Steve Coogan makes a surprise appearance in the new series of the Northern Irish comedy Funboys, while Olivia Rodrigo's latest album receives glowing praise. Here are the week's cultural highlights from the Guardian's best-rated reviews.
Television
Funboys
BBC iPlayer; available now
The brilliantly daft tale of twentysomething friends from a fictional Northern Irish town returns, featuring a major cameo from Steve Coogan. Our reviewer said: 'This level of silliness belies some serious comic architecture. These boys may be idiots, but the men behind them are nothing of the sort.'
Queen James
BBC iPlayer; available now
A fabulously entertaining look at the male lovers of Britain's first king from historian Gareth Russell. 'Russell definitely has the gift,' said our reviewer.
Should I Marry a Murderer?
Netflix; available now
The astonishing real-life tale of a woman who helped police investigate her killer fiance, only for them to let her down badly. Our reviewer noted: 'We should rename the true crime genre: "The catalogue of ways misogynists and the patriarchy have set up this world to hurt, humiliate and destroy us."'
OnlyFans: Inside the Machine
BBC iPlayer; available now
A preposterously bleak film about the hordes of men who have turned the sex platform into a sleazy nightmare, with big tech turning a blind eye. 'What the film does brilliantly is position all of this in the crosshairs of the wider social moment,' said our reviewer.
Film
Effi o Blaenau
In cinemas now
A blistering Welsh-language film featuring Leisa Gwenllian as a force of nature in this big-screen version of Gary Owen's one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott. Our reviewer praised Gwenllian's 'tremendous performance' as Effi, who regresses to a childlike state when confronted with authority.
Virginia Woolf's Night and Day
In cinemas now
A dreamy adaptation of Woolf's novel, directed by Tina Gharavi, with Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders. Our reviewer described it as 'a wayward, unworldly fantasia' with a 'wistful, unexpectedly Germanic kind of romanticism.'
Cactus Pears
In cinemas now
A subtle story of forbidden love between two young men in India, directed by Rohan Kanawade. The cactus pears of the title are a shy gift, symbolically removed of their prickles, pointing to the challenges the lovers face.
Killing Anna
In cinemas now
A haunting documentary about Syrian academic Annsar Shahoud, who created an online persona to flush out a suspected perpetrator of the Tadamon massacre. Our reviewer noted 'the courageous, haunted and psychologically smudgy nature of this work.'
Hokum
Prime Video; available now
Adam Scott plays a writer retreating to a remote Irish hotel in this eccentric and blackly comic shocker. Our reviewer called it 'an amusing and gruesome premise' stretched into a convoluted narrative.
Books
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens
Reviewed by Diana Evans
A woman tries to make her last day of maternity leave perfect in this comic rollercoaster about motherhood. Our reviewer said the book addresses 'serious issues about the modern woman's practical and emotional responses to "having it all".'
Togetherness by Rowan Hooper
Reviewed by Philip Ball
A brilliant study of cooperation in nature, offering 'a corrective deeply informed by what we have learned since Darwin about how nature works.'
Morbid by Saul Justin Newman
Reviewed by Rachel Clarke
An eye-popping debunking of longevity pseudoscience, recounting the case of a supposed 111-year-old revealed to be a mummified husk.
A Little Bit Bad by Cassandra Neyenesch
Reviewed by Daisy Hildyard
A tragicomic tale of an American woman's illicit romance, also a gripping murder mystery. 'I absolutely enjoyed every single page,' said our reviewer.
Disability by David Turner
Reviewed by Lucy Webster
A revelatory history of the struggle for disabled rights, highlighting figures like disabled suffragette May Billinghurst.
The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly
Reviewed by Natasha Walter
The winner of this year's Walter Scott prize explores fascism and complicity through the eyes of a mute autistic girl treated by Dr Hans Asperger. 'A book that walks a tightrope between sentimentality and honesty,' said our reviewer.
Albums
Olivia Rodrigo: You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love
Out now
The pop star returns with a witty, intelligent album pivoting from pop-punk to 80s new wave. 'It's a spectacularly accomplished pop album whoever it is about,' said our reviewer.
Brahms: Violin Sonatas
Out now
Violinist James Ehnes and pianist Andrew Armstrong bring assurance and grace to Brahms' violin sonatas. 'Performances that exude an effortless rightness.'
Ibeyi: Offering
Out now
The fourth album from the duo offers celestial R&B and soaring vocals, fusing Cuban and Parisian influences. 'Summoning ancient lore over intricate beats, transcendent harmonies and brooding distortion.'
Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet
Out now
A late-career triumph from the saxophone maestro, masterfully glowing with pliable eloquence.
Now touring
Lily Allen: West End Girl
Tour continues in the UK and Ireland to 8 August
Allen's one-woman performance of her zeitgeist-dominating album is full of theatrical staging, humour and high camp. 'A discourse on power in relationships and perhaps even the emptiness of some celebrity, it's compelling stuff.'
