The Week’s best film, TV, book and live show on this weekend, with excerpts from the top reviews.
TELEVISION: Mindhunter: season 2
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“David Fincher's Netflix's serial killer drama returns for a second season of creepy interrogations, weighty conversations and strong performances…[season 2 is] “a confident and tantalising return, whetting my appetite for a weekend binge and making me wonder how much bigger this show's profile could be under different circumstances.”
On Netflix from 16 August
MOVIE: Good Boys
Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian:
“Some massive laughs, a huge Stephen Merchant cameo and the most impressive school play on film since Wes Anderson’s Rushmore are all on offer in this very funny teen – or rather tween – comedy. It’s a bad-taste kids’ adventure that welds the spirit of The Goonies and Stranger Things with Superbad and Booksmart… There are some outrageously sized gags and a genuinely sad and insightful moment when the Beanbag Boys wonder why exactly they are friends and how long their friendship will last.”
In cinemas 16 August
BOOK: The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Anna Aslansan in The Spectator:
“Yoko Ogawa’s new novel takes us to a Japanese island where things keep disappearing: ribbons, birds, musical instruments, fruit. People, too, are at the mercy of the Memory Police, an efficient lot hunting for those who can’t shake off their memories. Each disappearance involves not just getting rid of the physical object, but also of every trace of it in everyone’s mind. The unnamed narrator’s mother is among the disappeared, but things she collected remain in the house where the daughter still lives, writing novels about people losing something.”
Released 15th August
SHOW: Oedipus
Ann Treneman in The Times:
“It’s a superb interpretation of Sophocles’s story that feels modern and timeless. It oozes confidence, and Hildegard Bechtler’s open-plan office and kitchen set is sleek and inviting. The family dinner scene is particularly riveting. The children are Kennedy-esque, all hair and teeth and preposterous confidence. Their grandmother Merope, with her grey bun and taciturn ways, is played by Frieda Pittoors with total authority.”
Showing 14-17 September at King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Festival
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Political cartoons for October 21Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include a high-profile theft, Epstein files keeping Donald Trump up at night, Halloween costumes and scary GOP stories
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Five things we learnt from Virginia Giuffre’s memoirThe Explainer Nobody’s Girl recounts ‘harrowing’ details of Giuffre’s suffering as a teenage victim of Jeffrey Epstein and his circle
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Prince Andrew: a timeline of disgraced royal’s Epstein scandalIn Depth How the Queen’s favourite child went from Falklands War hero to public pariah
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: a solid summer blockbusterThe Week Recommends The big-money movie might be 'a bit silly' but the effects are excellent
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A 'deplorable tactic': why film studios are pitting influencers against criticsTalking Points Movie bosses are increasingly prioritising 'social sentiment' over newspaper reviews
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Five shows to watch now Succession is overIn Depth Fans grieving the end of the smash hit series could find a TV replacement
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What to expect from season four of SuccessionIn Depth The Roys return in March with fans speculating on the role cousin Greg may play
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The ten best and worst Christmas TV specialsThe Week Recommends Featuring some real corkers as well as clangers, from Gavin and Stacey to Glee
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This England: what to expect from Boris Johnson Sky dramaUnder the Radar New TV series starring Kenneth Branagh will take viewers inside Whitehall as the pandemic unfolds
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What’s on this weekend? From Glow season three to Jaws nostalgiaDaily Briefing Your guide to what’s worth seeing and reading this weekend
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What is on TV tonight? Sick Note, Keeping Faith and Spina Bifida & MeSpeed Read The Week rounds up the best picks for this evening’s television
