Going out: Cinema
Joy Ride
Out now
Directed by one of the writers of Crazy Rich Asians, this sorta-kinda road trip stars a quartet of sorta-kinda friends, played by Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu (above). An American attempt to close a business deal in China goes awry, leading to various hijinks involving K-pop stans, biological parents and vaginal tattoos.
Kokomo City
Out now
The directorial debut of singer D Smith, this award-winning documentary focuses on four transgender sex workers, Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver, in Atlanta and New York City, as they discuss their profession in a frank and uncensored way.
Meg 2: The Trench
Out now
Chomp chomp! Just when you thought it was safe to go back into a cinema, the gigantic prehistoric shark that scientists in real life wonderfully saw fit to name Megalodon, has returned. Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Rebecca) takes the helm for this instalment of Jason Statham shark mayhem.
Paris Memories
Out now
The wonderful Virginie Efira stars in a sensitive and serious showcase of her gifts, as a survivor of a terror attack in Paris who must navigate the traumatic aftermath of her experience, finding herself compelled to repeatedly return to the restaurant where the tragedy unfolded. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Lakefest
Thrusday 10 to 13 August, Eastnor, Herefordshire
This “all inclusive and family friendly” festival boasts a plethora of fairground rides, a video-gaming zone and a wrestling ring. There’s music, too, from the likes of guitar god Johnny Marr, fiddle fiddlers Clean Bandit and pop-rockers McFly. Michael Cragg
Rally 2023
Southwark Park, London, Saturday 5 August
An intriguing array of dance-leaning experimentalists make up this brand new festival. Highlights include Erika de Casier, Kelly Lee Owens and Princess Nokia, but the surprise package could well be Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, whose live shows are a glorious pop party. MC
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 6 August
The centrepiece of this year’s festival opening weekend is Abrahamsen’s enchanted song cycle Let Me Tell You, sung by soprano Jennifer France. Ryan Wigglesworth’s programme with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra also includes works by Helen Grime, Elizabeth Ogonek and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Andrew Clements
Sun Ra Arkestra
The Forge, London, Thursday 10 & Friday 11 August
Since the 1960s, a jazz-fuelled hybrid of old-school swing, free improv and Afro-futurism has roamed the world as the Sun Ra Arkestra, still touring under late founder Sun Ra’s now 99-year-old successor, saxist Marshall Allen. Jazz, Latin, Chopin and more rub shoulders in this unique outfit. John Fordham
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Going out: Art
Tschabalala Self
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, to 29 October
A Black woman in olive-yellow hat and boots sits in a chair overlooking the pebbly beach, and turns her body to look over her shoulder. Self’s colossal, hyperreal cartoon sculpture is jaunty and confident. This bold and gigantic figure of a woman makes the southern English seaside proudly her own.
Edinburgh Art festival
Various venues, Friday 11 to 27 August
There’s no show without Punch and where would Edinburgh’s theatre, film and comedy festivals be without some art exhibitions where you can nurse a hangover before the next splurge of gigs? This year’s visual fun ranges from Grayson Perry on the Mound to Keg de Souza in the Botanic Gardens.
Oren Pinhassi
Mostyn, Llandudno to 7 October
Enigmatic sculptures that suggest totemic, mythological figures while remaining completely abstract, Pinhassi’s tall, slender towers suggest the mosques of Timbuktu in their dry sandy mystique. Yet they also make you think of the modernist cult objects of the early-20th-century master Brâncuși. A contemplative break from the amusements of Llandudno pier.
The Line
East London riverside and docklands
Two 10 ft-tall chairs by Yinka Ilori are among this summer’s new additions to a sculpture trail that gets you out along London’s lesser-visited canals and riversides, and also includes works by Tracey Emin, Gary Hume and many more. British-Nigerian artist and designer Ilori’s colossal chairs represent different kinds of happiness. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Kyiv City Ballet
Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, to 28 August
Kyiv City Ballet (above) were on tour in France when Russia invaded, and took refuge in Paris, where they’re still based. They make their Edinburgh debut with a mixed bill of excerpts from favourite ballets, including a new work, Tribute to Peace. Lyndsey Winship
Roundhouse comedy festival
The Roundhouse, London, Saturday 5 to 23 August
North London now has its own month-long summer comedy fest, which may not match the scope of Edinburgh’s fringe, but certainly rivals it for names. The lineup is a who’s who of millennial standup stars, from James Acaster to Nish Kumar, Katherine Ryan to Rose Matafeo. Rachel Aroesti
The Effect
National Theatre: Lyttelton, London, to 7 October
Lucy Prebble’s exquisitely crafted play is about two drug-trial volunteers who fall in love – or is it merely a side-effect? Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell star. Miriam Gillinson
Rock Follies
Chichester Festival Theatre: Minerva, to 26 August
Howard Schuman’s groundbreaking 70s TV series about a female rock band is adapted for stage by Chloë Moss and reimagined by director Dominic Cooke. A cracking ensemble is led by Carly Bawden, Angela Marie Hurst and Zizi Strallen. MG
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Staying in: Streaming
Only Murders in the Building
Tuesday 8 August, Disney+
This jaunty true-crime-themed sitcom starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as podcasting neighbours sounds strange on paper; in reality, it’s a beacon of giddy hilarity in a world where melancholic dramedies rule. Season three amps up the camp with Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep guesting as two Broadway luvvies.
Painkiller
Thursday 10 August, Netflix
The story of how the Sacklers’ pharmaceutical empire contributed to the opioid crisis went untold for many decades; but, thanks to assiduous journalism, it’s now a tale the media can’t get enough of. This series turns that work into a blockbuster drama, featuring Matthew Broderick.
Alone
Sunday 6 August, 9pm, Channel 4
Adapted from an already much-exported US format, Alone sees 10 contestants – all unschooled in survivalism – self-document their struggles in the Canadian wilderness, fending off predators, starvation and the cold, and creating some nail-biting reality TV in the process.
Strange Planet
Wednesday 9 August, Apple TV+
Two sky-blue alien-like beings perform our favourite normal-but-weird social rituals and articulate them using discombobulating synonyms in Nathan W Pyle’s Insta-famous comic strips. Now the duo are getting their own TV show, with help from Rick and Morty co-creator and zeitgeisty cartoon expert Dan Harmon. RA
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Staying in: Games
Baldur’s Gate 3
Out now, PC, Mac
This deep-fantasy Dungeons and Dragons-inspired role-playing game is a nerd’s dream, and the long-awaited sequel to some of the best computer RPGs of the late 90s and early 00s.
Stray
Out Thursday 10 August, Xbox
If you’re an Xbox player and you haven’t yet experienced this cyberpunk mystery starring a curious ginger cat in a subterranean society of robots, now’s your chance. Keza MacDonald
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Staying in: Albums
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time
Out now
The It’s Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries hitmaker continues her habit of chucking out B-side collections with this companion piece to last year’s The Loneliest Time. There’s a focus on the pop star’s more playful side, as highlighted by lead single Shy Boy.
Miles Kane – One Man Band
Out now
While he waits for Alex Turner to revive the Last Shadow Puppets, Kane returns with his fifth solo album. Eschewing the northern soul stylings of last year’s Change the Show, One Man Band focuses on a more indie sound.
N-Dubz – Timeless
Out now
Returning 00s hip-hoppers N-Dubz, AKA Dappy, Tulisa and Fazer, follow up last year’s sold-out UK arena tour with their first album in 13 years. Timeless features the brooding lead single February and the more summer-ready, zeitgeist-riding bop, The Ick.
Holy Wave – Five of Cups
Out now
The Austin, Texas-based quartet return with their sixth album of psych-tinged, shoegaze-adjacent rock. Inspired by a tarot reading that vocalist-guitarist Ryan Fuson received in lockdown – the five of cups card signifies loss and grief – it’s an album steeped in emotional, gently unfurling songs such as recent single Bog Song. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Search Engine
Podcast
Reply All’s PJ Vogt aims to answer the internet’s most niche questions in his new series. Vogt investigates everything from the horrors of airline coffee to the happiness of zoo monkeys. The results are strangely compelling.
Magnum Photos Online Courses
Online
The long-established agency Magnum has no shortage of industry-leading photographers to helm this range of paid online courses. Alongside other experts, Martin Parr gives tips on street photography, and Cristina de Middel discusses how to develop a visual identity.
Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History
Thursday, PBS America
Far from just being the board game responsible for family bust-ups, Monopoly began life as an educational tool designed to expose the problem of private-landlord monopolies. This fascinating film explores how the modern brand came to be. Ammar Kalia
