The It List: Taylor Swift's 'Lover,' Gerard Butler's 'Angel Has Fallen,' Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' and the best in pop culture the week of August 19, 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 Aug. 19-25, including the best deals we could find for each.
HEAR IT: Fall head over heels in love with Taylor Swift’s new album Lover
The old Taylor comes back to the phone with a much poppier, peppier work than 2017’s snaky Reputation. But Lover, one of the year’s most anticipated albums, does mark a new beginning for Swift, as she breaks away from the Scott Borchetta-helmed Big Machine label and signs to Republic Records.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD at Amazon.
WATCH IT: Gerard Butler is back as Mike Banning in threequel Angel Has Fallen
Sure, the basic premise to this threequel — that Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) suddenly has to go on the run when he's framed for an assassination attempt on the president (Morgan Freeman), after literally doing whatever it takes to save the president's life in each of the past two movies, 2013's Olympus Has Fallen and 2016's London Has Fallen — is a bit ridiculous. But trust us when we say there's still some great B-movie thrills and a shockingly touching plotline involving Banning's reconnection with his reclusive father (Nick Nolte, in all his haggard glory) in store for fans of the Fallen franchise. In fact, dare we say this, too, it might be one of the most touching plotlines we've seen in any film this summer.
Get tickets for Angel Has Fallen on Fandango.
WATCH IT: Inglourious Basterds celebrates its 10th anniversary
If the release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has you craving more revisionist retro Quentin Tarantino films starring Brad Pitt, revisit — or watch for the first time — 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, which marks its 10th anniversary on Aug. 21. As the Forrest Gump-accented Lt. Aldo Raine, Pitt helms a ragtag team of Jewish-American Allied soldiers intent on scalping Nazis and assassinating Hitler. Christoph Waltz won an Oscar playing the SS officer colonel determined to sniff out the conspirators, while Mélanie Laurent is the ultimate red-lipsticked rebel of the resistance, Shoshanna.
Inglourious Basterds is available to stream on Amazon.
WATCH IT: Jillian Bell's Sundance hit Brittany Runs a Marathon opens in theaters
After scene-stealing turns in projects like 22 Jump Street, Workaholics and Eastbound & Down, Jillian Bell finally gets the starring role she deserves in this breakout from January's Sundance Film Festival. Bell plays the goofy but self-loathing Brittany, an overweight, hard-partying twentysomething in New York who finds a new purpose in life when she — you guessed it – decides to run a marathon. A sharp commentary on how we view ourselves, and how that impacts our relationships with the people in our lives, Paul Downs Colaizzo's comedy is nonetheless an unadulterated crowdpleaser that will have you cheering (and possibly crying) by the end.
Get tickets for Brittany Runs a Marathon on Fandango.
WATCH IT: The fifth and final season of Showtime’s The Affair premieres on Aug. 25
Maybe you thought you'd seen the last of these drama-queen cheaters and their alluringly bad life decisions — especially after the seemingly series-ending finale and Alison's vague demise. But now narcissistic Noah, hard-luck Helen and other assorted lovers and family members, including a grown-up, messed-up Joanie, are back for "a new beginning" that looks like it'll bring all the addictive, ridiculous, riveting drama you still crave (whether you knew it or not).
The Affair Season 5 premieres on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. on Showtime. You can add Showtime to your Hulu subscription.
WATCH IT: It’s a nice day for a red wedding as Ready or Not blasts into theaters
Move over House Frey: The Le Domas family is here to show you what a real Red Wedding looks like. Directed by Matt-Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — two out of the three members of the filmmaking collective, Radio Silence — this horror-comedy plays like a gruesomely goofy cross between Clue and You’re Next. (The latter horror hit even receives a shoutout at one point.) Samara Weaving stars as Grace, who marries into the Le Domas clan before having the chance to learn about their wedding night tradition: a deadly game of hide-and-seek where she’s the hider… and her new in-laws are the heavily-armed seekers. Genre TV fans will be thrilled to see some of their favorite faces among the movie’s killer ensemble, including Wynnona Earp’s Melanie Scrofano, Orphan Black’s Kristian Bruun, Stargate Universe’s Elyse Levesque and Seth Cohen himself, Adam Brody. (Kudos to whichever genius decided that Scrofano and Bruun should play a married couple with behbies.) But the real star of the show is the script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murray, which keeps the carnage clipping along at a nice pace and builds to a bloody great punchline.
Ready or Not opens in theaters on Wednesday, Aug. 21. Visit Fandango for ticket and showtime information.
BOOK IT: Book your trip to Jurassic World Live now
This fall, an arena near you will be alive with the sound of dinosaurs. Universal’s popular Jurassic World franchise is hitting the road with an all-new live touring show, where human actors square off against super-sized lizards brought to life through a magical combination of animatronics and puppetry. The action-packed storyline unfolds between the two Jurassic pictures, beginning before the 2015 hit, and then jumping ahead six months just prior to the events of Fallen Kingdom, which means you can expect cameos from such popular characters as Blue the Raptor and the mighty T. Rex. No promises, but some elements from the show — specifically its all-new dino-star, Jeanie the Troodon — might find their way into the third movie, currently slated for 2021.
Tickets to Jurassic World Live are available on Ticketmaster.
WATCH IT: The Matrix scores a Dolby upgrade for its 20th anniversary re-release
August may seem like an odd time for a theatrical re-release of a movie that celebrated its 20th anniversary in March. But back in 1999, Lana and Lily Wachowski’s industry-redefining blockbuster was still in theaters — and still printing money — as late as September. Besides, this particular re-release will be worth the wait as The Matrix has been given a major Dolby makeover: For one-week only starting Aug. 30, audiences can experience Neo’s journey from digital zero to reality-bending hero in crystal-clear Dolby Vision images and powerful Dolby Atmos sound. As if you needed another excuse to take the red pill.
Tickets for The Matrix can be purchased through AMC Theaters.
HEAR IT: Tanya Tucker releases While I’m Livin', her first album in 17 years
The country rebel girl returns with her first original album in 17 years, produced by new-school country-rock trailblazers and outsiders Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl at Amazon.
BUY IT: Funko Pop! celebrates Splash Mountain’s 30th anniversary with 3-pack set featuring Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear
Splash Mountain isn’t just a Disneyland Park mainstay, it’s also one of the few places where you can still see characters from the Mouse House’s controversial 1946 film, Song of the South. That film has long been unavailable in any format up to and including the new streaming service, Disney+, but Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear are all featured on the hare-raising ride, which opened in the summer of 1989. (It took another three years for Splash Mountain to pop up at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.) Funko’s previous Br’er Rabbit/Br’er Bear release has shot up in value, so this three-pack of all three rarely-spotted critters is sure to be a collector’s item for Funko fans and animation history enthusiasts alike.
Splash Mountain 30th Anniversary Funko Pop! set is available at Shop Disney.
HEAR IT: Redd Kross’s Beyond the Door is a ‘total commitment to having the best f***ing time we can have while we’re all still here’
The long-haired Los Angeles legends return with another collection of punky powerpop perfection. Guest stars include the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s Josh Klinghoffer, the Melvins’s Buzz Osborne and Redd Kross bassist Steve McDonald’s wife Anna Waronker of That Dog.
Download on iTunes; buy on CD/vinyl/cassette at Amazon.
PLAY IT: Jean-Michel Basquiat helps you play UNO with style
Family game night just got a makeover, thanks to the classic card game UNO’s new, limited-edition Artiste Series. The first installment features art by influential, ‘80s New York City artist Jean-Michel Basquiat on each card, including his works “Bird on Money” and “Self Portrait of a Heel.” The game remains the same, except for the fact that players can match cards by number, color or masterpiece. Don’t forget to get creative when you shout “Uno”!
The UNO Artiste Series — Jean-Michel Basquiat collectible deck is available at Macy’s.
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