2 hours ago
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Going out: Cinema
Die My Love
Out now
Lynne Ramsay’s remarkable portrait of a couple spiralling emotionally in the wake of the birth of their child sees Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson go hell for leather in a pair of no-holds barred performances that chart the journey from passion to … well, it would be too simple to call it hatred. J-Law in particular seems likely to bag herself an Oscar nom for this one.
Predator: Badlands
Out now
This standalone film set in the Predator universe sees Elle Fanning’s Weyland-Yutani android character team up with Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s young, outcast Predator warrior, in a bid to survive a thoroughly hostile environment. Horror sci-fi directed by Dan Trachtenberg.
The Choral
Out now
For a certain audience, the prospect of a Nicholas Hytner-directed, Alan Bennett-scripted comedy-drama (their last collaboration was 2015’s The Lady in the Van, starring Maggie Smith), starring Ralph Fiennes, with Simon Russell Beale playing the composer Elgar and Roger Allam in the mix too, will be cinematic catnip, some slightly mixed reviews notwithstanding.
Dragonfly
Out now
Andrea Riseborough gives a committed turn as an isolated woman who befriends a lonely elderly neighbour (Brenda Blethyn). When a suspicious relative intervenes, things head south in this gritty British drama that builds gradually to an explosive climax. Directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton). Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
Mura Masa
Roundhouse, London, 14 November
After three albums on a major label, Guernsey’s Alex Crossan released last year’s Curve 1 independently, allowing for a more reflexive release schedule. That sense of spontaneity is carried over into the music itself – see recent single JUMP for details – and should be in full effect at this one-off gig. Michael Cragg
The Offspring
10 to 18 November; tour starts Cardiff
Thirty years after their commercial breakthrough with 1994’s 11m-selling album Smash, the California pop-punkers are still going strong. In theory this tour is in support of last year’s 11th album, Supercharged, but expect a heavy focus on the 90s, specifically the irresistible poseur anthem, Pretty Fly (For a White Guy). MC
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, 10 November; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 11 November; Barbican, London, 12 November
Simon Rattle brings his latest orchestra, one of the world’s greatest, for a short British tour to venues that have been hugely important in his own career. At Liverpool and Birmingham, Schumann’s Second Symphony is paired with Stravinsky’s Firebird, while at the Barbican in London Janáček’s tone poem Taras Bulba precedes Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. Andrew Clements
Harper Trio
Southend, 8 November; Southampton, 9 November
Led by Greek-born global-musical original Maria-Christina Harper, the Harper Trio’s unique alchemy of ambient brooding, quiet percussion and jazz-sax melodic edginess is steered by its leader’s ingenuity on the electric harp. Their latest album, Dialogue of Thoughts, seductively delivers exactly what the title says. John Fordham
Going out: Art
For All at Last Return
Baltic, Gateshead, 8 November to 7 June
How do humans affect the seas? You can guess the answers offered by this exhibition won’t be reassuring. Plastics and ocean warming, overfishing and other depredations are exposed by artists including Shezad Dawood, Joan Jonas, Otobong Nkanga and Rob Smith. But it promises to be “immersive” so bring a snorkel.
Anna Ancher
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, to 8 March
This Danish artist grew up in the fishing community of Skagen in the late 1800s and many of her paintings depict life there. She was more than a local realist, however. Drawn to French impressionism and its succeeding movements, she paints women in stilled, luminous moments, entrancingly reminiscent of Vermeer.
Secret Maps
British Library, London, to 18 January
The way the world is mapped has always been political. The development of increasingly accurate cartography in Renaissance Europe helped monarchs visualise their kingdoms and colonisers “know” distant lands. This exhibition looks at the sometimes sinister side of map-making as a form of power from the 14th century to now.
Into Abstraction
Firstsite, Colchester, to 18 January
The rise of British abstract art in the 20th century is set against modern social and political history in this survey. Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, the most famous British abstract modern artists, feature. So, interestingly, does LS Lowry, whose simplified views of industrial cities are seen here as abstract. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
Garth Marenghi
Touring to 3 May
Matthew Holness’s pompous horror novelist rose to fame as a sitcom character. Yet in recent years he’s been producing actual tomes. Now he’s taking his latest, This Bursted Earth – about an author experiencing strange visions (“a giant skeleton with a moustache”) – on a nationwide book tour. Rachel Aroesti
End
National Theatre: Dorfman, London, 13 November to 17 January
The final chapter in David Eldridge’s entrancing trilogy of plays about what it takes to fall – and stay – in love. How will Alfie and Julie write the ending to their story? Starring Clive Owen and Saskia Reeves.
Sherlock and the Twelve Days of Christmas
Birmingham Rep, 13 November to 18 January
The world premiere of a cheeky festive play with original songs from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s Christmas in Victorian London but in the West End, a flurry of performers are dying mid-performance. Enter Sherlock and Watson! Miriam Gillinson
Royal Ballet: Perspectives
Royal Opera House, London, 14 November to 2 December
A delicious-sounding triple bill featuring a world premiere from the excellent Cathy Marston, inspired by Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto. Plus Balanchine’s classic Serenade, set to Tchaikovsky, and Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go, to music by Sufjan Stevens – the first time the Royal has performed work by the star US choreographer. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
Malice
Amazon Prime, 14 November
James Wood – creator of quirky British sitcoms Quacks and Rev – turns his hand to the kind of luxuriously backdropped mystery drama that now defines the streaming era. Jack Whitehall plays a tutor who worms his way into a wealthy family’s world during a Greek holiday – before attempting to destroy their lives once and for all.
The Beast in Me
Netflix, 13 November
Claire Danes reunites with Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon for a pitch-black thriller. Tormented by her son’s death, author Aggie throws herself into writing a book about her new property mogul neighbour (Matthew Rhys) whose wife mysteriously vanished. But is she aiding an innocent man or collaborating with a killer?
Trespasses
Channel 4, 9 November, 9pm
Forbidden desire in 1970s Northern Ireland leads to unbearable tension between the personal and political in this adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s recent novel. Say Nothing’s Lola Petticrew is the Catholic woman in love, Tom Cullen (The Gold) plays her older Protestant squeeze and Gillian Anderson co-stars as her mother.
Richard Burton: Wild Genius
iPlayer & BBC2, 12 November, 9pm
The centrepiece of the BBC’s season celebrating the centenary of the Welsh actor’s birth, this documentary traces Burton’s epic journey from Valleys mining village to Hollywood, and from poverty and pain to riches, acclaim and – thanks to his romance with Elizabeth Taylor – unprecedented fame. RA
Staying in: Games
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC; out 13 November
The annual shooter series (above) goes for back-to-back Black Ops games, jumping to the far future of 2035 after last year’s 90s Gulf War setting. Confused? Don’t worry – the familiar gamut of campaign, zombies and multiplayer modes are still there to blast through.
Goodnight Universe
PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2, PC; out 11 November
For something completely different, Goodnight Universe sees you play as a baby with psychic powers, fending off a corporation who wants your abilities. From the developer behind tear-jerker Before Your Eyes, expect a touching tale to go with some gentle puzzle-solving. Matthew Reynolds
Staying in: Albums
Rosalía – Lux
Out now
Structured in four movements, and featuring the London Symphony Orchestra plus guests including Björk, Yves Tumor and Portuguese fado singer Carminho, the Spanish superstar’s latest is gloriously OTT. Thematically this fourth album explores feminine mysticism and transcendence.
Allie X – Happiness Is Going to Get You
Out now
After the gothic synthpop and icy new wave of last year’s Girl With No Face, Canada’s Alexandra Hughes goes more organic for its follow-up. Lead single Is Anybody Out There? is a mid-tempo rumination on anxiety, while the medieval-accented bop Reunite brings the harpsichord to the fore.
Alemeda – But What the Hell Do I Know
Out now
Signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, home to SZA and Doechii, Ethiopian newcomer Alemeda mashes alt-rock, pop and R&B on this seven-track EP. Having been inspired to make music by High School Musical, on songs like Beat a B!tch Up and Chameleon she welds that Disney take on pop-punk to distinctly un-PG lyrics.
Danny Brown – Stardust
Out now
The gonzo Detroit rapper enlists hyperpop’s biggest names, including Umru, Frost Children and Jane Remover, for his bonkers sixth album. The head-knocking title track is underscored by clattering metallic soundscapes, while Copycats balances Brown’s scattergun delivery with a sweet chorus. MC
Staying in: Brain food
In My Own Words: Val McDermid
11 November, 10.40pm, BBC One
Crime writer Val McDermid gives an honest insight into her colourful career, including starting out as a journalist before becoming inspired to write a new style of gritty crime fiction.
Articles of Interest: Gear
Podcast
Fashion series Articles of Interest returns with a new batch of episodes focused on the fascinating story of modern outerwear and its development from 1970s Japanese lifestyle brand designs to being influenced by the American military.
The House of Tabula
YouTube
Cultural video essay channel The House of Tabula has recently launched an in-depth series on the history of cinema. Highlights include a three-hour analysis of film’s greatest directors, from Eisenstein’s silent cinema to Christopher Nolan’s blockbusters. Ammar Kalia
