Madonna returns with a new album of pristine dancefloor bangers, while the minions indulge in time travel. This week's entertainment guide covers cinema, gigs, art, stage, streaming, games, albums, and brain food.
Cinema
Minions & Monsters (Out now) – In this latest minions adventure, the yellow critters jump back in time to source monsters for their own creature feature. The premise is an excuse to string jokes together.
The Invite (Out now) – Celeste and Jesse Forever writers Will McCormack and Rashida Jones re-team to script a remake of the Spanish film The People Upstairs. Arriving with rave reviews from Sundance, Olivia Wilde directs and stars alongside Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (Out now) – Canadian comedians Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring their TV series to the big screen with a time-travel plot. The band Nirvanna the Band attempts to play Toronto venue The Rivoli. Much of the shooting is done without permits, featuring members of the public.
My Father's Island (Out now) – Swann Arlaud plays a father who takes his estranged 13-year-old son on a wilderness retreat. Perils include bear attacks and extreme weather. Based on the novella by David Vann.
Gigs
Outdoor Summer Season – Alexandra Palace Park, London, 9-18 July. Lineup includes Wet Leg (10 July), Super Furry Animals (12 July), and The Streets (16 & 18 July). The Maccabees kick off on Thursday.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival – Glynde Place, near Lewes, 4-5 July. Features Esperanza Spalding (4 July), Joe Lovano and Emma Rawicz (5 July), Bill Frisell (4 July), and dozens more.
Camilla Tilling and Paul Rivinius – Wigmore Hall, London, 6 July. Swedish soprano and German pianist duo perform Mahler's Kindertotenlieder and less familiar music.
2000trees – 8-11 July, Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham. Headliners: Alkaline Trio, Funeral for a Friend, Neck Deep. Also underground acts like Lambrini Girls and Ho99o9.
Art
Gillian Ayres – The Box, Plymouth, 4 July-4 October. Over seven decades, Ayres became one of Britain's most important painters. Show features her expressive, ultra-colourful abstraction.
Entangled and Woven – The Whitworth, Manchester, 10 July-3 January. 400 years of textiles from India and South Korea, plus new work by eight modern artists.
Nicola Bealing – Exeter Phoenix Gallery, 4 July-29 August. Dreamlike and dark paintings based on the seven deadly sins, filled with animals and hybrid creatures.
Tish Murtha – Baltic Centre, Gateshead, 4 July-4 April. Homecoming show for documentary photographer who died in 2013. Raw photos of life on the margins in the UK.
Stage
Michelle Wolf – Touring from 6 July-16 September. US comic's new show Best Job in the World mines laughs from parenthood and the gender divide.
Melissa Hamilton's Night of Ballet – Grange Park Opera, West Horsley, 9 July. Royal Ballet principal curates gala with extracts from classics and a new commission.
Oresteia – Bridge Theatre, London, to 19 September. Simon Stone directs modern take on Aeschylus's tragedy. Cast includes Tom Glynn-Carney, Mary-Louise Parker, David Morrissey, Rosie Sheehy.
Fun Home – Royal Exchange Theatre, London, to 1 August. Tony-winning musical based on Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir. Directed by Sarah Frankcom, starring Jodie McNee and Nigel Harman.
Streaming
Little House on the Prairie – Netflix, 9 July. New adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels. Stars Alice Halsey, helmed by Rebecca Sonnenshine.
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide – Now & Sky Documentaries, 8 July, 9pm. Four-parter directed by Bafta-winner Paddy Wivell, produced by Louis Theroux's company.
Miguel Ángel Blanco: The 48 Hours That Changed Spain – Netflix, 10 July. Documentary relives 1997 kidnapping and murder by Eta, uniting the public against terrorism.
Trying – Apple TV, 8 July. Adoption dramedy returns for fifth series. Guest stars Charlotte Riley and Celia Imrie.
Games
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC; out 9 July. Visual overhaul and reimagined single-player campaign emphasising swashbuckling action.
Moonlight Peaks – Switch 2, Switch, PC, Android; out 7 July. Rural-life sim where you're a vampire. Grow ingredients, craft potions, fall in love with werewolves.
Albums
Madonna – Confessions II (Out now) – Nearly 21 years after Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna reunites with producer Stuart Price. Throwback banger Danceteria is a highlight.
Sienna Spiro – Visitor (Out now) – Londoner's elegant retro-soul ballads. She has scored US hits, made UK Top 10, and sung for David Attenborough at his 100th birthday.
Mary in the Junkyard – Role Model Hermit (Out now) – London trio's debut album. Described as "sparse rock, like rock but balding." Tracks include New Muscles and Mouse.
Tom Rasmussen – Live at Union Chapel (Out Wed) – Queer, dance-focused pop stripped to bones. Harp-assisted Body, Heart, Mind creates a modern hymn.
Brain Food
The Surgeon of St Helena – Podcast blending investigative reporting with social history. Story of a surgeon on remote St Helena whose unethical practices went unnoticed.
Sotheby's – YouTube series exploring archives and curatorial expertise. Highlights include David Hockney's love of LA and Renoir's impressionism.
Secrets of the Ant Trade – BBC World Service, 9 July, 2.32am. Documentary on the global ant trade, a multimillion-dollar business. Follows Kenyan authorities clamping down on ant gangs.
