Going out: Cinema
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
Out now
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back, almost 30 years on from their first buddy cop outing, as Mike and Marcus, the eponymous bad boys. Treats in store include mafia hijinks, a frame job on Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), corruption in the Miami police department and, naturally, plenty of wisecracks. Catherine Bray
The Watched
Out now
Dakota Fanning stars in this supernatural horror written and directed by M Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana and produced by dad. It continues the family reputation for atmospheric tales of the strange and unusual, as a bunch of strangers trapped in a forest find themselves observed by creatures unknown. CB
Rosalie
Out now
Snatching the title of cinema’s best-known bearded lady from Keala Settle’s character in The Greatest Showman is the titular heroine of Stéphanie Di Giusto’s acclaimed drama Rosalie. Set in 1870s France, it is loosely inspired by the story of real-life bearded lady Clémentine Delait. CB
The Matrix (25th anniversary re-release)
Out now
Can it really be a quarter of a century since Keanu Reeves limboed under a hail of speeding bullets? The Wachowskis’ future-facing actioner still feels fresh today, an ideas movie wrapped in a duster jacket of gnarly set pieces and a thudding industrial score. Gwilym Mumford
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Going out: Gigs
Parklife
8 & 9 June, Heaton Park, Manchester
The ludicrously stacked lineup for this returning festival features everyone from J Hus to Disclosure to Becky Hill to Four Tet. Elsewhere, in a slightly smaller font, there’s excellence from the likes of perpetually returning girlband Sugababes, Scottish electronic wonder Barry Can’t Swim and the inexplicable Horsegiirl. Michael Cragg
Doja Cat
9 to 17 June; starts Manchester
After failing to sabotage her career with last year’s Scarlet, which ditched the bright pop sound of 2021’s Planet Her, rapper Doja Cat heads out on a huge arena tour. Her recent performance at Coachella, in a dress and boots both made of flowing blond hair, suggests this should be a full-on spectacle. MC
Winterreise
Theatre Royal: Ustinov Studio, Bath, 10-13 June; 8-10 September
Tenor Ian Bostridge is the latest singer to perform Schubert’s song cycle within a theatrical setting. Deborah Warner’s staging will present it as the composer intended, in an intimate space, so that every anguished inflection of the music communicates directly with the audience. Andrew Clements
Espen Eriksen Trio With Andy Sheppard
Watermill Jazz, Dorking, 13 June; Ronnie Scott’s, London, 9pm, 12 June
Norwegian pianist-composer Espen Eriksen formed his virtuosic trio back in 2007, but if its early manifestations were low-key, the arrival of UK sax original Sheppard in 2016 sharpened its edge in ways that have seen it compared to the great 1970s collaborations of Jan Garbarek and Keith Jarrett. John Fordham
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Going out: Art
Alvaro Barrington
Tate Britain, London, to 26 January
This Venezuelan artist follows in the footsteps of Robert Rauschenberg by mixing painting with assemblage, bringing it out of the frame and off the wall to merge art with life. His appetite for found items that he composes into poetic conundrums makes for a real feeling of freedom and inspiration.
Artemisia Gentileschi and Jesse Jones
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, to 8 September
She gazes at you steadily beside the broken wheel that symbolises her torture. Baroque genius Artemisia Gentileschi paints herself as Saint Catherine, who survived attempted martyrdom, in her powerful self-portrait on loan from the National Gallery. Contemporary artist Jones also explores themes of martyrdom and female suffering in multimedia works.
Kiki Kogelnik
Pace Gallery, London, to 3 August
This Austria-born pop artist put a subversive spin on the classic 1960s theme of space travel. Her male and female astronauts are multicoloured fantasy figures who float through paintings that explore desire and utopia. But there’s also a fear of disaster and death in her art, as this show reveals.
Planet Ocean
The Box, Plymouth, to 23 February
Plymouth Sound is a deeply studied stretch of water. Marine biology was pioneered in Plymouth as long ago as the 1880s. So there is a strongly local as well as globally urgent feel to this exhibition about oceanography, sea life and the climate crisis, which includes everything from paintings to fish. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Bristol Comedy Garden
Queen Square, Bristol, 12 to 16 June
Having successfully diversified into podcasting during the pandemic, observational comedy king Josh Widdicombe makes his big stage comeback at this star-studded festival, which seems to have corralled pretty much the entirety of the British standup scene – Harry Hill, Simon Amstell, Sara Pascoe, Stewart Lee and so many more – for its impressive bill. Rachel Aroesti
Lift 2024
Various venues, London, to 27 July
London’s International festival of theatre consistently offers up a wild array of performance, art and dance. Catch The Land Acknowledgement Or As You Like It (8 & 9 June), a subversive exploration of cultural and political practice, or take a peek at L’Homme Rare (12 & 13 June), an examination of the body, gender and the European gaze. Kate Wyver
Museum of Austerity
Bristol Old Vic, 12 to 15 June
From English Touring Theatre, this dramatic installation lays bare the reality of austerity Britain. Audiences wear a “mixed reality” headset to see a holographic gallery that reveals what happens when state safety nets fail. Some images will be distressing, so it’s for over-18s only. KW
Eliot Smith Dance
Dance City, Newcastle upon Tyne, 12 June; then touring
A double bill from the Newcastle-based company, featuring Duet (from 1964), by the great American choreographer Paul Taylor, as well as the striking solo Human, performed by Yamit Salazar. The show then goes on a north-east tour to Barnard Castle, Ashington and Durham, in addition to online and London dates. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
The Boys
Prime Video, 13 June
In a world of superhero overload, this satirical drama about an alliance of secretly corrupt “supes” and the titular vigilantes who try to expose them blasts through the genre’s stale ubiquity in style. This fourth outing sees Boys ringleader Billy Butcher rally his troops for what could be their final opportunity to defeat Homelander.
The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot
Channel 4, 11 June, 9pm
In April 2015, Victoria Cilliers went skydiving in Wiltshire; her husband hoped the jump would end her life. Yet despite Emile sabotaging Victoria’s parachute, she miraculously survived. This documentary series chronicles the two-year investigation that followed as police struggled to prove Emile’s guilt – without the cooperation of his victim.
The Truth vs Alex Jones
Sky Documentaries & Now, 13 June, 9pm
Conspiracy theories are now depressingly mainstream, thanks in no small part to the despicable work of broadcaster Alex Jones. This documentary chronicles the trials that resulted from his infamous claim that the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting never happened – proceedings that left him liable for more than $1bn in damages, which he is still yet to pay.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
Netflix, 12 June
The US talkshow circuit used to be awkwardly timed for British consumption: no longer! In his Netflix series, chat veteran Letterman has successfully liberated the format from its late-night live slot and studio audiences, distilling his approach into a string of intimate chats with big stars, including latest guests Miley Cyrus and Charles Barkley. RA
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Staying in: Games
Monster Hunter Stories
PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch; out 14 June
If you’ve always liked the look of Capcom’s epic dragon-hunting series but felt too intimidated by it, this cartoonish and more family-friendly take on Monster Hunter feels more like Pokémon, and it’s surprisingly good.
Taskmaster VR
VR platforms; out 13 June
If you’ve got a Meta Quest or PlayStation VR headset, virtual-reality Greg Davies might be worth dusting it off for. Fully embracing the silliness and stakes of the TV show, it looks like a British version of the hilarious Job Simulator. Keza MacDonald
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Staying in: Albums
Peggy Gou – I Hear You
Out now
Containing one of last summer’s biggest hits, house banger (It Goes Like) Nanana, expect South Korean DJ, producer and singer Gou’s debut album to soundtrack the next few months too. That Top 5 smash is joined by the 90s rave of 1+1=11 and the ludicrous Lobster Telephone.
Kaytranada – Timeless
Out now
The Canadian producer, whose work has graced albums by the likes of Tinashe, Alicia Keys and Craig David, returns with his first solo LP since 2019’s Grammy-winning Bubba. Packed with his signature effervescent drum sounds and propulsive grooves, Timeless features PinkPantheress, Thundercat and Childish Gambino.
Tems – Born in the Wild
Out now
Since releasing her debut single in 2018, 28-year-old Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems has worked with Drake, Beyoncé and Wizkid, plus been nominated for an Oscar for co-writing Rihanna’s 2022’s single, Lift Me Up. Born in the Wild is her long-awaited debut album and features the emotionally raw single Not an Angel.
Charli XCX – Brat
Out now
Having cosplayed as a mainstream pop girlie on 2022’s Crash to winning effect – it became her first No 1 album – Charli XCX returns with the perfectly titled Brat. Singles Von Dutch and 360 harness her passion for earworm melodies and spiky attitudes, while So I is a beautiful tribute to late producer Sophie. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
NFB
Online
Canada’s National Film Board YouTube channel hosts more than 1,000 of their award-winning commissions, from bite-size educational videos on how everyday staples are made to films assessing the work of artists such as Leonard Cohen and Malcolm Lowry.
The New Garde
Podcast
Former fashion editor Alyssa Vingan hosts this insightful series delving into the secrets of the industry, as well as exploring latest developments with fellow writers and designers. Highlights include analysis of the business behind the Met Gala.
Chloe Petts’ Toilet Humour
BBC Radio 4, 12 June, 11.15pm
Comic Petts’s first foray into audio documentary is a scatological treat. Over five episodes, Petts explores the funny and often fascinating history of toilets and what our choice of loo tells us about society. Ammar Kalia
