revenge film that pits its anguished heroine, Clare (Aisling Franciosi), against a colonial system built on male oppression and violence. After the murder of her husband and their infant — not to mention her own rape — at the hands of a prideful British soldier (Hunger Games franchise veteran, Sam Claflin) and his craven followers, Clare pursues them through the island’s rugged forests, encountering other dangers along the way. While The Nightingale’s power is blunted somewhat by an overly prolonged final act and Claflin’s one-note portrayal, it firmly establishes Kent as a filmmaker of remarkable focus and ferocity.
The Nightingale opens in theaters on Friday, Aug. 2. Visit Fandango and Atom Tickets for showtime and ticket information.
WATCH IT: The Good Place Season 3 available on DVD
Ahead of this fun show's final bow — Season 4 will be its last — catch up on the time-traveling hijinks of Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto), who, due to an error, all died and went to the good place, overseen by Ted Danson's Michael with help from his sidekick Janet, instead of the bad place, where they really belonged. In the third season, the talented and diverse cast under creator Mike Schur (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation) headed back to Earth — reboot! — in hopes of better outcomes in the afterlife. However, Michael just couldn’t stop interfering with their destiny. The hilarious Maya Rudolph was back as Judge Gen as was the star-crossed saga of Eleanor and Chidi, who you can’t help but root for — even if they can’t remember their own romantic history.
Buy The Good Place: The Complete Third Season on DVD or digital at Amazon.
HEAR IT: Skillet returns Aug. 2 with Victorious via Atlantic Records
Skillet founder John Cooper is a Christian rock renaissance man. He has penned graphic novels, he founded a beard oil line, he spends his free time doing strength-training and carpentry, and he’s somehow managed to find time to sell 12 million albums, earn two Grammy nominations, amass 8 million social media followers… and release Skillet’s 10th studio album.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Long Shot available on all home entertainment formats
Despite generally positive reviews since its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival (the movie stands at 81 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), there were some complaints that Long Shot felt antiquated for its mismatched romantic pairing. And yes, Hollywood does have a not-so-handsome history of uniting gorgeous women with not-so-handsome leading men, merely because they're funny movie stars. Blame Annie Hall. But that's actually a key reason Long Shot works so well — it's fully conscious of its odd coupling, Charlize Theron's presidential candidate and Seth Rogen's stoner speechwriter, and exploits it for primo parody, a sort of gender-flipped She's All That. (All it's missing is Rogen losing his glasses to suddenly become beautiful.) Directed by Jonathan Levine and featuring entertaining supporting roles from June Diane Raphael, O'Shea Jackson and the '90s R&B powerhouse Boyz II Men, it's the perfect light comedy with big ideas to catch up on at home.
Buy Long Shot on Blu-ray, DVD or digital at Amazon.
PLAY IT: Horrified: Universal Monsters brings Dracula and Frankenstein to a game night near you
Halloween — and Christmas — comes early this year with a monster mash of a cooperative board game. Manufactured by Ravensburger, the company behind that killer tabletop version of Jaws from earlier this year, Horrified unites such classic cinematic boogeymen as Frankenstein’s monster and his bride, as well as the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon as they all descend on an isolated village. That’s the signal for you and your game night crew to spring into action, using a little luck and a lot of good old fashioned strategy to end their reign of terror. They might be the bad guys, but the beautifully-made miniature replicas of the Universal monsters are the stars of the show.
Horrified: Universal Monsters will be available Aug. 1 at Amazon and Target.
HEAR IT: Ty Segall debuts his newest album, First Taste
The unstoppable and prolific garage rock darling updates his Nuggets-meets-Nirvana-'60s/'90s sound with perhaps his most ambitious and sonically dense record yet.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl/cassette at Amazon.
Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.
