Going out: Cinema
Maria
Out now
Directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight, the same writer-director team behind the Diana, Princess of Wales biopic Spencer, this look at the life of opera singer Maria Callas stars Angelina Jolie and focuses on the period during which the star lived out of the public eye in Paris in the 1970s.
Babygirl
Out now
A married mother of two with a hotshot job puts it all on the line for an all-consuming sizzling affair with a younger colleague in this erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman and rising British star Harris Dickinson. Directed by Halina Reijn (of the excellent Bodies Bodies Bodies).
Companion
Out now
Jack Quaid is a standout among the current clutch of young-ish actors making names for themselves in genres such as horror and comedy. And so he should be, with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan for parents. Here, he is in villain mode, for a creepy new psychological thriller also starring Sophie Thatcher and Lukas Gage.
A Real Pain
Out now
Family history resurfaces, creating new tensions, as two cousins, reserved family man David (Jesse Eisenberg) and live wire Benji (Kieran Culkin), travel around Poland to try to honour the memory of their grandmother, in this acclaimed comic drama written and directed by Eisenberg. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
Jakub Klimiuk Quintet with Mark Lockheart
Pizza Express Jazz Club, London, 13 January
Talented Polish jazz guitarist/composer Jakub Klimiuk is crafting a rare mix of New York edginess and Scandinavian avant-jazz impressionism. Now a UK regular, his partnership with founding Polar Bear/Loose Tubes saxophonist Mark Lockheart is quickly making waves. John Fordham
Mobb Deep
O2 Academy Islington, London, 16 January
Thirty years after the release of their hugely influential east coast rap classic, the relentlessly bleak The Infamous, the group – made up of rapper and producer Havoc, alongside Big Noyd and DJ L.E.S. (original member producer Prodigy died in 2017) – arrive in the UK to celebrate their legacy. Michael Cragg
CupcakKe
17 to 22 January; tour starts London
Chicago rapper CupcakKe, AKA Elizabeth Harris, brings her coterie of horned-up, graphic pop-rap to the UK in celebration of 2024’s Dauntless Manifesto. Expect the Charli xcx collaborator to turn each venue into a sweat-soaked club. MC
Love Life
Grand Theatre, Leeds, 16 to 18 January
Kurt Weill’s penultimate Broadway musical, a collaboration with My Fair Lady lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, is staged by Opera North. This story of an archetypal American family, whose lives are traced through 150 years of their country’s history, is staged by Matthew Eberhardt and conducted by James Holmes. Andrew Clements
Going out: Art
Breaking Lines
Estorick Collection, London, 15 January to 11 May
The radical poetic experiments of the Italian futurists are revisited in this unexpected view of a movement most famous for its art. In fact, futurist poetry was a form of visual art with its words scattered across the empty space of the page. Corrado Govoni and concrete poet Dom Sylvester Houédard are remembered.
Whistler Pastels
Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, to 2 March
The American-born James McNeill Whistler was an outrageous gunslinger of a character who galvanised 19th-century art. He was friends with Manet, a star in Paris, a scandalous success in Wilde’s London. This show reveals a lesser known side to his aesthetic ingenuity as it explores his passion for pastel.
New Contemporaries
ICA, London, 15 January to 23 March
This venerable showcase of the new marks its 75th birthday by returning to the ICA where it was staged in the 20th century. Here is a glimpse of art’s future as 35 young artists offer their visions of the personal and public. Will it be a gathering of tomorrow’s greats?
Sarah Kirby
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, to 23 February
Where better for a winter walk than Yorkshire Sculpture Park with its mix of landscapes, dotted with sculpture from subtle interventions to spectacular statues? Sarah Kirby’s attractive prints of the Park’s hills, dales and picturesque architecture add to the artistic tapestry. It’s a selling exhibition if you fancy a souvenir. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
The Lonely Londoners
Kiln Theatre, London, to 22 February
Roy Williams’s adaptation of Sam Selvon’s 1956 novel won tremendous reviews when it played at Jermyn Street theatre last year. Now the ambitions and realities of generation Windrush are laid out again as the show, made with rich song, stellar performances and a soaring sense of hope, transfers to the Kiln. Kate Wyver
SealSkin
The Lowry, Manchester, 16 January; then touring to 20 March
With every full moon, the Selkies peel away their skin. When a fisher discovers their secret and steals a skin, chaos is unleashed and a community unravels. Touring this spring, physical theatre company Tmesis retells this old Scottish folklore tale of love and betrayal with puppetry, projection and live acoustic music. KW
Resolution festival
The Place, London, to 15 February
This annual festival of new choreography is a showcase of upcoming talent that often yields a few golden nuggets. Each night is a complete lucky dip, with three wildly different shows across myriad styles of dance and performance. A good place to look for the names of the future. Lyndsey Winship
Chloe Petts
Soho theatre, London, 13 to 25 January; then touring to 9 March
The Kent-born standup is one of British comedy’s most accomplished new stars, applying dry wit and geezerish likability to some very timely topics. In her latest show, Petts weaves the hostile response to a recent Sky Sports presenting gig into tales of her head girl tenure while reflecting on the nuances of her gender identity. Rachel Aroesti
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Staying in: Streaming
Severance
Apple TV+, 17 January
At Lumon Industries, employees agree to medically divide their professional and personal brains in order to carry out classified work. Yet season one of this exquisitely unsettling drama saw a group of wretched office dwellers, led by Adam Scott’s Mark, successfully override the psychological split. Three years on, the series returns to unearth more mind-boggling corporate subterfuge.
Molly-Mae: Behind It All
Prime Video, 17 January
Parlaying a 2019 stint on Love Island into a colossally successful career as an Instagram influencer might not be the most edifying of achievements, but Molly-Mae Hague’s career has much to tell us about modern celebrity. This new documentary looks past the Facetuned perfection as the 25-year-old juggles motherhood with content production.
Untold: Born in the Limelight – Nepo Babies
Channel 4, 16 January, 11.05pm
After New York magazine christened 2022 “the year of the nepo baby”, many celebrity offspring were forced to check their privilege. In this documentary, Phoenix Chi Brown – daughter of Mel B – sees just how advantageous being a pop star’s daughter really is.
From
Sky Max/Now, 14 January, 9pm
John Griffin’s creepy sci-fi horror – hailed as a future cult classic in the US – returns to the town that traps all who enter (and torments them at night with nightmarish ghouls) for a third season chock-full of terrifying twists and a few long-awaited clues regarding the mysterious forces behind the characters’ plight. RA
Staying in: Games
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Nintendo Switch, out 16 January
Two players can barrel through this jungle-themed platformer as Nintendo’s troublesome ape and his nephew Diddy Kong, in search of stolen bananas.
Skate City New York
Apple Arcade, out now
The combination of simple touchscreen skateboarding controls and real-world New York skate spots is a clever one in this chill but stylish game for Apple’s subscription service. Keza MacDonald
Staying in: Albums
Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear
Out now
The Scottish post-punkers return with their sixth album, and a new member following the departure of original drummer Paul Thomson in 2021. Produced by Mark Ralph (Years & Years, Clean Bandit), it’s an album that marries big pop melodies to lyrics about how fears remind us we’re human.
Aphex Twin – Music from the Merch Desk (2016-2023)
Out now
Enigmatic knob-twiddler Aphex Twin assembles 38 rare dance music-adjacent head-scramblers on this surprise compilation. As the title suggests, the songs – including the pulsating, tricky-to-Google korg 1b ru,ec,e [London 19.08.2023] – are taken from one-off vinyl releases sold at his shows.
Ringo Starr – Look Up
Out now
Drumming Is My Madness hitmaker and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr follows up 2019’s What’s My Name with this country album, produced by T Bone Burnett. Made up of 11 original songs, Look Up also features the likes of Alison Krauss, Billy Strings and Larkin Poe.
Moonchild Sanelly – Full Moon
Out now
Last year saw South African singer, songwriter and rapper Moonchild Sanelly add Self Esteem to a top-notch list of collaborators that includes Beyoncé, Wizkid and Gorillaz. She follows that up with this third album of “future-ghetto funk”, which includes kinetic, club-ready bangers Big Booty and Do My Dance. MC
Staying in: Brain food
You Are Error
Podcast
Glitches are the bane of most gaming experiences but this charming series celebrates video game mistakes as a sign of the human in the machine. Highlights include episodes on Arabic mistranslations and strange horse renderings.
Chinese Cooking Demystified
YouTube
Shenzhen-based couple Steph and Chris host this series testing out regional Chinese recipes and explaining ingredients to a western audience. Begin with their explainer on the 63 cuisines of China, from braised donkey to blood duck.
Archive on 4: Do You Speak English?
Radio 4, 11 January
Looking back on 80 years of BBC programming, Josephine McDermott hosts a fascinating episode of the longrunning Radio 4 Archive series examining how BBC shows have taught English in postwar Europe and modern-day Afghanistan. Ammar Kalia