A dazzling celebration of Art Deco in Paris, the return of the infected in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple', and a new Game of Thrones spin-off. Here's what to look out for this week.
The first month of a new year always comes with plenty of reflection, something mirrored in the retrospectives and anniversary memorials taking place across the continent. From tributes to Art Deco to a revival of photographer Nan Goldin's landmark 1986 book, 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency', it's a time for looking back to inspire new perspectives looking forward.
While the next instalment of Alex Garland's rage virus series is hitting cinemas, it's also a better time than ever to catch up on the lesser-known European films that are nominated at the upcoming European Film Awards (EFAs). Taking place this Saturday (17 January), our resident film critic David Mouriquand will be reporting live on the ground from Berlin, so stay tuned to find out more about the winners (and read our reviews for frontrunners Sentimental Value, Sirat and It Was Just An Accident in the meantime).
Finally, if you're looking for new music that accurately reflects January's emotional swirl of listless nostalgia and curdled excitement, Xiu Xiu have got you - and a whole bunch of iconic songs - covered.
Until next time, enjoy this week's recommendations.
Exhibitions
Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency
When: 13 January-21 March 2026
Where: Gagosian Davies Street (London, UK)
One of the most famous photographers of our time, for five decades Nan Goldin has documented the relationships and inner-worlds of strangers with an intimate poeticism; glimpses of the silent seconds that define humanity. Her 1986 book, 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' remains a landmark of her career, which London's Gagosian gallery are celebrating the 40th anniversary of by exhibiting its 126 images - a first in the UK. From couples in bed to reflective revellers, Goldin's works capture the essence of her life at the time; a New York era that was vibrant with lost souls connecting in a haze of cigarette smoke and Lurex.
1925-2025. One Hundred Years of Art Deco
When: Until April 26, 2026
Where: The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris, France)
The bold geometry and clashing colours of Art Deco came to define the glamour and hedonistic hubris of the 1920s and '30s. Its mainstream popularity exploded in 1925, following the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, which solidified its notoriety as a contemporary style that still endures to this day. While the official 2025 centenary has passed, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs' tribute continues until April and remains a must-see; astonishing in the breadth and detail of its displays that transport you back to the smoky ambience of a distant time. It also features a recreation of the Orient Express, a train made famous by Agatha Christie's novel, which is doubly fitting due to it being the 50th anniversary of Christie's death! Anniversaries everywhere.
Bonus highlight: Communal power is being explored by London's Bethlem Museum of the Mind in 'Friends and Family: Kindred'.
Movies
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Where: Cinemas
When: 14 January
Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later was one of our favourite films of 2025, a frenetic and visceral visual feast that's cradled by a moving coming-of-age narrative. It also featured one of cinema's most memorable endings in recent history, as young Spike (Alfie Williams), who had decided to remain on the deadly mainland, encountered a boisterous, tracksuit-wearing gang known as the 'Jimmies' (based on real-life monster Jimmy Savile). The Bone Temple will delve deeper into the acticities of their leader, Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), along with developing Dr. Kelson's (Ralph Fiennes) arc as he attempts to form a bond with an Alpha (a huge and terrifying species of the infected). Directed by Nia DaCosta (Hedda, Candyman) and part of what will be a trilogy of new sequels, we have high hopes this will be just as exhilarating - and edge-of-your-seat tense - as the previous instalment.
Bonus highlight: In Hikari's Rental Family, Brendan Fraser stars as an unemployed actor who becomes a stand-in family member for strangers in Japan. Offbeat and heartwarming, it begins its roll-out across select European cinemas from 15 January.
TV series
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Where: Sky/Now
When: 18 January
If you're still reeling from the Game of Thrones finale, there's sort of good news: Nothing ever truly ends in TV land. For the most popular shows, and especially those set in fictional worlds as rich as George R.R. Martin's, a spin-off (or several) are always around the corner.
While season 3 of House of the Dragon is reportedly due this summer, we've got A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to get us through the dregs of winter. A smaller six-part series based on material from Martin's 'The Hedge Knight' novella, it takes place almost a century before ‘Game of Thrones’ and focuses on the daring adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
What might be most promising is its compact runtime, with episodes just 30 minutes each (and no dragons, as all were extinct at this point in the timeline). This suggests a focus on swift storytelling and character over drawn-out spectacle - things that have been regarded as the downfall of other entries in the franchise.
Bonus highlight: Hockey gets hot and heavy in Canadian rom-com series 'Heated Rivalry', about two Major League nemeses that fall for one another. Currently available to stream on Sky/Now.
Music
Xiu Xiu: Xiu Mutha F****n’ Xiu: Vol. 1
When: 16 January
Experimental alt-rockers Xiu Xiu are back with another confrontationally-charged 15th studio album. Known for their genre-blending and disorientating tonal shifts, the three-piece have consistently surprised listeners with their sonic shapeshifting since debut album 'Knife Play' in 2002.
Xiu Mutha F****n’ Xiu: Vol. 1 marks the the band's third album of covers, with Nina Simone and David Lynch's Twin Peaks paid tribute to in 2013 and 2016 respectively. This time, everything from Talking Heads' 'Psycho Killer' to Roy Orbison's 'In Dreams' and Robyn's 'Dancing on My Own' get the Xiu Xiu treatment, in honour and exploration of the music that inspired them.
Bonus highlight: If the above isn’t your thing, don’t panic. There’s a lot of great albums headed our way in the coming weeks and months - and we've rounded them up. Find out more here.
