France's biggest art heist and greatest cinephile rendez-vous, celebrity revelations, and a bum-numbing new Scorsese movie.
ADVERTISEMENTAs another week comes to a close, there's plenty of new film, TV and book releases to catch-up on, along with exciting exhibitions and events happening across Europe.
Without further ado, here are our recommendations.
Film
It's been another fantastic year at the 2023 Lumière Festival, which ends this Sunday 22 October for any Lyon-dwellers at a loose end. Our resident film critic David Mouriquand has been covering the event, including exclusive interviews with Monty Python legend Terry Gilliam and this year's Lumière Prize recipient, German director Wim Wenders.
And for those with bladders of steel, Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated (but rather long) new movie, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', is out at cinemas. Based on the 2017 non-fiction book ‘Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI’ by David Grann, it tells the true story of the exploitation and mass murders of the Osage Native Americans by money-hungry white intruders.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, it's "an impressive achievement and a masterfully told story about greed and the US’ genocidal conspiracy that has had far-reaching consequences on American history." Read our full review here.
Books
If you've ever wondered what it might be like to be Dolly Parton (haven't we all?) or Britney Spears or even filmmaker Werner Herzog (magical, surely), you can step inside their inner worlds for a while through newly published autobiographies.
In fact, celebrity memoirs seem to be the trend of the season, with a whole host of fresh releases this month. One of the most talked about has been 'Worthy' by Jada Pinkett Smith, which is released 24 October and made headlines for its revelations about her relationship with husband Will Smith and reaction to the Oscars slap.
TV
In 2010, Vjeran Tomic broke into Paris’s Musée d’Art Moderne and left with artworks worth over €100m, including a a Picasso, Matisse and Braque. A new Netflix documentary, 'The Spider-Man of Paris', explores the bizarre and fascinating story through reconstructions and interviews with Tomic.
Also on Netflix: 'Bodies', a thrilling crime drama set in London about a mysterious dead body that's found in four different timelines by four different detectives. Anything that stars Stephen Graham (Boiling Point, This is England, Boardwalk Empire) is worth watching, in our opinion.
While it's not technically out until next week, we're also very excited for the fifth series of goofy vampire comedy 'What We Do in the Shadows', streaming on Disney+ from 25 October.
Festival and events
When large numbers of Punjabis migrated to help rebuild the UK after WWII, they brought with them the ancient tradition of Shayari: Punjabi song and poetry.
Up until the early 90s, Shayari Poetry nights became a comforting tradition in many pubs across Britain, providing a safe space for Punjabi communities to celebrate their culture and connect with others. Hoping to revive it, the DESIblitz Literature Festival, which runs from the 20th – 28th October in Birmingham, will showcase three of the world’s greatest living Punjabi poets and Bhangra Musicians with performances at local community centres, libraries and desi pubs.
Over in Barcelona, there's the opportunity to explore the minimalist spectacle Fundació Mies van der Rohe on 22 October as part of the 48h Open House BCN architecture festival, which aims to promote the city's architectural heritage.
Originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich in 1929 for the German section of the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion was then reconstructed in 1986. Free guided tours will take visitors through the building's complicated history and influence on contemporary architecture.
Exhibitions and stage
From Studio Ghibli's tubby Totoro to heel-less shoes that'll make your ankles twinge, the inspiring worlds of Japanese art, technology and design are now on display at a new exhibition by Young V&A in London: 'Japan: Myths to Manga', open until 8 September 2024.
In Paris, an exciting new exhibition featuring 115 works by the iconic 20th-century artist Mark Rothko also opened this week, hosted at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.
And for those wanting to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, a new stage adaptation of The Matrix has has arrived at the brand new Aviva Studios in Manchester, UK. Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Sunshine, 28 Days Later), 'Free Your Mind' is a “dramatic retelling” of the classic 1999-released sci-fi film through dance, music, and visual effects.
