Hulu’s Summer Of Soul concert documentary kicks off Independence Day weekend
It’s a weekend full of movies, including Chris Pratt-starrer The Tomorrow War, and the beginning of Netflix's Fear Street trilogy
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, July 2, and Saturday, July 3. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Summer Of Soul (Hulu, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): This documentary from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson honors the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. “The duty—and joy—of recovering this festival of Black culture runs throughout Summer Of Soul, which combines the stories of concertgoers, musicians, and behind-the-scenes personnel with footage of artists like Stevie Wonder, The Staples Singers, Sly And The Family Stone, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, Hugh Masekela, and Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach—each of them representing a unique part of what was going on in the culture at the time.” Read the rest of Katie Rife’s review here.
Regular coverage
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Lisey’s Story (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Paramount+)
Wild cards
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “1994 opens with a cheeky reference to the Fear Street books themselves (like the Goosebumps movies, it appears to take place in a world where R.L. Stine’s work exists), as a shopper at the book store dismisses the source material as ‘lowbrow horror’ and ‘trash.’ But you’d never guess that watching this adaptation, a Scream scrubbed of danger. Forget the middle-aged fans it might irk. Don’t today’s kids deserve some trash of their own, instead of a tasteful substitution?” Here’s the rest of A.A. Dowd’s review of the first installment of the three-parter Fear Street movies coming to Netflix over the next few weeks.
The Tomorrow War (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “This 140-minute movie has more on its mind than a genre workout—though its reluctance to disclose what exactly those thoughts might be forces the audience to rely on tediously obvious breadcrumbs for third-act plot points.” Read Jesse Hassenger’s review of this sci-fi action drama here. Directed by Chris McKay, it stars Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Sam Richardson, Betty Gilpin, and J.K. Simmons.
The Boss Baby: Family Business (Peacock, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): “It would be nice if there were more ebullient flights of animated fancy in this film, and less warmed-over exposition and manic swirl. You’re already building an internal architecture more complicated than some religions, so why not follow your more abstract artistic impulses?” Here’s the rest of Katie Rife’s review of this animated film directed by Tom McGrath. The voice cast includes Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Amy Sedaris, and Eva Longoria.
Haseen Dillruba (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): In this Indian mystery thriller seemingly full of plot twists, Rani Kashyap (Taapsee Pannu) is under investigation for the murder of her husband, Rishu (Vikrant Massey). As more information about their thorny relationship comes to light, the less likely it is that she’s the real culprit.