City on Lock
New YouTube docuseries follow rap duo City Girls as they work on their second LP, City in the lock. Not only do they have to deal with the pressures that come with high-profile fame, but JT is serving her prison sentence for credit card fraud, while Yung Miami hides her pregnancy from the public for fear that people will “limit” her. . Despite the group’s challenges, the teaser highlights JT’s release and a lot of love from their fans, including one that praises the group for its “bad bitch anthem.” (July 2nd)
Code of greatness
Seven athletes, including Lebron James, Tom Brady and Alex Morgan, reflect on the moments that defined their careers and consolidated their reputation as the best in their sport. Vivid animation detailing the athletes’ internal thought processes breaks the interview footage. In one scene, James recounts a game that defined his 2012 career against the Boston Celtics. At the peak of his performance, he says, “I felt absolutely nothing.” When the clip ends, James says, “I wish I could bottle ‘nothing’, I’ll tell you.” (July 10th)
The Go-Go’s
“Over the course of a year, we went from playing dive bars to Madison Square Garden,” says Jane Wiedlin of the New Wave band’s rapid rise to fame. The new Showtime documentary pays tribute to the Los Angeles punk scene in which women appeared and delves into the impacts of the success that followed. Looking back on the early days, punk poet Pleasant Gehman says, “Your set had three songs and two of them were the same song!” (August 1)
Made in Italy
Father and son Robert (Liam Neeson) and Jack (Micheál Richardson) have not spoken in months, but the desire to sell an old Tuscan home brings them back together to face their past and complete poorly executed home improvement projects. Working in the long-abandoned family home stirs memories of Jack’s late mother and unresolved grief, but as the video hints, there is also the possibility of a new love. (August 7th)
Much Much Love
A new Netflix documentary delves into the life of the beloved Puerto Rican astrologer, Walter Mercado. The clip shows Mercado dressed in elaborately dazzling capes, sharing wisdom, love and, of course, horoscopes, with his millions of viewers. Mercado was everywhere on Spanish-speaking television, until suddenly he wasn’t; Along with his legacy, the film examines Mercado’s time away from public view and the struggles he faced when he came to terms with aging near the end of his life. (July 8)
Respect
Among powerful scenes showing Jennifer Hudson’s performance of “Respect,” the latest clip from the biographical film shows Hudson fully transformed into Aretha Franklin, demanding due recognition from both the music industry and the men in her life. When an executive says, “Aretha, do you speak, don’t you? Not just sing? She coldly responds by asking to be called Mrs. Franklin. In the closing moments of the video, Franklin tells a congregation that “You have to disturb the peace when you can’t get peace.” (December)
