From Ludwig to Ariana Grande: the week in rave reviews
Summed up in a sentence David Mitchell’s quirky puzzle-maker returns for more cosy capers as he aims to solve the mystery of his missing detective brother.
What our reviewer said “Ludwig is as sharp as it is cuddly, its bobbly pullover concealing a script that revels in wordplay and the infinite micro-horrors of social awkwardness.” Sarah Dempster
Pick of the rest
Buried With Michael Sheen
BBC; available now
Summed up in a sentence The actor searches for answers in a two-part investigation into “forever chemicals” dumped in Welsh quarries in the mid-20th century.
What our reviewer said “It proves to be a story that keeps throwing up moments and characters for which a scriptwriter would congratulate themselves.” Jack Seale
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing
Netflix; available now
Summed up in a sentence A harrowing and sobering sequel documentary that pours through the on-going Boeing aviation safety scandal after the death of a whistleblower.
What our reviewer said “This isn’t a horror film, but you’ll struggle to find many movie scenes more nightmarish than Freefall’s reconstruction of the January 2024 incident when a door plug blew out mid-flight and several passenger oxygen masks malfunctioned.” Ellen E Jones
Little Bird
Sky Atlantic/Now; available now
Summed up in a sentence Evocative period drama based on the true story of Indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their families by the Canadian government.
What our reviewer said “Little Bird is an impressive and heartfelt work, tender and moving. It cleaned up at the Canadian Screen awards, winning 13 gongs. For it to be ignored globally would be a crime.” Patrick Smith
Further reading ‘Little Bird: this beautiful, moving Canadian drama will fill you with visceral anger’
You may have missed …
Star City
Apple TV; available now
Summed up in a sentence An alternate reality where the USSR won the space race is explored further in this Soviet-centred spin-off to For All Mankind.
What our reviewer said “As much as it will offer space history fans a deep dive into the ‘what if?’ possibilities surrounding the intoxicating fundamental premise, it offers a broader audience something equally fascinating.” Lucy Mangan
Film
If you only watch one, make it …
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Gillian Anderson stars in queer slasher spectacular in which a young indie film-maker Kris tracks her down for a remake of a beloved horror, to find fantasy and reality collapsing.
What our reviewer said “Director Jane Schoenbrun unveils a very enjoyable display of transformative ecstasy and submissive rapture, treating us to a bizarre pop-cultural black mass of fiercely believed-in trash and kink.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘I was born without self-esteem’: Hannah Einbinder on Hacks, her buzzy queer horror – and being Hollywood’s most outspoken star
Pick of the rest
Stop! That! Train!
Out now
Summed up in a sentence RuPaul-led zany comedy features a whip-smart drag queen cast and a refreshingly kooky twist on the summer movie caper.
What our reviewer said “It’s a 90-minute madcap riot that deserves a spot in drag comedy herstory alongside White Chicks and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, stuffed full of mostly welcome celebrity cameos and sharp innuendoes, with every frame chock-full of a 30 Rock episode’s worth of visual gags.” Owen Myers
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Studio Ghibli’s 1989 coming-of-age story by master animator Hayao Miyazaki is a lovable and sunny fantasy that boldly broaches the issue of female sexuality.
What our reviewer said “Like the classic My Neighbour Totoro, this seamlessly works elements of fantasy and mild crises into an everyday children’s story, though this one serves more as a primer for womanhood.” Steve Rose
Further reading Ghibli’s midlife crisis: as beloved Japanese studio turns 40 will the magic fade?
Coyote Vs Acme
Out now
Summed up in a sentence After being shelved as a tax write-off, this Looney Tunes reboot returns and redraws hapless hunter Wile E Coyote as the Erin Brockovich of the cartoon world.
What our reviewer said “The pure fanatical oddity makes this watchable.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading Something Wile E this way comes: how the Looney Toons reboot movie came back from the dead
Now streaming
Over/Under
On digital platforms from Monday 24 August
Summed up in a sentence Beautiful coming of age story of female best friends set across five summers, navigating the ups and downs of adolescence and bodily changes.
What our reviewer said “In the hands of a different director this all might have come across as twee or even icky, but here the actors’ astonishing naturalism and ease in front of the camera make this an exemplary coming-of-age story, dramatic enough to hold interest but never veering into melodrama or patronising didacticism.” Leslie Felperin
Books
If you only read one, make it …
Life of M by Rachel Cusk
Reviewed by Clare Clark
Summed up in a sentence A teasing novel about a writer with a film star friend whose career echoes Natalie Portman’s.
What our reviewer said “Cusk writes with crisp acuity about the frictionless existence of the celebrity, the corrosive effect of fame on family relationships, the blend of purity and cynicism that delimits a person forged in the forcefields of power and pretence.”
Pick of the rest
Ukrainian Lessons by Charlotte Higgins
Reviewed by James Meek
Summed up in a sentence The Guardian’s chief culture writer on how art endures in the midst of extreme violence.
What our reviewer said “Higgins says that her time in Ukraine ‘unanchored’ her. ‘It altered and enlarged the way I saw things, as if I had been given different eyes.’”
Further reading ‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege
Agrippa by Robert Harris
Reviewed by Sam Leith
Summed up in a sentence Bloodshed and rivalry in ancient Rome, as seen by Octavius’s right-hand man.
What our reviewer said “Everyone is betraying everyone else, raising armies, marrying each other’s children, forming and breaking alliances. It’s hectic.”
The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef
Reviewed by Oliver Bullough
Summed up in a sentence The bizarre story of a psychedelic toad guru.
What our reviewer said “I challenge any reader not to see this highly enjoyable book as a parable for so much that’s wrong with the current economy. Everything from the undeserved authority of charlatans to the rampant exploitation of the natural world.”
How I’ve Tried to Change the World by Alexei Sayle
Reviewed by Andy Beckett
Summed up in a sentence The leftwing comedian remembers his life in protest.
What our reviewer said “Sayle richly conveys the mix of enthusiasm and doubt which anyone who goes on demos will recognise.”
You may have missed …
The End of Everything by M John Harrison
Reviewed by Michel Faber
Summed up in a sentence This Booker-listed novel from the sci-fi master imagines mysterious aliens in a decayed future England.
What our reviewer said “It shows us a society that has long since forgotten Trump, social media and Middle Eastern genocides, and yet it burrows deep into our psyches to expose the terrifying insecurity of life right now.”
Albums
If you only listen to one, make it …
Lambchop: Punching the Clown
Out now
Summed up in a sentence More than a quarter of a decade since their breakthrough critical moment with country/soul masterpiece Nixon, Kurt Wagner et al continue to push themselves towards new sounds on album 17.
What our reviewer said “It’s an album that lures the listener in with the warmth and intimacy of its sound, but ultimately leaves you unsettled.” Alexis Petridis
Pick of the rest
Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble: Parabólico
Out now
Summed up in a sentence The Brazilian saxophonist and composer, known for reimagining the works of her country’s virtuosos, transforms the songs of singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil.
What our reviewer said “Wilmer’s Ship of Theseus-style project celebrates the remarkable depth that remains to be explored and renewed in these decades-old works.” Ammar Kalia
Now touring …
Ariana Grande
The O2, London to 1 September
Summed up in a sentence The US pop superstar’s Eternal Sunshine tour continues its London residency before Grande takes a step back from the spotlight.
What our reviewer said “A robust arena show that ultimately wants us to see one thing and experience another.” Kate Solomon
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