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TV
If you only watch one, make it …
Small Prophets
BBC iPlayer
Summed up in a sentence Mackenzie Crook follows up Detectorists with a superb slice of supernatural-inflected gentle comedy about a man’s attempts to find out what happened to the girlfriend who vanished seven years ago.
What our reviewer said “Small Prophets is a pure, pure pleasure.” Jack Seale
Further reading ‘Watching The Office recently, my heart just sank’ – Mackenzie Crook on comedy, cruelty and being TV royalty
Pick of the rest
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
Netflix
Summed up in a sentence A frenetic, witty murder-mystery caper from Derry Girls’ Lisa McGee – complete with a sensational performance from Saoirse-Monica Jackson.
What our reviewer said “How to Get to Heaven has all of the verve, acuity and havoc dancing on top of the immaculate plotting that you find in McGee’s masterwork.” Lucy Mangan
Further reading ‘It’s the rubbish, female A-team!’ Derry Girl Lisa McGee on her hilarious new mystery thriller
You may have missed …
Waiting for the Out
BBC iPlayer
Summed up in a sentence Dennis Kelly’s brilliant drama about a teacher in prison is a brilliant blend of exquisite lightness and overwhelming heaviness.
What our reviewer said “A gripping, moving study in vulnerability and acceptance.” Phil Harrison
Film
If you only watch one, make it …
Crime 101
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Chris Hemsworth stars in a Michael-Mann-ish tale of master thief tracked by an honest LA cop, adapted from a Don Winslow novella.
What our reviewer said “Bart Layton applies his pedal to the metal for what is an enjoyable and very stylish high-stakes armed robbery film about a thief who is highly controlled, super-cool, super-groomed, and naturally looking for the ‘walkaway money’ of the time-honoured one last job.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘Playing a god became a safety net’: Chris Hemsworth opens up about Thor, money and his insecurities
Pick of the rest
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Amy Berg’s documentary delves into the early life and untimely death of the 90s singer-songwriter, with extensive contributions from his mother and girlfriends.
What our reviewer said “His high-spirited mum was in many ways the great love of his life – but it was singing at his dad’s memorial service that astonished the congregation and kickstarted Jeff’s career; he was a superb vocalist with a range and delicacy inspired by Nina Simone and Judy Garland.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading TikTok virality gives Jeff Buckley his first US Top 100 hit 29 years after his death
The President’s Cake
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Revealing story of nine-year-old Lamia, obliged by her school to make a cake for Saddam Hussein’s birthday, and who meets a series of vivid characters as she shops for sanctioned ingredients.
What our reviewer said “Lamia sets off into town with her grandmother Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreibat) on a desperate shopping expedition, carrying her pet cockerel, Hindi, who gives a great animal performance and whose unpredictable crowings clearly forced the actors to improvise lines around him.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘Yes, they would execute a child’: the film about a girl who has to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein
Little Amelie
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Based on a novella by Belgian author Amélie Nothomb, this animation follows a young girl who wakes from a vegetative state and begins to bond with others after an intervention by her grandmother.
What our reviewer said “The animation itself is a very charming mix of European and Japanese styles, and there’s a lovely final sequence, when Amélie revisits in memory her fractionally younger self in various scenes around the idyllic house and garden.” Peter Bradshaw
Now streaming
Eternity
Apple TV
Summed up in a sentence Elizabeth Olsen must choose who she spends eternity with in high-concept love triangle comedy co-starring Miles Teller and directed by David Freyne.
What our reviewer said “It’s a big film, of big ideas and big, audience-swaying emotional swings, and Freyne mostly aces such a mammoth expansion of canvas. He has a light touch that keeps his film dancing with both speed and grace.” Benjamin Lee
Further reading Elizabeth Olsen believes she will die old and alone in a foggy English coastal town. Here are her options
Books
If you only read one, make it …
Gordon Brown by James Macintyre
Reviewed by Jonathan Freedland
Summed up in a sentence A timely reassessment of the last Labour prime minister.
What our reviewer said “What is hard fact is that Brown’s record of accomplishment is immense – and rare. It makes him one of the towering figures of recent British history.”
Pick of the rest
Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald
Reviewed by Steven Poole
Summed up in a sentence The Guardian games correspondent’s joyful take on a benign digital giant.
What our reviewer said “Nintendo’s “toymaker philosophy” is an antidote, MacDonald argues, to the increasingly baleful role that technology plays in all our lives.”
Further reading How Pokémon went from moral panic to unifying global hit
Your Life Without Me by James Meek
Reviewed by Xan Brooks
Summed up in a sentence A plot to blow up St Paul’s Cathedral is seen through the lens of family tragedy in this new novel from the Booker-longlisted author of The People’s Act of Love.
What our reviewer said “For all its precision plotting and insurrectionist flurries, Your Life Without Me works best as a compelling, compassionate portrait of an English family in flux.”
Good People by Patmeena Sabit
Reviewed by Lucy Atkins
Summed up in a sentence After an Afghan American teenager drowns in a canal at the wheel of the family car a community turns detective, putting a grieving family on trial.
What our reviewer said “Good People is a sharp portrait of an immigrant community in the modern United States, an anatomy of poisonous gossip, and a commentary on wider societal divisions. Most of all, though, it is awfully addictive.”
You may have missed …
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies by Harriet Armstrong
Reviewed by Jude Cook
Summed up in a sentence Longlisted for this year’s Dylan Thomas prize, this blackly comic debut is an astute and funny examination of first love.
What our reviewer said “At times the novel is unbearably intense, like experiencing the essence of obsession as it’s lived in every moment – which is not to say that it isn’t also very funny.”
Albums
If you only listen to one, make it …
Hemlocke Springs: The Apple Tree Under the Sea
Out now
Summed up in a sentence On her self-released debut, the singer-songwriter championed by Chappell Roan doubles down on the wonky charm that made her go viral on TikTok.
What our reviewer said “Springs’ approach is appealingly assured: this is what I want to do, this is who I am, take it or leave it.” Alexis Petridis
Pick of the rest
Ensemble Intercontemporain: Unsuk Chin
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Berlin-based composer Chin’s intricate music is performed with skill in this disc of three of her orchestral works.
What our reviewer said “Under the confident guidance of conductor Pierre Bleuse, the 19-instrument ensemble illuminates Chin’s complex, freely flowing score with rock-solid technique and a deal of panache.” Clive Paget
Converge: Love Is Not Enough
Out now
Summed up in a sentence The metalcore veterans’ rage remains fresh and furious on their 10th album.
What our reviewer said “Converge have a seemingly bottomless well of inspiration. Masters of metalcore, in 2001 and 2026 alike.” Matt Mills
Joshua Chuquimia Crampton: Anata
Release
Summed up in a sentence The Aymara musician takes inspiration from an Andean tradition, resulting in a scrappy sonic meditation with woozy melodies and pockets of warmth.
What our reviewer said “Even at their loudest and most scrappy, the tracks conjure up a wistful feeling, which only intensifies over repeat listens.” Safi Bugel
Now touring …
Florence + the Machine
Touring the UK to 20 February
Summed up in a sentence The singer-songwriter is backed by the folk-horror dramatics of a petticoat-clad choir – but is quite capable of transfixing the crowd with her billowing voice alone
What our reviewer said “Watching her command this arena during the first of two sold-out shows in Glasgow in honour of sixth album Everybody Scream, it’s hard to imagine Welch fearing anything.” Katie Hawthorne
