From Disclosure Day to Kelsey Lu: the week in rave reviews. Steven Spielberg presents a sci-fi conspiracy barnstormer, and the US singer and cellist returns with a rich, inventive new LP. Here is the pick of the week's culture, taken from the Guardian's best-rated reviews.
TV
If you only watch one, make it … The Alien Autopsy Scandal
Sky Documentaries & Now; available now. Summed up in a sentence: A hugely entertaining, quirky documentary that dissects a video that is supposedly a Roswell alien autopsy – but was actually filmed with a dummy in a London flat. What our reviewer said: “A thing of great playfulness and eccentricity that, over three increasingly extraordinary episodes, unknots the tale behind the notorious film.” Sarah Dempster. Read the full review. Further reading: The Alien Autopsy Scandal: this fascinating tale of a bizarre DIY hoax hits Spinal Tap levels of hilarity.
Pick of the rest: Brexit: A Very British Civil War
BBC iPlayer; available now. Summed up in a sentence: A grimly amusing documentary featuring an endless stream of blockbuster names spouting irresistible tittle-tattle about the vote to leave the EU. What our reviewer said: “Does this programme’s fixation on gossipy drama trivialise Brexit? Absolutely. Will you watch a more rollickingly fun documentary about politics this year? Absolutely not.” Rachel Aroesti. Read the full review.
Proud
HBO Max; available now. Summed up in a sentence: A Polish series about a hedonistic gay male model who suddenly has to raise a one-year-old after his sister’s death. What our reviewer said: “The scenes with the toddler are so gorgeous and believable, you almost start crediting tiny Alicja Lewczuk with being an accomplished actor, despite her not yet having acquired the power of speech.” Jack Seale. Read the full review.
You may have missed … The Murder Line
ITVX; available now. Summed up in a sentence: Minnie Driver stars in a Canadian crime caper. What our reviewer said: “As a mischievous yarn, with characters made to entertain and a story that never stands still, it’s on the edge of excellent.” Jack Seale. Read the full review.
Film
If you only watch one, make it … Disclosure Day
In cinemas now. Summed up in a sentence: Humans have been secretly abusing aliens for almost 80 years in Steven Spielberg’s big-hearted conspiracy thriller starring Josh O’Connor as a worried whistleblower and Emily Blunt as a weather forecaster channelling UFO chat. What our reviewer said: “Disclosure Day is never anything other than entertaining and grade-A fun; rare enough in the movies or anywhere else, rocketing along with barnstorming set-pieces, exhilarating chases, funny lines and a career-topper of a performance from Blunt.” Peter Bradshaw. Read the full review. Further reading: The best Steven Spielberg films, chosen by directors, critics and super-fans: ‘Pure popcorn perfection’.
Pick of the rest: The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford
In cinemas now. Summed up in a sentence: Quirky Scottish dramedy in which Peter Mullan delivers a tender performance, playing a cranky local historian obsessed with his obscure, unscrupulous ancestor. What our reviewer said: “Mullan brings his formidable presence to this first-time feature from director Sean Robert Dunn: he is angry and weary, disillusioned but kind-hearted, someone who got his feelings hurt a long time ago – but wouldn’t dream of making a fuss about it.” Peter Bradshaw. Read the full review.
Strictly Ballroom
In cinemas now. Summed up in a sentence: Baz Luhrmann’s dizzying, dance-tastic swirl of fun is classic oddball ugly duckling tale. What our reviewer said: “We can see in prototype the style that would later evolve into Luhrmann’s settled directorial mannerisms (analogous to watching an early Wes Anderson film): the zoom, the garish closeup, the huge eyes-and-teeth flourish.” Peter Bradshaw. Read the full review. Further reading: ‘Screaming girls chased me down the street’: how we made Strictly Ballroom.
Boogie Nights
In cinemas now. Summed up in a sentence: Paul Thomas Anderson’s porn epic lacks some of the craft shown in his later work, but remains a stylish and energetic descent into the cocaine-fuelled world of the 70s adult film industry. What our reviewer said: “As a film, Boogie Nights is clearly influenced by Scorsese: not just the epic rise-and-fall trajectory of GoodFellas but in Dirk running his lines in front of the mirror like Jake LaMotta. There is also something of Tarantino in the late-night store stick-up that leaves Buck covered with blood and with a brown paper-bag full of cash.” Peter Bradshaw. Read the full review.
Now streaming … Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Prime Video; available 10 June. Summed up in a sentence: Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams are remarkable in a thoughtful and funny expansion of the 1970s teen novel by Judy Blume. What our reviewer said: “Based on – but not entirely wedded to – Judy Blume’s seminal 1970 novel of the same name, the film is an entertaining comedy that also happens to be a stunning evocation of the fear and yearning that come with standing on the precipice of adulthood.” Lauren Mechling. Read the full review.
Books
If you only read one, make it … The End of Everything by M John Harrison
Reviewed by Michel Faber. Summed up in a sentence: Mysterious aliens in a decayed future England from the SF master. What our reviewer said: “It shows us a society that has long since forgotten Trump, social media and Middle Eastern genocides, and yet it burrows deep into our psyches to expose the terrifying insecurity of life right now.” Read the full review.
Pick of the rest: Stolen Revolution by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Yeganeh Torbati
Reviewed by Dina Nayeri. Summed up in a sentence: An essential primer on Iran’s recent history. What our reviewer said: “Stolen Revolution is a careful and unwavering account of the regime’s absurdities and crimes. It should be required reading for anyone who cares about human rights or justice in the Middle East.” Read the full review.
Frida Slattery As Herself by Ana Kinsella
Reviewed by Anjali Joseph. Summed up in a sentence: Skilful portrait of the long relationship between an actor and a director. What our reviewer said: “The engine of the book is romantic – will they end up together? – but while this keeps the plot ticking over, the magic of their connection comes, pleasingly, in their creative collaboration.” Read the full review.
A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Reviewed by Joe Moran. Summed up in a sentence: The children’s laureate on why social deprivation hits early reading hard. What our reviewer said: “If I have made this sound like a miserable book, it isn’t. It is interlaced with luminous bits of autobiography.” Read the full review.
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
Reviewed by Christobel Kent. Summed up in a sentence: An innocent young American arrives in Tuscany to work for an eccentric Baronessa. What our reviewer said: “The Baronessa casts the requisite spell – delivering, in the end, an enchantment threaded through with hope.” Read the full review.
You may have missed … The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet
Reviewed by William Dalrymple. Summed up in a sentence: Women’s prize for nonfiction-winning social history of Afghanistan – from the perspective of Kabul’s InterContinental hotel. What our reviewer said: “What sustains the book is Doucet’s focus on the ordinary Afghans who keep the place going despite the shelling, rockets, suicide bombs and occasional massacres of both staff and guests.” Read the full review.
Music
If you only listen to one, make it … Kelsey Lu: So Help Me God
Out now. Summed up in a sentence: Strange, graceful songs drifting from pop’s edgelands, aided by Jack Antonoff, Kim Gordon, Sampha and more. What our reviewer said: “It’s an album that wears its weirdness lightly, that keeps moving in unexpected directions with an impressively graceful smoothness – the work of someone who has their own vision and their own way of doing things.” Alexis Petridis. Read the full review.
Pick of the rest: Brown Wimpenny: Long Live Brown Wimpenny
Out now. Summed up in a sentence: Manchester folk collective get bawdy and shambolic – named after a 19th-century relative. What our reviewer said: “The group are strongest in quieter territory: the least showy track, Old Molly Metcalfe, is the album’s best moment, every strummed string, fiddle shimmer and soft harmony landing with emotional impact.” Jude Rogers. Read the full review.
Katia and Marielle Labèque: 55
Out now. Summed up in a sentence: The pianist sisters’ celebration of their 55 years of recording is a thoughtfully curated compilation that reveals their musical curiosity and brilliance. What our reviewer said: “A mix of new recordings and classics, it reveals the extent of their omnivorous appetites, from 20th-century modernism to minimalism and jazz – ending where they began with Messiaen’s barnstorming Amen de la Consommation.” Clive Paget. Read the full review.
Sally Beamish: House of Wonder
Out now. Summed up in a sentence: The British composer celebrates 70 years with an eclectic and profoundly personal album featuring friends and members of her talented musical family. What our reviewer said: “At the centre of it all is Beamish herself, a musical shapeshifter, at home in classical, jazz or folk fiddle. Much here is autobiographical, wistfully capturing family games, emotional absence and domestic moments.” Clive Paget. Read the full review.
On tour: Lola Young
O2 Apollo Manchester, 11 June; touring the UK to 19 June. Summed up in a sentence: Buoyant, brilliant return from British pop’s great oversharer after taking time away from live performance. What our reviewer said: “Young is a self-confessed loudmouth with a knack for turning chronic oversharing into lovable charm – it’s difficult to leave tonight feeling anything other than like you’ve made a new friend.” Amelia Fearon. Read the full review.
