Going out: Cinema
In Camera
Out now
Nabhaan Rizwan is electrifying playing a struggling actor attempting to crack the British film biz, in this dreamy but razor-sharp satire of the industry. Poetic and surreal as well as savagely insightful, it’s one of the best debuts of the year, from first-time director Naqqash Khalid.
Speak No Evil
Out now
A Danish psychological horror gets a makeover with this glossy English-language remake from the prolific Blumhouse production outfit (Get Out, Insidious), starring James McAvoy as one half of a couple embroiled in some truly twisted goings on at an apparently idyllic holiday home.
The Critic
Out now
Why aren’t film critics ever the good guys in movies? It’s like actors and directors have some sort of reason to hate us. Sigh. Anyway, Ian McKellen plays a critic who enters into a nefarious blackmail scheme with an actor (Gemma Arterton) in this dark comic drama from Anand Tucker (Shopgirl, Leap Year).
Lee
Out now
Kate Winslet plays Lee Miller, the American photojournalist responsible for capturing some of the key images of the second world war, in this biographical drama also starring Josh O’Connor and Marion Cotillard, with Andy Samberg playing Life magazine photographer David E Scherman. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Earl Sweatshirt
O2 Academy, Bristol, 16 September; O2 Ritz, Manchester, 18 September
In the UK for south London’s Jazz Cafe festival (15 September), the erstwhile Odd Future rapper also plays two headline shows. With no new album, expect the prodigiously talented 30-year-old to rattle through his four solo albums, plus last year’s the Alchemist collaborative project, Voir Dire. Michael Cragg
Hildegard Transfigured
LSO St Luke’s, London, 17 September
Voice Trio’s audiovisual celebration of Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century abbess, scientist, theologian and composer, features music by Marcus Davidson, Tim Lea Young, Stevie Wishart and Emily Levy as well as the abbess herself. Andrew Clements
Guy Barker Big Band Inferno 67
Ronnie Scott’s, London, 17 to 19 September
With hi-tech production defining modern pop, the old-school big band might seem a dinosaur – but Guy Barker knows different. His exciting jazz orchestra rocks through music from the 1920s to the 2020s for these rare club nights. John Fordham
Moby
O2 Apollo, Manchester, 18 September; the O2, London, 19 September
Richard Melville Hall, AKA Jam for the Ladies hitmaker Moby, celebrates 25 years of his 12m-selling Play album at these two arena dates. Luxuriate in the downtempo beauty of Porcelain or have a bop to the likes of Bodyrock and Run On. MC
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Going out: Art
Mali Morris
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, to 11 January
This abstract painter studied at Newcastle University’s department of fine art in the 1960s and here she celebrates her connection with the city. Morris has experimented with abstract forms and colours over six decades, from organic, earthy mud-pie paintings to richly coloured current works that have a Matisse-like panache.
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers
National Gallery, London, to 19 January
Tormented by faith, inspired by writers from Dickens to Dostoevsky, desperate to make a contribution, Vincent van Gogh arrived in Arles in 1888 and was in ecstasy. The southern sun gave him a blazing sense of purpose. This exhibition of Van Gogh in his glory should be a great event.
Why Do We Take Drugs?: Power Plants
Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, to 2 February
Sethembile Msezane, Guadalupe Muñoz and Divine Southgate-Smith are among the artists in this survey of hallucinogenics and culture. From the ritual use of peyote in pre-conquistador Peru to the Greek wine god Bacchus and his intoxicated Bacchantes, powerful substances have inspired art. Tobacco, kava and, er, tea are also explored.
Tracey Emin
White Cube Bermondsey, London, 19 September to 10 November
When Tracey Emin first showed her paintings on canvas they were mocked – she was accepted as a 1990s conceptual provocateur but not a “proper painter”. Now she is taken seriously by just about everyone and this exhibition of her deeply emotional, autobiographical new canvases is something of a victory dance. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Frontiers
Sherman theatre, Cardiff, 19 to 20 September, then touring
National Dance Company Wales has a reputation for commissioning lesser-known choreographers from around the world. This double bill features Australian/Javanese choreographer Melanie Lane alongside a work by its director, Matthew William Robinson. Lyndsey Winship
Maisie Adam
17 September to 7 November; tour starts Reading
Only the biggest comedians can get away with shows that have no overarching theme, so it’s indicative of Adam’s brink-of-a-breakthrough status that her latest tour has only the loosest of concepts: the 30-year-old is asking for a performance review in new show Appraisal. Rachel Aroesti
Dreamtime Fellrunner
Theatre By the Lake, Keswick, 18 to 21 September
A celebration of the jagged landscapes of the Lake District, Dreamtime Fellrunner is a poetic conjuring of Julie Carter’s love of racing up and down mountains, in spite of a congenital spinal disability. Kate Wyver
Waiting for Godot
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, to 14 December
Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece has baffled and beguiled audiences for 70 years. Now, the impressive pairing of Lucian Msamati and Ben Whishaw take their turn to wait for the elusive Godot. James Macdonald directs. KW
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Staying in: Streaming
Nightsleeper
BBC One/iPlayer, 15 September, 9pm
There hasn’t been a big TV thriller told in real-time since 24 – this new series about a Glasgow-to-London sleeper train hijacked by a mystery assailant will be hoping to rectify that. Alexandra Roach, Joe Cole and David Threlfall star.
The Penguin
Sky Atlantic/Now, 20 September, 9pm
The Sopranos meets superhero movies in this sequel to 2022’s The Batman. Colin Farrell is unrecognisable as a mobster attempting to establish control of the Gotham City underworld, with adversaries including his late boss’s daughter (the excellent Cristin Milioti).
Agatha All Along
Disney+, 18 September
Another comic book-based TV spin-off – this time from the Marvel universe – as Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as the nefarious neighbour from WandaVision for another incredibly ambitious and mind-bendingly meta series. Here, we witness the titular witch form a new coven, featuring a teenage fanboy (Heartstopper’s Joe Locke) and warrior Rio (Aubrey Plaza).
A Very Royal Scandal
Amazon Prime Video, 19 September
Prince Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight interview spawned a cultural cottage industry that has produced memes, a memoir, a documentary and two dramatisations. This version boasts the inimitable Michael Sheen as the Duke of York, while Emily Maitlis (who is part of the team behind this series) is played by Ruth Wilson. RA
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Staying in: Games
Plucky Squire
Out 17 September, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS5, PC
This tremendously inventive adventure takes place within the pages of a storybook – until the characters leap out into the real world, too.
UFO 50
Out 18 September, PC
This anthology of 50 different retro-styled games is the work of some of the finest indie developers working today – it’s the imagined discography of a fictional 80s game company. Keza MacDonald
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Staying in: Albums
Porches – Shirt
Out now
In the past, New Yorker Aaron Maine’s Porches project has favoured a synth-assisted, dream-pop-adjacent sound. On this sixth album, however, that’s swapped for something heavier, with Rag leaning into a youthful take on grunge, while the roughly hewn Itch carries an infectiously bratty energy.
London Grammar – The Greatest Love
Out now
The Nottingham trio return with their fourth album of slow-moving, ethereal dance experiments. Anchored by Hannah Reid’s spacious wail of a voice, songs such as glitchy lead single House – about drawing defined boundaries in relationships – and Fakest Bitch take on a brooding drama.
Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor
Out now
Having previously opened up her creative process to a handful of producers, London’s Nilüfer Yanya has shut up shop on this third album, working solely with producer Wilma Archer. The results are both intense – as on Method Actor’s bubbling alt-rock fury – or on the slowburn Mutations, more intricately realised.
Dora Jar – No Way to Relax When You Are on Fire
Out now
Dora Jarkowski’s skittering alt-pop has so far grabbed the attention of everyone from Billie Eilish to the 1975, who have both taken her on tour. Songs such as excellent new single Ragdoll, which veers close to folktronica, should see that fanbase swell as this intricately layered debut unfurls its charms. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Books and Beyond
Podcast
India’s most popular literary podcast provides a fascinating insight into the reading habits of one of the world’s most populous nations. Hosts Tara and Michelle interview homegrown authors writing about everything from torture devices to art heists.
BBC Archive
YouTube
Aside from iPlayer classics, the BBC’s YouTube archive is a treasure trove of curated segments from the broadcaster’s history. Learn about marathon training tips from 1989, the state of internet shopping in 1997 and much more.
What’s Next: The Future With Bill Gates
Netflix, 18 September
Superbrain Bill Gates is the perfect host for this five-part series exploring the technological developments likely to shape the rest of our lives. Among Gates’s topics are the science behind vaccinations and the risks of AI. Ammar Kalia
