From the delightfully absurd Northern Irish comedy Funboys to Olivia Rodrigo's latest album, this week's cultural offerings have been met with rave reviews. Here's a selection of the best, as featured in the Guardian's top-rated critiques.
Television
Must-Watch: Funboys
Available on BBC iPlayer now. This brilliantly silly series follows a group of twenty-something friends from a fictional Northern Irish town, and returns with a major cameo from Steve Coogan. Reviewer Rachel Aroesti notes, "This level of silliness belies some serious comic architecture. These boys may be idiots, but the men behind them are nothing of the sort."
Other Highlights
- Queen James (BBC iPlayer): Historian Gareth Russell presents a fabulous look at the male lovers of Britain's first king. Jack Seale says, "Russell definitely has the gift."
- Should I Marry a Murderer? (Netflix): The astonishing true story of a woman who helped police investigate her killer fiancé, only to be let down. Lucy Mangan comments, "We should rename true crime: 'The catalogue of ways misogynists and the patriarchy have set up this world to hurt, humiliate and destroy us.'"
- OnlyFans: Inside the Machine (BBC iPlayer): A bleak film about the exploitation on the sex platform, with big tech turning a blind eye. Stuart Heritage praises its placement in the wider social moment.
Film
Must-Watch: Effi o Blaenau
Now in cinemas. A blistering Welsh-language film starring Leisa Gwenllian as a force of nature, based on Gary Owen's one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott. Peter Bradshaw calls it "a tremendous performance... Effi regresses to a desperately childlike state."
Other Highlights
- Virginia Woolf's Night and Day: A dreamy adaptation directed by Tina Gharavi, with Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders. Bradshaw describes it as "a wayward, unworldly fantasia."
- Cactus Pears: A subtle story of forbidden love between two young men in India, from debut director Rohan Kanawade. The cactus pears symbolize a touching act of care amidst societal prickles.
- Killing Anna: A haunting documentary about Syrian academic Annsar Shahoud, who created an online persona to expose a suspected war criminal. Phil Hoad notes the "courageous, haunted and psychologically smudgy nature of this work."
Now Streaming: Hokum
Available on Prime Video. Adam Scott stars in this wry Irish horror film about a writer retreating to a remote hotel. Peter Bradshaw finds it "an amusing and gruesome premise."
Books
Must-Read: Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens
Reviewed by Diana Evans. A comic rollercoaster about a woman trying to perfect her last day of maternity leave. Evans notes, "Serious issues are addressed about the modern woman's practical and emotional responses to 'having it all'."
Other Highlights
- Togetherness by Rowan Hooper: A brilliant study of cooperation in nature, reviewed by Philip Ball as "a corrective deeply informed by what we have learned since Darwin."
- Morbid by Saul Justin Newman: An eye-popping debunking of longevity pseudoscience, featuring the case of a mummified supercentenarian. Rachel Clarke reviews.
- A Little Bit Bad by Cassandra Neyenesch: A tragicomic tale of an illicit romance and murder mystery. Daisy Hildyard says, "I absolutely enjoyed every single page."
- Disability by David Turner: A revelatory history of disabled rights, reviewed by Lucy Webster, highlighting the overlooked figure May Billinghurst.
You May Have Missed: The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly
Winner of the Walter Scott Prize, this novel explores fascism through the eyes of a mute autistic girl treated by Dr Hans Asperger. Natasha Walter calls it "spirited and memorable."
Albums
Must-Listen: Olivia Rodrigo: You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love
Out now. Rodrigo pivots from bratty pop-punk to 80s new wave in a witty, intelligent, and occasionally painful album. Alexis Petridis says, "It's a spectacularly accomplished pop album whoever it is about."
Other Highlights
- Brahms: Violin Sonatas with James Ehnes and Andrew Armstrong: "Effortless rightness," says Clive Paget.
- Ibeyi: Offering: The fourth album from the duo blends celestial R&B and ancient lore. Rachel Aroesti praises their "transcendent harmonies."
- Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet: A late-career triumph from the saxophone maestro, reviewed by John Fordham.
Now Touring: Lily Allen: West End Girl
Allen's one-woman performance of her album is full of theatrical staging and high camp. Dave Simpson calls it "compelling stuff."
