THE REVENGE ALBUM
There’s nothing stopping Miley Cyrus. She bought herself flowers, wrote her name in the sand and now she’s kicking off summer early with her eighth (yes, eighth!) studio album, Endless Summer Vacation. According to the 30-year-old singer, it’s ‘a love letter to LA’, but with all the petty ex-husband references we’re not entirely convinced. Sunnies on, splashing about a swimming pool, she brings us vengeance, served hot like she means it.
Out 10 Mar on all major streaming services.
THE WE LOVE WOODY FILM
Yay, Captain Congenial is back! I never don’t look forward to anything with adorable ol’ Woody Harrelson in it. Indeed he is, in Champions, directed by Bobby Farrelly. Remember him? The guy who made Dumb and Dumber, with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels acting really, er, dumb? Exactly. Well in this, Woody plays a basketball coach who reluctantly agrees to train a team with intellectual disabilities, all of whom are played by actors with Down’s syndrome and other conditions. Whoa! I’m wincing already! This could go terribly wrong. Please, please tell me this treads the right side of nice, PC and kind. I winced, too! I mean… But phew! Relax… It’s still quite an unsophisticated comedy but it’s affectionate and caring. That’s a blessed relief. And Woody is good value as usual? His is a far from a stellar performance. In fact, most of the joy comes from the rest of the cast running rings around Woody with their disarming wit and quirks. Anything else I’ll like about it? You’re a Nineties kid, so the soundtrack could well have you bounding out of the cinema singing, ‘I get knocked down!’ and ‘You’re unbelievable!’…
‘Champions’ opens in cinemas on 10 Mar.
THE CRISIS, CAPTURED
Inspired by the true story of a remote island community in crisis (no, not Britain circa now, but Tristan da Cunha in 1961), Zinnie Harris’s remarkable play, Further than the Furthest Thing, has returned to London, this time directed by Jennifer Tang at the Young Vic.
Until 29 Apr. Tickets from £10 (youngvic.org)
THE MUSICAL EDUCATION
They say trauma inspires creativity, so it’s no wonder New York’s music scene churned out the likes of The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and LCD Soundsystem at the turn of this century. Based on Lizzie Goodman’s best-selling book, Meet Me In The Bathroom, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s documentary tracks how indie acts helped heal a city of broken hearts post-9/11 with archival footage, new interviews and nostalgic music.
In cinemas from 10 Mar
THE GIRL-POWER GIG
Self esteem: we all want more of it and we all want more of the woman embodying it. Oh, and it just so happens that her name is Self Esteem, too. Catch some of the singer-songwriter and performer extrordinaire’s infectious energy at her ‘I Tour This all the Time’ gig at the Eventim Apollo this Saturday, featuring all of her hits so far and much more.
Tickets from £26.50. 11 Mar (eventim.co.uk)
THE BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP EXHIBITION
Regular National Gallery goers will be familiar with one of its most recognisable — and haggard — faces: that of The Ugly Duchess. See her reunited with her long-lost 16th-century companion, the Portrait of an Old Man, which along with the old woman once formed part of a single artwork, at the gallery’s Beauty and Satire in the Renaissance for a deeper understanding of how women, old age and unusual facial features were satirised — even demonised — in the 1500s… Not altogether different from 2023, then.
Tickets free to book online. 16 Mar to 11 Jun (nationalgallery.org.uk)
THE HARDCORE DOC
Responsible for countless complaints and many more orgasms, the world’s most infamous pornography platform, Pornhub, is a contentious entity. Netflix’s new documentary Money Shot: The Pornhub Story brings together interviews with sex workers, activists and former employees to delve into the good, the bad and the downright scandalous parts of the business. Fascinating, but not one to watch on your office computer at lunchtime, obvs.
