Down the Cemetery Road to Florence + The Machine: Week of Enthusiastic Reviews | culture

television

If you only watch one, do it…

Down Cemetery Road

Apple TV+

Summarize in a sentence Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson star in a fast-paced, twisty thriller based on Mick Herron’s first novel in the Slow Horses series.
What references do we have? He said “Down Cemetery Road is great. There’s not a wasted moment, not a wasted word. Everything is there for a reason.” Lucy Mangan

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Slow Horses author Mick Herron: ‘I like doing things that break the rules’

Choose from the rest

Physical: Asia

Netflix

Summarize in a sentence A Korean game show featuring national teams of contestants competing head-to-head in gladiator-style challenges to prove which country has the strongest reality show contestants.
What references do we have? He said “This kind of fairly repetitive fitness fodder is perfect for Netflix: the perfect thing to help you get some sprints on the treadmill first thing in the morning, but also great nonsense that you’re only half-thinking about watching it at the end of a long day.” Joel Snape

_{Read the full review}

Once upon a time in space

BBC iPlayer

Summarize in a sentence A deeply personal look at the space race that interviews participants in the 1970s program that destroyed the dominance of white male astronauts.
What our reviewer said “This handful of humans, with ambitions and emotions not so different from anyone else’s, did something incredible for the benefit of humanity. ‘Once Upon a Time in Space’ opens with a commentary reminding us that the age of mass space travel may soon be coming – but watching this, the universe actually seems a little closer.” Jack Seale

_{Read the full review}

Maybe she was gone…

Chad Powers

Disney+

Summarize in a sentence Glen Powell stars in a sports comedy about a washed-up American football star who uses prosthetics to resume his career under an assumed name.
What our reviewer said “What we’re left with is as far from Ted Lasso as you can get. It’s a mutant redemption story with a satisfyingly elastic moral core: Can you really be redeemed if it involves lying to every single person on the planet?” Stuart Heritage

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Hollywood star Glen Powell speaks to Marina Hyde

film

If you only watch one, do it…

relay

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence Riz Ahmed turns into a would-be whistleblower using a secure phone messaging system in a smart and twisty surveillance thriller from David Mackenzie.
What our reviewer said “There are some very nicely orchestrated scenes in the big city, and Mackenzie ramps up the tension with his style.” Peter Bradshaw

_{Read the full review}

Choose from the rest

Bugonia

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence A chilling conspiracy theory comedy from director Yorgos Lanthimos with Jesse Plemons as a fanatic who kidnaps Emma Stone’s ice queen.
What our reviewer said “Lanthimos’s new film has an expectedly powerful performance from Emma Stone, a rousing orchestral score from Gerskin Vendrix, and, most importantly, a brilliant montage finale.” Peter Bradshaw

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Los Angeles Cinema offers a free Bugonia ticket for those wishing to shave their heads

Continental 25

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence A scattering satire of Romania’s social ills in Radu Jude’s satirical polemic about 21st-century Europe.
What our reviewer said “It’s a strange, tumultuous tour de force of anxiety, revealing a panorama of apathy, a disinterest in the idea that other people’s suffering (or well-being) is of little interest or concern. It’s not easy viewing, but Judd’s filmmaking has such energy and impact.” Peter Bradshaw

_{Read the full review}

Facing the war

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence A thrilling documentary that follows NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg through his final year, balancing diplomacy, arrogance and all-out war with unnerving calm.
What our reviewer said “Stoltenberg is a great agent: superficially gentle but a skilled fixer. He comments that the TV character he most sympathizes with is Tony Soprano – who has to keep everyone happy.” Peter Bradshaw

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Inside the meeting that brought NATO to the brink of the abyss

Streaming now

Kenny Dalglish

Prime Video, starting November 4

Summarize in a sentence Asif Kapadia’s entertaining portrait of the football legend whose Liverpool career was damaged by the Heysel Stadium and Hillsborough disasters.
What our reviewer said “As for Dalglish himself, he emerges as a clear character without the painful complexity of the other characters Kapadia has overshadowed, like Diego Maradona or Amy Winehouse, and this film does not have that deranged menace and dazzle. But perhaps it is its subtle simplicity that allows Dalglish to survive.” Peter Bradshaw

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Kenny Dalglish talks about his love for Liverpool and the long shadow of Hillsborough

books

If you only read one, do it.

Reader Anthony Bourdain

Reviewed by Sukhdev Sandhu

Summarize in a sentence Undiscovered gems from the charismatic chef.
What our reviewer said “I suspect that in the coming years Bourdain will be read more as a writer about food than as a writer about working in food. Everywhere he lands—whether in struggling bistros, mob joints or downtown nightclubs—he approaches the subaltern class of underpaid toilers who chop, sizzle, and sweat.”

_{Read the full review}

---

Choose from the rest

Salman Rushdie’s Eleventh Hour

Reviewed by Kevin Bauer

Summarize in a sentence A quintet of stories about death and the afterlife.
What our reviewer said “In this late, self-conscious book, the startling authenticity of Rushdie’s novelistic heyday seems more like an echo than an urgently present voice.”

_{Read the full review}

Lover’s Heart by Lily King

Reviewed by REBECCA Wait

Summarize in a sentence A delightfully witty tale of college romance and midlife dispossession from the book’s author and lovers.
What our reviewer said “This is a book that loves the reading experience, and deals precisely with the way certain stories and ideas powerfully influence us at certain points in our lives.”

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Lily King: What is life without love?

Attention Anne Enright

Reviewed by Catherine Hughes

Summarize in a sentence A keenly observed, realistic novel from the author of The Gathering.
What our reviewer said “My feeling when reading this collection is that each precious line needs to be reviewed twice: first for the sound and form of the words, and the second for their meaning.”

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Anne Enright is going through the agony of vacating her family home

---

Maybe she was gone…

Revolutionaries by Jason Burke

Reviewed by Pratinav Anil

Summarize in a sentence Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, this book is a riveting account of the political extremism that dominated the 1970s – from the Red Army to Carlos the Jackal and the Islamist suicide bombers.
What our reviewer said “Covering four continents and drawing on sources in dozens of languages, Burke’s survey combines a flair for period detail—sideburns, aviator shades, berets, Beretta pistols—with impressive summaries of Arab and Iranian history.”

_{Read the full review}

---

Albums

If you only listen to one, do it…

Florence + The Machine: Everyone screams

Out now

Summarize in a sentence On her sixth self-deprecating, gut-dotted record, Florence Welch distinguishes between the drives and contradictions of fame.
What our reviewer said “No one is going to come out of ‘Everybody Scream’ complaining about the dearth of big choruses and emotional operatic vocal improvisations. But there’s more light and shadows here than you might expect, and a greater desire to set the volume low rather than turn it up to 11.” Alexis Petridis

_{Read the full review}

Further reading Florence Welch talks about sexism, yelling and the pregnancy loss that nearly killed her

---

Choose from the rest

Anna von Haussolf: Iconoclast

Out now

Summarize in a sentence The experimental Swedish musician shifts from drone to psychedelic pop tunes, with guest appearances from Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain.
What our reviewer said If it’s too much, it’s too good: with their sense of movement, their ups and downs, their radiant melodies, and their emotional power, these songs are as exhausting as they are exhilarating. Alexis Petridis

_{Read the full review}

Walton: Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 1, Scapino

Out now

Summarize in a sentence Conductor John Wilson’s raucous reading and cellist Jonathan Asgaard’s romantic, angst-ridden score underscore the searing tension and snarling climaxes.
What our reviewer said “This is the second Sinfonia of London album dedicated to William Walton and is a perfect example of how conductor John Wilson’s lively, yet penetrating, style combined with the orchestra’s trademark brilliance to fit this composer’s music like a glove.” Clive Paget

_{Read the full review}

Alpha Maid: Is this a waiting list?

Out now

Summarize in a sentence Hook-laden riffs are woven through rambling instrumentation, ritualistic drum workouts and tripping guitar riffs in Mica Levi’s collaborator’s latest track.
What our reviewer said “Her new album balances great pop elements with songwriting that stands on its own feet.” net bugle

_{Read the full review}

---

Now on tour…

Sananda Maitreya

Tour until November 6th

Summarize in a sentence Lost pop prodigy, formerly Terence Trent Darby, returns for the first time in 23 years with a dazzling, diverse show – and Faletto continues to wow audiences.
What our reviewer said His voice remains an astonishing instrument, capable of both sweetness and raw, aching power. Dave Simpson

_{Read the full review}

Further reading “The best song played at a party is the one that makes people leave”: Sananda Maitreya’s Honest Playlist