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📂 **Category**: Culture,Television,Film,Books,Music
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television
If you only watch one, do it…
Jon Snow: One last big story
Channel 4; Available now
Summarize in a sentence A journalist sets out to make a documentary about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis – then discovers that the disaster in Zambia has been underreported… and old instincts kick in.
What our reviewer said “This gentle but unsentimental smartwatch gives the journalist his laurels and the man his dignity, all while acknowledging the cruelty and sadness behind illness. If this is Snow’s swan song, it’s as great a song as he could hope for.” Lucy Mangan
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I kissed a girl
BBC iPlayer; Available now
Summarize in a sentence Ridiculously fun dating shows the BBC has been unceremoniously axed.
What our reviewer said “As well as being unprecedented, these shows have been a container for vital conversations about queerness that aren’t happening anywhere else on our screens, and certainly within the NPR’s remit. Plus, they’re ridiculously entertaining.” Hannah J. Davis
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Further reading Brotherhood with sexual advantage! That’s why I Kissed a Girl is a can’t-miss watch
Dragon House
Sky Atlantic, Now and HBO Max; Available now
Summarize in a sentence After two busy seasons, the Game of Thrones prequel is finally good.
What our reviewer said “Breathe the news that this show has found its focus. The beginning of Season 3 is a great saga, balancing big battles with intense scenes in which dominance is transformed and fatal character flaws.” Jack Seale
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Further reading ‘My mum says I’m not working class anymore!’: Olivia Cooke on power, privilege and the division of audiences in House of Dragon
Bear
disney+; Available now
Summarize in a sentence The exciting chef show that won all the awards ends with countless kitchen disasters – and more comedy than ever before.
What our reviewer said “Everything that could go wrong goes painfully wrong: torrential rain, horrific plumbing problems, a car accident, food falling over, late dinner clogging the tables, and several employees going through various stages of emotional breakdown. But when the team overcomes most of these obstacles, the relief is almost transcendent.” Rachel Aroesti
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Further reading ‘It’s Time for It to End’: Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the delicious final season of The Bear
film
If you only watch one, do it…
Blue heron
In cinemas now
Summarize in a sentence A Hungarian immigrant family grapples with oppositional defiant disorder in director Sophie Romvari’s intimate, unglamorous debut film about childhood trauma in 1990s Canada.
What our reviewer said “It is a biographical film, in fact, a fictional film, imbued with a kind of calm, a refusal to exaggerate real-life drama and tragedy. It does not stage its suffering in a Hollywood style but almost captures it for the viewer, intimately and in a hushed voice.” Peter Bradshaw
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Supergirl
In cinemas now
Summarize in a sentence A new entry into the DC Universe, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl joins forces with Eve Ridley’s Ruthye to fight an evil intergalactic human trafficker.
What our reviewer said “After her brief involvement in last year’s muddled and dull Superman reboot, Supergirl is now getting a more vibrant and colorful film of her own.” Peter Bradshaw
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Further reading A jaded, hard-drinking Supergirl? This could be James Gunn’s hit in the DCU
The angry one
In cinemas now
Summarize in a sentence A martial arts epic in which a father hunts down the traffickers who kidnapped his daughter in this exhilarating action film from director Kenji Tanigaki.
What our reviewer said “Following in the footsteps of the gory Raid and Indian murder films, this martial arts show falls into full-blown parent exploitation territory.” Mike McCahill
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A better tomorrow
In cinemas now
Summarize in a sentence Spectacular battle action, gritty melodrama and even broad comedy combine in director John Woo’s blood-soaked action classic from 1986.
What our reviewer said “Wu is probably the only one who insists that the shootout took place at what appears to be a dockside gas station, which also has large, large drums of diesel fuel strewn about.” Peter Bradshaw
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Broadcasting…
Chris and Martina: The Ultimate Collection
Netflix; Available June 27
Summarize in a sentence Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova discuss the deep connection and intense rivalry of their decades-long relationship at the pinnacle of tennis’ achievements.
What our reviewer said “It is very much a film worth watching, and one that makes a powerful and valid point that even in the cutthroat world of professional sports, there is actually room for true friendship and ‘sportsmanship’.” Peter Bradshaw
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Further reading I grew up watching Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova – this story of their friendship broke me
books
If you only read one, do it.
The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Corey Doctorow
Reviewed by Dorian Lynskey
Summarize in a sentence Urgent warning about the economics of big tech companies.
What our reviewer said “Doctor speeds through this engaging primer with his usual vivid similes, righteous anger, and acerbic asides.”
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Further reading ‘You can’t make billions without hurting people’: Cory Doctorow on Elon Musk, the AI bubble, and the delusions of cruel bosses
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The Family Man by James Lasdun
Reviewed by Catherine Hughes
Summarize in a sentence A forensic study of the murder case that shocked America.
What our reviewer said “Lasdun’s prose is pure joy. His resistance to turning into full-blown Southern Gothic is particularly admirable.”
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Awake Awake by Fiona Moseley
Reviewed by M John Harrison
Summarize in a sentence A slippery tale of unreliable memories by a Booker Prize-shortlisted author.
What our reviewer said Awake is, on the one hand, a clear vision of contemporary moral and political failure in the UK and, on the other, a set of interesting philosophical and metaphysical engagements with the nature of memory. M John Harrison
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Kane by Tayari Jones
Reviewed by Sana Goyal
Summarize in a sentence The intertwined lives of two motherless girls in 1950s America, from the Women’s Prize winner.
What our reviewer said “By turns, Kin’s novel is brisk and visceral, a cautionary tale about the limits of love, both given and future.” Sana Goyal
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Dangerous, Dirty, Violent and Young by Zedd Ayers Dorn
Reviewed by Peter Carty
Summarize in a sentence He grew up in a family of revolutionary extremists on the run from the FBI.
What our reviewer said “Surprisingly, Dorn’s parents got away with almost everything. His father was never imprisoned, while his mother only served seven months between 1982 and 1983. Perhaps even more surprising is that Dorn doesn’t hold any of that against them.” Peter Carty
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Maybe she was gone…
The Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
Reviewed by Lara Vigil
Summarize in a sentence Our conspiracy theory era’s comedy debut about a dysfunctional American family has been shortlisted for the Waterstones First Fiction Prize.
What our reviewer said “Cash’s witty wit allows her to warm hearts while poking fun at the world.” Lara Vigil
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Albums
If you only listen to one, do it…
Musa: Wow! signal
Out now
Summarize in a sentence From Count Dracula’s organ to the wailing choruses in Latin, Devon’s band is distinguished by its preposterous scenery but nuance in this saga of extraterrestrial life.
What our reviewer said “If you don’t want to live there all the time, a visit is never boring – there’s something strangely admirable about her sticking to her completely preposterous part, her refusal to submit to any idea of maturity or good taste and instead doubling down on her own in her own world.” Alexis Petridis
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Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms of Brazil
Out now
Summarize in a sentence The festive drumbeat of the dancefloor has been remixed, with a treasure trove of field recordings remastered into pulsating floor fills and sparse funk.
What our reviewer said “Expertly curated and sourced almost miraculously, Flee cements its position as one of the most innovative archival labels in the industry, giving artists the freedom to transform these sacred beats into new dancefloor rituals.” Amar Kalia
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Downtown Boise: Public Welfare
Out now
Summarize in a sentence An exhilarating blast of bilingual political punk from the Rhode Island five-piece, with bouncing bass lines, muted house strings, and pounding drums.
What our reviewer said “Optimism may seem outdated, but the Downtown Boys are proud outliers – they wear their politics proudly while bringing ambiguity, strangeness and a new shade to the passionate, bilingual punk they play.” Katie Hawthorne
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Elgar and Dvorjak: Cello Concerto
Out now
Summarize in a sentence Alban Gerhardt’s readings are frank, refreshing, and thoughtful, eschewing romantic and heartfelt interpretations to find nobility and poetry in these famous concerts.
What our reviewer said “By scrutinizing the scores—and few composers were as reckless with their marks as Elgar—he found much that was refreshing and illuminating, with a frankness and rejection of luxury that might not please those accustomed to more heartfelt interpretations.” Clive Paget
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Now on tour…
Gorillaz
Touring in Europe until August 29
Summarize in a sentence A stunning, high-tech mini-fest from the mind of Damon Albarn’s Magpie, featuring an endless array of iconic guest stars.
What our reviewer said “The evening was an extraordinary triumph – a two-and-a-half-hour spectacle with its daring ambition and military precision stemming from the fertile imagination of one man.” Ian Gittens
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