1 day ago
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TV
If you only watch one, make it …
The Rehearsal
Sky Comedy & Now; episodes weekly
Summed up in a sentence A mind-boggling comedy-cum-documentary-cum-reality show that helps people prepare for big life events by staging hugely elaborate mockups – currently focusing on how to prevent aviation disasters by improving communication in the cockpit.
What our reviewer said “As with season one, the producers have managed to find civilians who are so uniquely awkward that they feel like integral parts of the chaos. These are people who blur the line between committed normie and aspiring actor so well that many have, in fact, been accused of being fake. But they are all real.” Hannah J Davies
Further reading The Rehearsal: Nathan Fielder makes genius appointment TV … that may spoil you for ever
Pick of the rest
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius
BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now
Summed up in a sentence A loving, exhaustive docuseries celebrating the author on the 250th anniversary of her birth, narrated by Juliet Stevenson.
What our reviewer said “The mood is impassioned and enthusiastic without being emetic – suffused with love of the work, and mapping the contours of the specific genius without anyone getting un-Janeishly carried away. You feel she would approve.” Lucy Mangan
Further reading ‘Much darker than Pride and Prejudice!’: authors pick their favourite Jane Austen novel
Dept Q
Netflix; full series available now
Summed up in a sentence Arrogant detective ends up accidentally causing a death, and is sidelined to a dank basement investigating cold cases – only to assemble a crack team.
What our reviewer said “It is all fantastically well, and rigorously, done. The pacing has a leisurely confidence that some may find a touch slow, but allows for a character-first approach, creating a richness that amply rewards initial patience.” Lucy Mangan
Further reading Dept Q’s Kelly Macdonald on her Trainspotting teen highs and hitting her stride in her 40s
The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone
BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now
Summed up in a sentence A deep dive into the life of the entrepreneur, from fly-on-the-wall footage of her starting a lingerie empire, through to an investigative thriller about the PPE political scandal.
What our reviewer said “In some ways, this is a parable of fame. Mone courted it and won it, but eventually learned that once you turn on the faucet of public attention, trying to turn it off again is a sisyphean task.” Rebecca Nicholson
You may have missed …
Forever
Netflix; all episodes available
Summed up in a sentence A sensitive, sweet modern-day reimagining of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel about teen desire which has been repeatedly banned by less tolerant schools and libraries.
What our reviewer said “As a teen drama, it works because, Heartstopper-style, its teenagers actually look and behave like teenagers. The performances are excellent, especially Karen Pittman and Xosha Roquemore as the mothers, but it all rides on whether you can buy into what leads Michael Cooper Jr and Lovie Simone are selling, and they sell it perfectly.” Rebecca Nicholson
Further reading Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth
Film
If you only watch one, make it …
The Ballad of Wallis Island
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Funny/melancholy story of a former folk duo (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden) who are inveigled into a comeback performance on a remote island for a single superfan.
What our reviewer said “You’ll leave wanting your own island, your own gig and your own lock of Carey Mulligan’s hair.” Catherine Bray
Further reading ‘There’s no chance an American will laugh’: Tim Key on his very British new film and the US Office sequel
Pick of the rest
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan team up in a charming throwback sequel to the 2010 remake, with Ben Wang as the latest kid to don the bandana and learn the age-old secret of kicking ass with a dose of moral philosophy.
What our reviewer said “It’s warm, it’s breezy – it’s a burst of summery family fun that is sure to inspire long looks back at the old movies and Cobra Kai episodes while sparking renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship. Anyone would get a kick out of it.” Andrew Lawrence
Further reading Ralph Macchio on kicking it as The Karate Kid for 41 years
The Salt Path
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Affecting drama based on Raynor Winn’s memoir, in which Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs undertake a redemptive hike along the English south-west coast.
What our reviewer said “Somehow, they all bring a real sense of meaning and truth to cheap-sounding messages about living in the moment, and the possibility of long-term relationships deepening and growing in ways impossible to predict.” Cath Clarke
Further reading Walk on the wild side: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs on their epic hiking movie The Salt Path
Along Came Love
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Complex relationship movie from French director Katell Quillévéré, focusing on the marriage of a single mother and closeted gay academic.
What our reviewer said “The awful toxicity of love … is an underground stream that has become very much an overground stream in this new, heartfelt movie.” Peter Bradshaw
Now streaming …
Mountainhead
Sky Cinema and Now; available now
Summed up in a sentence Jesse Armstrong’s post-Succession uber-wealth satire about four plutocrats on a lodge weekend that goes awry when the planet descends into chaos.
What our reviewer said “More than any comedy or even film I’ve seen recently, this is movie driven by the line-by-line need for fierce, nasty, funny punched-up stuff in the dialogue, and narrative arcs and character development aren’t the point. But as with Succession, this does a really good job of persuading you that, yes, this is what our overlords are really like.” Peter Bradshaw
Books
If you only read one, make it …
Spent by Alison Bechdel
Review by James Smart
Summed up in a sentence Her latest autofictional work finds the great graphic novelist exploring midlife contentment.
Our reviewer said “Writing about herself from a greater fictional distance seems to have given Bechdel more room to have fun: dramas and mishaps unspool with a lightly comic charm that belies the darkness in the world outside.”
Further reading Alison Bechdel: ‘The Bechdel test was a joke… I didn’t intend for it to become a real gauge’
Pick of the rest
Homework by Geoff Dyer
Review by Blake Morrison
Summed up in a sentence Coming of age in 70s England.
Our reviewer said “Toy soldiers, conker fights, fizzy drinks, Wall’s ice-creams, chicken-in-a-basket pub lunches, swimming lessons (plus verrucas): Dyer’s recall of period detail and brand names is exceptional.”
Further reading Best seat in the house: writer Geoff Dyer on why sitting in a corner is so satisfying
Ripeness by Sarah Moss
Review by Arin Keeble
Summed up in a sentence Migration and heritage are explored through one woman’s life, in 60s Italy and present-day Ireland.
Our reviewer said “A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity.”
Further reading Novelist Sarah Moss: ‘Hunger numbed my shame and humiliation’
The Haves and Have-Yachts by Evan Osnos
Review by Stuart Jeffries
Summed up in a sentence A peek inside the seaborne world of the super-rich.
Our reviewer said “It’s not just how big your superyacht is, but what you put inside it. The latest fashions include Imax theatres, ski rooms where guests can suit up for a helicopter trip to a mountaintop, and hospital equipment.”
You may have missed
Bad Friend by Tiffany Watt Smith
Review by Kitty Drake
Summed up in a sentence A cultural history of female friendship.
Our reviewer said “In this book, Watt Smith trawls through the archives to trace the history of imperfect, ordinary friends – who hurt and disappoint each other, but keep striving for connection regardless.”
Further reading The big idea: should you dump your toxic friend?
Albums
If you only listen to one, make it …
Mary Halvorson: About Ghosts
Out 13 June
Summed up in a sentence Jazz artist Halvorson is one of the most exciting guitarists in North America. Her new album features one of her largest backing bands to date.
What our reviewer said “Recently discussing Robert Wyatt in Jazzwise magazine, Halvorson said she loved his ability to blend ‘the weird with the beautiful’. She wouldn’t dream of it, but she could have been saying much the same of herself.”. John Fordham
Further reading Jazz guitar ‘genius’ Mary Halvorson on cocktails, tarot and making music that combusts
Pick of the rest
Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful
Out now
Summed up in a sentence After the blockbuster success of Flowers, Cyrus clearly has carte blanche to do what she wants – and has billed her new album as psychedelic and healing.
What our reviewer said “It’s all about as psychedelic as a baked potato. But it’s still all very well written and well made.” Alexis Petridis
Jacob Alon: In Limerence
Out now
Summed up in a sentence This Scottish indie-folk artist has been creating some sizeable buzz around their spellbindingly beautiful voice and arrangements.
What our reviewer said “These story songs – about youthful infatuation, reckless hedonism and one-sided obsession – are brittle and wounded, each zeroing in on a different strain of disappointment or heartache.” Shaad D’Souza
Further reading One to watch: Jacob Alon
My Days: Orlando Gibbons and Nico Muhly
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of English pre-baroque composer Gibbons, this is a set of his works with a new piece by American composer Muhly at its centre.
What our reviewer said “Muhly’s composition, with its urgent string figures, contrasts beautifully with the flowing imitations of Gibbons’ fantasias around it.” Andrew Clements
On tour this week
Jorja Smith
O2 Academy, Glasgow; touring to 7 June
Summed up in a sentence On her first tour since 2018, the Walsall soul-R&B-garage singer shows off how adventurous her songcraft has become.
What our reviewer said “Her searing, smoky voice is used sparingly to start, sometimes even drowned out by the power of the band’s two drummers. But by Feelings, Smith drops the wall. She beams megawatt charisma through the track’s lyrically chilly push-and-pull, and slinks between risers, glamorously at ease.”. Katie Hawthorne
