From Eternity to Jamiroquai: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Eternity Out nowMiles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen star, along with Callum Turner, in a quirky metaphysical romantic drama from A24, in which, upon arriving in the afterlife, everyone must decide where, and with whom, they would like to spend eternity.Should Olsen’s character pick the man she settled down with (Teller) or her first love (Turner)?It Was Just an AccidentOut now This Palme d’Or-winning feature from Iranian director Jafar Panahi blends social realism with political commentary, as a man (Ebrahim Azizi) and his pregnant wife (Afsaneh Najmabadi), travelling with their young daughter (Delmaz Najafi), are involved in a minor car crash.Folktales Out now Documentary-makers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp) follow a group of teens as they take a gap year at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway, where the emphasis is less on a traditional curriculum and more on dog sledding and survival skills.Five Nights at Freddy’s 2Out now Based on the second video game in the popular series, this sequel sees Josh Hutcherson reprising his role as night guard Mike Schmidt, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop back on puppet duty, for this horror about animatronic critters possessed from within by unquiet souls.Catherine BrayThe CharlatansO2 Academy Leeds, 6 December; touring to 12 DecemberReleased in October, the Charlatans’ 14th album We Are Love found the indie perennials continuing to push their sound via production help from Dev Hynes.
Songs such as its psych-tinged title track should sit neatly alongside their best work when played live.Michael CraggGeorgia Mancio TrioThe Verdict, Brighton, 6 December; Peterborough Jazz Club, 14 DecemberThis quietly evocative singer has long been a lot more than a standards specialist: she can reinvent Antônio Carlos Jobim classics; skip through fast bebop swingers; and captivate audiences with the storytelling of her originals.She’s accompanied by fine keyboardist Pete Whittaker and drummer Dave Ohm here.John FordhamBarbara Hannigan and Bertrand ChamayouWigmore Hall, London, 6 DecemberThe fearless Canadian soprano joins forces with the ever-adventurous French pianist for 20th- and 21st-century works.Hannigan sings Messiaen’s song cycle Chants de Terre et de Ciel and Chamayou plays Scriabin, including the late, obsessive Vers la Flamme, before they tackle John Zorn’s Jumalatteret, celebrating the goddesses of Sami Shamanism and described by Hannigan as the hardest thing she’s ever sung.
Andrew ClementsJamiroquaiCo-op Live, Manchester, 6 December; touring to 14 DecemberJay Kay and his jazz-funk band arrive in arenas this week.With work under way on a new album there’s a lot for the diehards, while Virtual Insanity and Canned Heat should soothe the glory hunters.MCWes AndersonDesign Museum, London, to 26 JulyThe scene in Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel when a villain punches a hole in an Egon Schiele painting is one of the funniest art moments in cinema.This and other Anderson films are layered confections of design and aestheticism.Here he gets a retrospective of his exquisite comic sensibility.
Performing TreesWhitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, to 4 AprilDo trees actually perform? They do in art, according to this exhibition, and have been doing so for centuries, from orange trees in Renaissance paintings to Romantic firs and impressionist poplars,Trees by Cézanne, Carracci, Sutherland and George Shaw feature in this forest of delights from the Whitworth collection,William NicholsonPallant House Gallery, Chichester, to 10 MayThis respected British painter’s life straddled the Victorian and modern ages: he was born in 1872 and lived until 1949,But his most memorable art takes you to the blithely unseeing years of the early 1900s with tender, tranquil, colourful scenes of a world about to be lost to war,Monument to the UnimportantPace Gallery, London, to 14 FebruaryModern art’s shift from grand narratives to everyday objects – Coke cans, flowers in a vase – finds expression here.
Artists featured include Claes Oldenburg, Rachel Whiteread and Sylvie Fleury, in a survey from pop to now,Jonathan JonesRob BrydonRoyal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 7 December; touring to 16 DecemberWe may not be getting Gavin and Stacey this Christmas, but Uncle Bryn is still spreading the seasonal spirit,Alongside his “fabulous band”, Brydon will combine songs, jokes and his incredible impersonations (sadly Steve Coogan won’t be on hand to critique them),Rachel AroestiInto the WoodsBridge theatre, London, to 18 AprilDirector Jordan Fein has a knack for reigniting musicals (see also Fiddler on the Roof),Here he tackles Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s entrancing work, which puts a twist on four Grimm tales.
With design from the brilliant Tom Scutt.Miriam GillinsonBeauty and the BeastNorthern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne, to 3 JanuaryAn all-female creative team helm this year’s panto, directed by Bryony Shanahan and devised by Katie Mitchell and Lucy Kirkwood.Unexpected twists include mischievous fairies, a Thoughtsnatcher machine and a live Insect Orchestra of fleas and flies.MGWee NutcrackerTramway, Glasgow, 12 December to Christmas Eve A trip to see the Nutcracker may be Christmas tradition, but the full ballet can be a lot to sit through for small children waiting for their interval ice cream.Step forward Scottish Ballet’s Wee Nutcracker, adapted for kids age 5+, it’s a smaller-scale version of the story, capped at 45 minutes.
Lyndsey WinshipSign up to Inside SaturdayThe only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine,Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend,after newsletter promotionThe Revenge Club Paramount+, 12 December Based on JD Pennington’s novel The Othello Club, this drama about a group of divorced strangers who decide to get their own back on their former spouses is the kind of high-concept crime caper that post-peak TV does so well,Martin Compston, Meera Syal, Sharon Rooney and Aimee-Ffion Edwards star,The War Between the Land and the SeaBBC One & iPlayer, 7 December, 8.
30pmOne last hurrah for the big Disney+ Doctor Who deal, as this ambitious spin-off chronicling humanity’s battle against ancient species the Sea Devils commences.Russell Tovey is the man with the world on his shoulders; Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays one of the beleaguered creatures.Man vs BabyNetflix, 11 DecemberRowan Atkinson consolidates his Netflix-abetted comeback with this follow-up to his 2022 hit Man vs Bee.Once again, Trevor Bingley is faced with an unexpected colleague on a housesitting job: cue Bean-esque slapstick and humiliation.Susannah Fielding and Ashley Jensen co-star.
Nick Cave’s Veiled WorldSky Arts & Now, 6 December, 9pmTimed to coincide with the Matt Smith-led adaptation of his novel The Death of Bunny Munro, this one-off documentary examines Cave’s unique artistic universe with help from friends and collaborators including Warren Ellis, Bella Freud, Florence Welch and Colin Greenwood.RASkate StoryPS5, Switch 2, PC; out 8 December As if skateboarding wasn’t perilous enough, Skate Story sees you play a brittle rider made of glass making their way through the underworld.The surreal scenario doesn’t skimp on depth: there are more than 70 tricks to master.Terminator 2D: No FatePS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC; out 12 DecemberWhat if 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day had a new video game adaptation appropriate to the decade it came from? Expect side-scrolling arcade action and lavish pixel art, plus new missions alongside reimaginings of the film’s set-pieces.Matthew ReynoldsXO – Fashionably Late Out now New UK girlband XO arrive with their debut “body of work” in the shape of this high-octane EP.
The Charli xcx-assisted Real Friends is an attitude-heavy update of Girl Power, while Silly Boy – complete with earworm whistle riff – and Candy are naggingly catchy.A promising start.Alison Wonderland – Ghost WorldOut nowSince swapping classical – she was a cellist with the Sydney Youth Opera – for dance music, Alexandra Sholler has scored three Top 10 albums in her homeland.Ghost World continues her penchant for mind-melting EDM, specifically on the metallic clank of XTC and Get Started’s sweaty dancefloor yearning.TEED – Always With MeOut nowLondon-born electronic music producer Orlando Higginbottom, FKA Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, releases this debut album under a new moniker.
Written in LA, chiefly on a single synth, Always With Me harnesses a nostalgic musical and emotional brevity on songs like Desire and My Melody,Melody’s Echo Chamber – Unclouded Out nowThirteen years after her debut, French musician Melody Prochet returns with this fourth album of sweeping psych-pop abstraction,With a title inspired by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and a hard-won love for life, songs such as In the Stars feel both dramatic and buoyant,MCMasaka Kids, A Rhythm WithinNetflix, 9 DecemberThis joyful film follows a group of children in a Ugandan orphanage whose dances have gained millions of views over the past five years on social media,We see how virality has transformed their lives.
The Modern Art Notes PodcastArt critic Tyler Green hosts this in-depth series featuring hour-long conversations with artists, historians and curators.Highlights include Antony Gormley on the changing status of sculpture, and Hew Locke on British imperialism.Crash OutThe aptly named American Artist presents this video commission for Somerset House’s online exhibition space, Channel, exploring the tension between free speech and censorship – all via the medium of a fictional streaming persona.Ammar Kalia
Reform campaign for Farage’s Clacton seat was a ‘juggernaut’, say candidates
The Tory and Labour candidates who Nigel Farage beat to win his Westminster seat of Clacton have described a Reform campaign that felt like a “juggernaut”, as police began assessing claims of overspending by the Reform UK leader.The candidates spoke after a former aide alleged that Reform UK falsely reported election expenses in Clacton, where Farage won in last year’s general election. On Monday, Essex police said they were assessing a report of “alleged misreported expenditure by a political party” after a referral from the Metropolitan police.Richard Everett, a former Reform UK councillor and member of Farage’s campaign team, has reportedly submitted documents to police showing the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in the Essex constituency.Everett has claimed Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office, according to the Daily Telegraph
Foreign states using AI videos to undermine support for Ukraine, says Yvette Cooper
Foreign countries are flooding social media with AI-manipulated videos to undermine western support for Ukraine, Yvette Cooper will warn on Tuesday.The UK foreign secretary will urge other countries to help Britain fight what she calls “information warfare”, as officials warn Russia is using forged documents and deepfake material to advance its geopolitical goals.The Foreign Office has previously warned that Russian agencies are operating a vast disinformation network known as Doppelgänger, which has spread false rumours about subjects including the health of the Princess of Wales and western financing of Israel.Cooper will say: “Across Europe we are witnessing an escalation in hybrid threats – from physical through to cyber – designed to weaken critical national infrastructure, undermine our interests and interfere in our democracies all for the advantage of malign foreign states.”The speech – which will mark 100 years of the Locarno treaties, signed after the first world war between the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Czechoslovakia – comes at one of the most sensitive moments in the Ukraine war
Tony Blair reportedly dropped from Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’ shortlist
Tony Blair will not occupy a key position on Donald Trump’s Gaza “peace council” after Arab and Muslim nations were reported to have objected to the involvement of the former UK prime minister.According to the Financial Times (FT), Blair has been quietly dropped from consideration for Trump’s “board of peace”, which Trump has said he would chair himself.It had previously been reported widely that Blair had been canvassing behind the scenes for a prominent role in Gaza’s interim administration, amid leaks of a plan drawn up in part by his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) with Trump’s son-in-law and informal envoy Jared Kushner.While Blair’s backers had pointed to his role in ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland, critics had pointed to his lacklustre record of achievements while serving as the representative of the so-called Quartet – the UN, EU, US and Russia – to help mediate Middle East peace.In the wider Arab world, Blair was also viewed with scepticism and hostility over his role in the disastrous US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003
‘Could do a better job than Keir Starmer’: who could replace the PM if he is forced out?
With Keir Starmer’s poll ratings getting worse, and the Labour party alarmed by the prospect of wipeout at next May’s local elections, there is much speculation at Westminster about whether he can last the course.The prime minister has no intention of standing aside for another candidate, saying he has defied his detractors before and would do so again. But with many on his own side fearing that he doesn’t have what it takes to turn things around, he may not have the chance.The jostling among those who may wish to replace him – or whose allies believe they’d do a better job – continues…Timing is everything in politics. When Downing Street unleashed an extraordinary bout of leadership speculation amid fears Starmer was vulnerable to a challenge after the budget, it was not Rayner they were worried about
For once, Nigel Farage is the dog that doesn’t bark | John Crace
The dog that didn’t bark in the night.You can normally set your watches by Reform. It’s a rare Monday morning in which Nigel Farage doesn’t pop up somewhere in central London to give a press conference.Even when he has nothing new to announce, he usually has no shame in saying something he’s said before many times. He likes the attention
UK will go further to stop ‘abusive’ Slapps lawsuits, Lammy says
David Lammy has said the UK will go further to tackle abusive and spurious lawsuits aimed at silencing whistleblowers and journalists, raising the prospect of further legislation next year.The deputy prime minister told campaigners and officials at the launch of the government’s anti-corruption strategy that he was determined to crack down on the practice known as Slapps – strategic lawsuits against public participation.Excessive legal threats have been used in several cases in an attempt to silence reporting on Russian oligarchs, as well those who tried to expose the Post Office Horizon scandal and allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed.The Ministry of Justice said the first priority would be to action the limited provisions in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which tackle Slapps that relate to economic crimes.It also said it was a “priority commitment” in the strategy to consider the future approach for comprehensively tackling all Slapps
Badenoch announces Tory review of which conditions qualify for benefits
Victims of NHS maternity failings in England ‘received unacceptable care’
ICO promises legal action over ‘traumatic’ UK care-record access
UK charities face ‘culture of fear’ as threats and violence surge
A better understanding of mental ill health is crucial | Letters
Rules on single-sex spaces pose risk to trans people’s mental health, UK charities say