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TV
If you only watch one, make it …
The Beauty
Disney+
Summed up in a sentence Ryan Murphy is back to his best with a horror series about a lethal sexually transmitted virus which also makes people beautiful – resulting in numerous scenes of exploding supermodels.
What our reviewer said “A return to bingeable Murphy goodness (and a harking back, subject-wise, to arguably some of his best work, Nip/Tuck).” Lucy Mangan
Pick of the rest
Steal
Prime Video
Summed up in a sentence Sophie Turner stars in a twisty financial thriller that will leave you breathless. It’s also clever enough that it might just make you think as well
What our reviewer said “A wild ride through layers of deceit, shifting alliances and varying degrees of necessary preposterousness before depositing us, hugely entertained, safely at the conclusion.” Lucy Mangan
Further reading ‘It’s very embarrassing’: Sophie Turner on rage, romance and the horror of watching Game of Thrones
You may have missed …
The Black Swan
BBC iPlayer
Summed up in a sentence A heart-stopping Danish investigation about a mob lawyer turned whistleblower whose astonishing revelations absolutely rocked Denmark when it launched.
What our reviewer said “A nail-biting series, and one that emphasises the real-world impact that television can make.” Hannah J Davies
Film
If you only watch one, make it …
No Other Choice
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence State-of-the-South-Korean-nation satire from Park Chan-wook in which an unemployed paper worker hatches a cunning plan to murder his way back into the job market.
What our reviewer said “Park Chan-wook’s new film brings his usual effortlessly fluent, steely confidence and a type of storytelling momentum that can accommodate all kinds of digressions, set-pieces and the occasional trance-like submission to mysterious visions.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading Park Chan-wook: ‘I haven’t mellowed my violence’
Pick of the rest
Mercy
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Chris Pratt takes on AI judge Rebecca Ferguson in a sci-fi thriller set in 2029 about a cop accused of murder who has 90 minutes to clear his name.
What our reviewer said “It’s ingenious and watchable stuff, with cheeky twists, although the final escalation to full-on action mayhem is maybe a step too far towards pure absurdity.” Peter Bradshaw
H is for Hawk
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Claire Foy stars as a grieving academic who trains a goshawk in this film based on Helen Macdonald’s bestselling nature memoir.
What our reviewer said “Foy is clearly doing this for real: she has obviously learned to handle a goshawk – and her scenes have a tremendous authenticity. With this bird, there can be no ‘acting’.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading The crying game: what Hamnet’s grief-porn debate says about women, cinema – and enormous hawks
Saipan
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy’s epic spat becomes amusing psychodrama in this retelling of the Man Utd star’s infamous walkout before the 2002 World Cup.
What our reviewer said “Éanna Hardwicke conveys Keane’s tense, opaque quality: his mutely provocative air of entitlement, his clear belief in himself as a star in a different league from his fellow players, and his inability to resist briefing the press.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘We are no longer apologising’: Éanna Hardwicke on Ireland’s cultural confidence and what it’s like to play Roy Keane
Now streaming
Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
Netflix
Summed up in a sentence Anime adapted from a Japanese folk tale about a princess who has run away from the moon.
What our reviewer said “A trippy, high-energy, techno anime set in the near future, half of it in a virtual reality world – and TikTok-ifed with emojis and stickers exploding all over the screen.” Cath Carke
Books
If you only read one, make it …
Departure(s) by Julian Barnes
Reviewed by Alex Clark
Summed up in a sentence Barnes’s final book is an autofictional exploration of love, ageing and mortality.
What our reviewer said “One of Barnes’s cleverest and most humane talents has been to allow us to feel things, ordinary things both trifling and important, about our own lives.”
Further reading ‘We remember as true things that never even happened’: Julian Barnes on memory and changing his mind
Pick of the rest
Everybody Loves Our Dollars by Oliver Bullough
Reviewed by John Simpson
Summed up in a sentence A jaw dropping expose of global money laundering from Ciudad Juárez to Bicester Village.
What our reviewer said “Oliver Bullough is one of Britain’s finest investigative reporters. He is thorough, his sources are impressive, and he has a lovely, easy style which takes us through some of the darkest features of the world’s economy.”
On Censorship by Ai Weiwei
Reviewed by Sukhdev Sandhu
Summed up in a sentence The provocative artist argues that China isn’t the only country imposing limits on creative expression.
What our reviewer said “On Censorship is at its liveliest when Ai ponders artificial intelligence. Friends who mention his name to ChatGPT are reportedly told, “Let’s talk about something else.”
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
Reviewed by Melissa Harrison
Summed up in a sentence A dazzling puzzle box of a debut about a medieval king and a modern-day curator.
What our reviewer said “To read this novel is to be richly entertained but forced to sit with frustration: we want clues, we want certainty, and Perry withholds it, instead making us watch our own minds scrabble about, compulsively putting together the scattered pieces of the past.”
You may have missed …
Gunk by Saba Sams
Reviewed by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Summed up in a sentence This story of a messy three-way relationship set around a grotty nightclub has been longlisted for the Dylan Thomas prize.
What our reviewer said “Sams knows that the people with the best stories are the barmaids, the bouncers and the dish pigs, not the privileged students who patronise the club.”
Further reading Writer Saba Sams: ‘I wanted it to be sexy and really messy’
Albums
If you only listen to one, make it …
Tessa Rose Jackson: The Lighthouse
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Moving from dream pop to acoustic clarity, the Dutch-British songwriter delivers her most personal record yet where loss is transformed into something quietly powerful.
What our reviewer said “Her approach to the subject is inquisitive, poetic and refreshing”. Jude Rogers
Pick of the rest
Megadeth: Megadeth
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Tuneful yet overlong, Dave Mustaine and co’s final album is a recap of their strengths, flaws and familiar grudges.
What our reviewer said “Rather than a full-blooded return to the genre their early albums helped birth, it effectively offers listeners a career-summarising redux.” Alexis Petridis
Further reading Megadeth announce they are retiring: ‘Don’t be sad, be happy for us all’
Bach: Sonatas & Partitas
Out now
Summed up in a sentence “These performances of Bach’s solo works are elegant and persuasive – balancing a modern tone with an alert awareness of period style.
What our reviewer said “There’s a generous body to his sound and a tasteful restraint when it comes to decoration”. Clive Paget
Ari Lennox: Vacancy
Out now
Summed up in a sentence On her latest LP, the R&B star balances jazz-soaked tradition with flashes of unruly humour and a surefire viral hit.
What our reviewer said “Lennox’s third album is far and away her most fun.” Shaad D’Souza
London Symphony Orchestra: Havergal Brian – The Gothic album
Out now
Summed up in a sentence A 1980 live recording reveals Danish conductor Ole Schmidt’s assured handling of a colossal symphony.
What our reviewer said “Schmidt marshals his 158 orchestral players and 560-strong chorus with a ringmaster’s assurance … he actually manages to ‘do’ something with the piece, rather than merely keep matters under control.” Clive Paget
