Going out: Cinema
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Out now
Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) stars as hapless security guard Mike in this horror from director Emma Tammi, based on the video game in which animatronic mascots at the now-abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza parlour come to life and kill anyone they find lurking after midnight.
Cat Person
Out now
Back in 2017, the New Yorker published a short story that took the internet by storm, detailing the relationship between a young woman and an idiot who treats her poorly. Lots of women could relate, and the success of Cat Person was such that perhaps the only surprise about the film adaptation is that it’s taken so long to hit cinemas.
Typist Artist Pirate King
Out now
British film-maker Carol Morley turns her fascination with real-life outsider artist Audrey Amiss into a fictionalised road trip, undertaken by Amiss, played here as an irrepressible force of nature by Monica Dolan, and her reluctant chauffeur Sandra (Kelly Macdonald), as the pair attempt to reach Amiss’s birthplace in Sunderland.
Klimt & the Kiss
Out 30 October
It’s an image that adorns a thousand student homes across the land; if you’ve never dug into the backstory of Klimt’s most recognisable painting, now’s your chance. This documentary explores the work’s enduring appeal and the identity of the man behind the art. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
The Vaselines
30 October to 2 November; tour starts Liverpool
Hurled into the mainstream in the early 90s after Nirvana covered three of their songs, Scottish alt-rock janglers the Vaselines, led by songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, head out on tour. As well as two headline shows, they’re also supporting fellow Scottish cult heroes the Soup Dragons. Michael Cragg
Gretel Hänlyn
31 October to 3 November; tour starts Bristol
Influenced by Nick Cave, Nirvana and Wolf Alice, west London singer-songwriter Hänlyn has quickly built up a cult following, including producer and frequent collaborator Mura Masa. This UK jaunt offers a chance to showcase new songs – including recent single War With America – from her forthcoming debut album. MC
Kurt Elling
Stoller Hall, Manchester, 29 October; Union Chapel, London, 31 October
The technically awesome and richly experienced Kurt Elling is a jazz singer in every fibre, but he’s receptive to many styles – as he proves in these gigs, an infectious mix of jazz, funk and hip-hop featuring vivacious guitarist-producer Charlie Hunter, keyboardist DJ Harrison and drummer Corey Fonville. John Fordham
Grace
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, 2 November
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales launches a concert series featuring music by female composers and emerging Welsh talents. Martyn Brabbins conducts Grace Williams’s Second Symphony and a suite from Kaija Saariaho’s opera Émilie, while violinist Emilie Godden swaps bow for baton for the premiere of Sarah Lianne Lewis’s The Sky Didn’t Fall. Andrew Clements
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Going out: Art
Derek Boshier
Gazelli Art House, London, to 18 November
One of the first pop artists takes media images apart and puts them back together in uneasy ways in this exhibition of new work. Boshier was at the Royal College of Art with David Hockney, used images of Gagarin and Sputnik – and has still got an eye for the new.
Burma to Myanmar
British Museum, London, 2 November to 11 February
This exhibition looks at Myanmar’s long cultural history but also at the effects of the British empire. How does a history that includes colonial rule help explain today’s military dictatorship? The facts may be troubling but the art is guaranteed to be stunning, from ancient ceramics to modern paintings.
Faye Eleanor Woods
Anima Mundi, St Ives, to 8 December
This pirates’ hideout of an art gallery has a record of showing bold and brazen artists, and Scottish painter Faye Eleanor Woods is no exception. Her over-the-top expressionist canvases have echoes of the German artist Otto Dix in their sexual chicanery and grotesque humour.
Albert Paley
Messums Wiltshire, Tisbury, to 14 January
American sculptor Paley works in iron and steel, sometimes on an extravagant scale, with a florid, baroque imagination. His biggest works resemble the wreckage of a derelict steelyard that’s been reclaimed and given life. Smaller pieces include metal flowers and opulent candelabras. A sensual crafter of abstract and natural beauty. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Garth Marenghi
30 October to 2 March; tour starts Leeds
Devotees of 2004’s one-series cult comedy Darkplace had given up hope of reuniting with Matthew Holness’s swaggeringly crap horror author – until he reappeared last year with the publication of his (actual) debut novel TerrorTome. Now he returns with the follow-up, Incarcerat, which he’ll read from on the road this autumn. Rachel Aroesti
Zona Franca
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 2 to 4 November
The UK debut of Brazilian choreographer Alice Ripoll with the vibrant young dancers from Cia Suave, many of whom hail from Rio’s favelas. Ripoll incorporates elements of the Brazilian dances passinho, pisadinha and brega funk with Afrohouse, sabala and TikTok that captures the hopes of a politically marginalised generation. Lyndsey Winship
The Time Traveller’s Wife
Apollo theatre, London, to 30 March
Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel about a loved-up couple torn apart by time travel. From the producers of Back to the Future, and with music by Joss Stone and Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, this should be a big-hearted family-friendly affair. Miriam Gillinson
To Wong Foo the Musical
Hope Mill theatre, Manchester, to 17 December
Stage adaptation of the cult classic film starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo. Set in 90s New York, the musical is about three drag queens who travel across the US – with mishaps aplenty – to attend the Drag Queen of the Year finals. MG
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Staying in: Streaming
The Gilded Age
Sky Atlantic/Now, 30 October, 9pm
Julian Fellowes’s soapy drama set in late 19th-century America – a boom time when colossal fortunes were routinely made, and the old guard were being jostled out of their old ways – is essentially a New York Downton. Season two sees the newly wealthy Russells continue to strive for societal acceptance, while Cynthia Nixon’s Ada unexpectedly finds love.
Survivor
BBC One/iPlayer, 28 October, 8.25pm
The British version of this drama-filled desert island-set reality gameshow was cancelled after two outings in the early 00s – its US equivalent, meanwhile, is now a national institution after 43 seasons. This BBC revival belatedly rectifies that oversight, with a new fighting-fit cohort decamping to the Dominican Republic to battle the elements – and each other.
All the Light We Cannot See
Netflix, 2 November
Buoyed up by the raging success of Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight is fast becoming one of the most prolific screenwriters in TV. Following SAS: Rogue Heroes and Great Expectations (plus Diana biopic Spencer), he adapts Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer-winning second world war novel about a blind French girl and a German boy who finds himself working for the Nazis.
Roman Kemp: The Fight for Young Lives
BBC Three/iPlayer, 1 November, 9pm
The UK’s mental health crisis is a horrifying and complex subject, so props to Roman Kemp – son of Martin and successful radio host in his own right – for tackling the topic again in this follow-up to 2021’s Our Silent Emergency, a film in which he examined male suicide following the loss of one of his closest friends. RA
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Staying in: Games
Thirsty Suitors
Out 2 November, PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox
Dating meets combat meets skateboarding in this rich, lively adventure following teenage rebel Jala as she reconciles with her family and deals with her ex-lovers as her sister’s wedding day looms. It’s described by some as a south Asian take on Scott Pilgrim, and that should be enough to whet your appetite.
Alan Wake 2
Out now, PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X
The sequel to Remedy Entertainment’s dark and gripping survival horror adventure features the eponymous crime writer attempting to escape a hellish alternative reality by writing a new novel. Expect moody Pacific north-western landscapes and a chilly noir narrative. Keith Stuart
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Staying in: Albums
Poppy – Zig
Out now
On this fifth album, Boston-born YouTuber turned dark-pop practitioner Poppy does away with most of the hard rock decoration of her previous work to focus on something sleeker. Produced by Max Martin associate Ali Payami, singles Motorbike and Knockoff fuse Charli XCX’s frantic energy with big, glistening choruses.
DJ Shadow – Action Adventure
Out now
Joshua Davis, AKA DJ Shadow, returns to the mainly instrumental, guest-free sonic collage sound of 1996 classic debut Endtroducing on this seventh album – his first release via rapper Nas’s label, Mass Appeal. Recent single You Played Me is vintage hip-hop, while the playful Ozone Scraper channels skewed psych-rock.
Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Out now
Swift’s project of rerecording her first six albums continues with this new version of her big pop opus, originally released in 2014. Home to some of her best singles – Style, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics – this minimally updated offering also features five previously unreleased tracks “from the vault”.
Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond
Out now
The Texas psych-soul duo, AKA singer-songwriter Eric Burton and producer Adrian Quesada, return with this follow-up to 2019’s Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut. Featuring production assistance from John Congleton, lead single More Than a Love Song perfectly bottles the duo’s classic songwriting and Burton’s soul-drenched vocals. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
The Hidden Children of Ruinerwold Farm
31 October, BBC Four, 10pm
This haunting series investigates the 2019 discovery of a hidden family living in the Dutch village of Ruinerwold. Featuring the testimonies of four of the family’s children, it shows how a cult was created in a close‑knit community.
Braaains Podcast
Podcast
Sisters Heather and Sarah Taylor host this insightful series examining how mental health is portrayed on screen. Delving into science as well as cultural analysis, the Taylors explore everything from medical dramas to sitcom stereotypes.
Aeon Video
YouTube
Screening weekly short documentaries, the Aeon Video archive is a wonderful source of niche stories. Films include an exploration of the US government’s commission to paint every known fruit, as well as a tale of Shanghai matchmaking. Ammar Kalia
