Going out: Cinema
Edinburgh international film festival
Various venues, to 23 August
Historically somewhat overshadowed by the mighty fringe, the film programme of Edinburgh’s annual culture explosion has loads to offer, including the world premiere of Chuck Chuck Baby, a musical about lesbian love set in a chicken factory in north Wales, and retrospectives all jostling for the attention of audiences.
Blue Beetle
Out now
When teenager Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is chosen by the Scarab, a piece of ancient biotech, to be its host, he finds himself in possession of amazing superpowers, in a DC comics story that’s part Iron Man, part Spider-Man, all beetle.
Strays
Out now
When a sweet-natured and optimistic border terrier, voiced by Will Ferrell, is kicked out of his home by his owner (Will Forte), he is forced to face up to humankind’s dark side, with help from a street-smart boston terrier voiced by Jamie Foxx. Revenge comedy directed by Josh Greenbaum.
The Films of Peter Weir
Prince Charles Cinema, London, to 8 December
Well worth making a special trip for, Soho’s Prince Charles is staging a season of films from the revered Australian film-maker, including gems such as The Plumber and Gallipoli, as well as big hits Witness and Dead Poets Society. Most screen from 35mm; all are introduced by Animus magazine editor Elena Lazic. Catherine Bray
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Going out: Gigs
Jodie Harsh
Ducie Street Warehouse, Manchester, 25 August
As part of Manchester’s Pride festivities, DJ, music producer and drag queen Jodie Harsh headlines this all-day-to-night celebration, promising go-go dancers and a glorious selection of house, disco and pop. Michael Cragg
Asake
The O2, London, 20 August
The Nigerian singer cements his Afrobeats superstar status with this arena-sized celebration of his album Work of Art. While the UK summer’s been a washout, expect the Sunshine hitmaker to bring the heat via his playful fusing of styles. MC
Manchester Collective
Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 August
New-music concerts used to be late-night staples of every Proms season. After Saturday’s Mahler Third Symphony, the Manchester Collective take over for a mix of new and nearly new pieces: Steve Reich’s Double Sextet, along with music by Hannah Peel, Ben Nobuto, Oliver Leith and David Lang. Andrew Clements
Tori Freestone Trio
Cadogan Hall, London, 22 August
UK saxophonist Tori Freestone has come a long way from playing penny whistle with her folk-musician parents. She and her partners will eloquently unfurl sax-trio art in this lunchtime recital. John Fordham
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Going out: Art
Rasheed Araeen
Tate Modern, London, to 28 August
A colourful abstract sculpture that is also a massive toy turns the Turbine Hall into a play area. Children can disassemble and remake Araeen’s Zero to Infinity as they like. Think of it as an outsized Lego kit. But don’t start rearranging art elsewhere in the museum – that’s forbidden.
The Surrealist Hand
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two), Edinburgh, to 7 January
The perverse brilliance of surrealist artists almost a century ago is nicely caught by this display. Surrealist books, including one called Onan, illustrated by Salvador Dalí, and Nadja, a story of love and gloves by the movement’s leader André Breton, show how these artists of the irrational fetishised the hand.
Tarek Lakhrissi
Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, to 1 October
Three luscious, translucent sculptures of tongues sit in a former observatory on top of Calton Hill. A breathy soundtrack underscores their evocation of sensual pleasures. French artist Lakhrissi was inspired by a poetry collection called Bite Hard. Not profound, but the climb up and views over Edinburgh make it worthwhile.
Jann Haworth and Liberty Blake
Holburne Museum, Bath, to 1 October
An exhibition about the making of a new mural for the National Portrait Gallery. Haworth and Blake have created a collage of 130 notable British women to rectify what Haworth perceives as the excessive male domination of the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper, which she co-created with Blake’s father, Peter. Jonathan Jones
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Going out: Stage
Michelle Buteau
Soho theatre, London, 22 & 23 August
Between her acclaimed sitcom Survival of the Thickest – about a plus-sized stylist starting from scratch after a breakup – and her award-winning Netflix special, 46-year-old Buteau has become one of US comedy’s hottest prospects. She performs two intimate London dates. Rachel Aroesti
Next to Normal
Donmar Warehouse, London, to 7 October
Michael Longhurst directs this Pulitzer prize- and Tony award-winning musical about a bipolar mother haunted by her past. A top-notch cast includes Caissie Levy, Trevor Dion and Jamie Parker.
Macbeth
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 14 October
Hot from the title role in Hamilton in the West End, Reuben Joseph plays the doomed king alongside Valene Kane’s Lady Macbeth. Directed by Wils Wilson, it is set in the near future, when the climate is even more extreme and resources scarce. Miriam Gillinson
Shobana Jeyasingh: Counterpoint
Somerset House, London, 19 & 20 August
Take 10 minutes out of your day to watch this free performance by choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh: 22 brightly costumed dancers leap and curve through the fountains at Somerset House, dodging and splashing through the water. There are four shows a day over the weekend. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
Who Is Erin Carter?
Netflix, 24 August
Doc Martin writer Jack Lothian swaps Cornish cosiness for a considerably less gentle breed of destination drama with this Barcelona-set thriller. When an expat schoolteacher reveals gnarly fighting skills during a store robbery, the wholesome life she has crafted is violently upended.
Ahsoka
Disney+, 23 August
Will this promising new entry in the Star Wars canon – a Jon Favreau spin-off from The Mandalorian, starring Rosario Dawson as the eponymous former Jedi – maintain momentum for the sci-fi franchise?
Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood
BBC One/iPlayer, 21 August, 9pm
After winning acclaim for his role in Line of Duty, Jessop, who has Down’s syndrome, didn’t subsequently receive the high-profile acting gigs he was hoping for. In a documentary directed by his film-maker brother Will, he cuts out the middleman and attempts to make it big in the US by pitching his own teddy-based superhero movie.
The Price of Truth
Channel 4, 21 August, 10pm
Nobel peace prize winner Dmitry Muratov edits Russia’s only major independent newspaper; seven of his staff have been murdered and he has been attacked with acetone-laced paint. Bafta-winning director Patrick Forbes goes to Moscow to chronicle his indefatigable fight against fascism. RA
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Staying in: Games
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, out now
Inspired by graffiti-styled retro inline skating classic Jet Set Radio, this has you breakdancing, tagging and grinding around a futuristic city.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
PC, Xbox, PS4/5, out now
Yet another classic horror film becomes an asymmetric horror game: one team play the Slaughter family, the other their potential victims trying to get away. Keza MacDonald
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Staying in: Albums
Genesis Owusu – Struggler
Out now
While Ghanaian-Australian singer-songwriter Genesis Owusu’s 2021 debut, Smiling With No Teeth, confronted racism and its effects on his mental health, this follow-up reflects on the fight to make it out the other side. Perseverance shines through on pogoing indie-pop anthem Leaving the Light.
Shamir – Homo Anxietatem
Out now
Philadelphia-based actor, author and musician Shamir returns with a ninth album in eight years. Having recently tackled heavy rock and industrial noise, he leans into a more subdued alt-pop sound on Homo Anxietatem (“anxious man” in Latin).
Reneé Rapp – Snow Angel
Out now
Having dabbled in acting via Mean Girls on Broadway and HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, 23-year-old Rapp adds singer-songwriter to a bulging CV. Her debut showcases pop-punk in the galloping Talk Too Much, while the delicate title track muses on heartbreak.
Giggs – Zero Tolerance
Out now
Released 15 years after his influential debut, Walk in da Park, this follow-up to 2019’s UK Top 10, Big Bad …, reflects the south Londoner’s respect within the rap community. Zero Tolerance’s heady lead single, Mandem, features rap royalty Diddy intoning “Black King Gods”. MC
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Staying in: Brain food
Future Observatory
Podcast
This new series from the Design Museum’s sustainability research programme interviews designers working on new materials and methods for building a green future. Fascinating insights into phosphorus farms, recycled fire hoses and more.
The Kelmscott Chaucer Online
Online
Often regarded as one of the most beautiful books ever produced, this 19th-century edition of Chaucer’s writing features woodcuts from Edward Burne-Jones and design by William Morris. Now digitised, you can scroll through in high resolution.
Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn
Apple TV+, 25 August
Disgraced former Nissan and Renault CEO Ghosn is the subject of this fast-paced four-part series tracing his arrest and subsequent smuggling to Lebanon in 2019. Key witnesses speak out, including the man who masterminded his escape.
Ammar Kalia
