{"id":366979,"date":"2025-08-23T10:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T10:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/366979\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T10:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T10:18:11","slug":"sorry-baby-to-earl-sweatshirt-the-week-in-rave-reviews-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/366979\/","title":{"rendered":"Sorry, Baby to Earl Sweatshirt: the week in rave reviews | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

TV<\/strong>If you only watch one, make it \u2026Confessions of a Brain Surgeon<\/p>\n

BBC iPlayer; available now<\/p>\n

Retired neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. Photograph: BBC\/Curious Films<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> An exquisite documentary, following pioneering neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, who is racked with guilt over patients who\u2019ve died, and wrestling with his conscience following a cancer diagnosis<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cA deep meditation on what it means to have lived: death hands us a ledger of triumphs and mistakes, the happiness we\u2019ve spread tallied against the pain we\u2019ve inflicted. Was it all worth it?\u201d Jack Seale<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>How brain surgeon Henry Marsh went from doctor to patient: \u2018I blurted out the question we all ask \u2013 how long have I got?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restHostage<\/p>\n

Netflix; available now<\/p>\n

Hostages to fortune \u2026 Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy. Photograph: Des Willie\/AP<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A fast, furious political thriller starring Suranne Jones as a PM whose husband is kidnapped, with terrorists demanding her resignation as the ransom.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cEveryone is terrific in this, and the budget is well spent on location shoots in French Guiana (or somewhere very like it), with Jones doing her usual sterling work as an everywoman in extraordinary circumstances.\u201d Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>Kidnap, blackmail and Suranne Jones as PM: inside Hostage, Netflix\u2019s breakneck new political thriller<\/a><\/p>\n

Long Story Short<\/p>\n

Netflix; available now<\/p>\n

Family guys \u2026 animated melancholia in Long Story Short. Photograph: Netflix<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The creator of BoJack Horseman serves up a hilarious, melancholic animated comedy about a Jewish family, which hops around in time from the 50s to the 2020s.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cTheoretically, a show as funny and clever as this could run for ever.\u201d Stuart Heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

The Real Housewives of London<\/p>\n

Hayu; available now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A belated London debut for the glossy, bitchy reality show with a penchant for drama<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s taken nearly 20 years for the American reality franchise to wind its way across the Atlantic to the capital \u2013 but now, finally, west London\u2019s ex-model community has a viable retirement plan.\u201d Ellen E Jones<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

You may have missed \u2026Bookish<\/p>\n

U&Drama; available now<\/p>\n

Black books \u2026 Mark Gatiss as a bookseller turned investigator. Photograph: U& Alibi<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Mark Gatiss leaps into the world of cosy crime dramas as a postwar bookseller with a mysterious \u201cletter from Churchill\u201d that lets him assist the police with investigations.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cBookish is a fine piece of entertainment \u2013 meticulously worked, beautifully paced and decidedly moreish. A joy.\u201d Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>Mark Gatiss: \u2018What does Benedict Cumberbatch smell like? Strawberries\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Film<\/strong>If you only watch one, make it \u2026Sorry, Baby<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Naomi Ackie and Eva Victor in Sorry, Baby. Photograph: BFA\/Alamy<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> In their bitingly funny feature debut, writer-director Eva Victor depicts the aftermath of sexual assault with striking naturalism and surprising grace.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cVictor has a deft and refreshing handle on the absurd situations, unnerving ironies and forced inevitability of moving forward.\u201d Adrian Horton<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading<\/strong> \u2018It\u2019s like a stone gets shoved into the river of your life\u2019: Eva Victor on sexual assault drama Sorry, Baby<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restThe Thursday Murder Club<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

The Thursday Murder Club. Photograph: Giles Keyte\/Netflix<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence <\/strong>There\u2019s much to enjoy in this adaptation of Richard Osman\u2019s bestseller, with Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie and Pierce Brosnan as the senior-citizen X-Men.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe result is some undemanding enjoyment, even if the film does appear finally to be saying something rather bold, even controversial, on the subject of assisted dying.\u201d Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Sepideh Farsi\u2019s shattering memorial to Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona follows her through a year of video calls before a fate that, though well known, is too bitter to bear.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThere\u2019s no soaring string soundtrack, no final on-the-nose irony, just the palpable absence of Hassona\u2019s almost always smiling face, her laughter, and her irrepressible optimism.\u201d Leslie Felperin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading<\/strong> \u2018I must document everything\u2019: the film about the Palestinian photographer killed by Israeli missiles in Gaza<\/a><\/p>\n

This Is Spinal Tap<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Rereleased ahead of its forthcoming sequel, the classic mockumentary about the mythic pomp of a musical colossus on the decline is still a joy.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> It is a story about failure, the kind of failure that reveals red-pill truths about the music business that success can\u2019t.\u201d Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Now streamingMission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning<\/p>\n

Available to buy on digital platforms<\/p>\n

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning. Photograph: Paramount Pictures and Skydance\/PA<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Tom Cruise does things his way in his wildly entertaining last Mission: Impossible, as maverick agent Ethan Hunt takes on the ultimate in AI evil.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cHe is of course doing his own superhuman stunts \u2013 for the same reason, as he himself once memorably put it, that Gene Kelly did all his own dancing.\u201d Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Books<\/strong>If you only read one, make it \u2026Helm by Sarah Hall<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Aida Edemariam<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Millennia-spanning epic of a Cumbrian wind, from the dawn of time to the present day.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cA project of this scope holds so much in suspension around its whirling, windy core that it could easily blow apart. Helm doesn\u2019t: partly, I would argue, because of Hall\u2019s development as a consummate short story writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>Blue sky thinking: why we need positive climate novels<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restDecolonizing Language by Ng\u0169g\u0129 wa Thiong\u2019o<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Simon Gikandi<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The final thoughts of a giant of African literature.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe book is Ng\u0169g\u0129\u2019s last account of his displacement from his own native ground, an acknowledgement of the heavy burden that those who write and speak the language of the other have to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>Take away our language and we will forget who we are: Ng\u0169g\u0129 wa Thiong\u2019o and the language of conquest<\/a><\/p>\n

Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, translated by Frank Wynne<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Christobel Kent<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A prize-winning historical blockbuster about a sculptor and his soulmate navigating Italy\u2019s turbulent 20th century.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIts poetry and its nuance, its passion and philosophical depth, its grasp of moral ambiguity, its clever interweaving of history and fiction, and its superlative characterisation rise quickly to the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

The Quiet Ear by Raymond Antrobus<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Alex Clark<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A poet\u2019s memoir of growing up between the deaf and hearing worlds.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cWhat emerges most consistently from this moving book is his need to be met on his own terms, in a territory that he is given the freedom to map for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>\u2018I\u2019m carrying survivor\u2019s guilt\u2019: Raymond Antrobus on growing up deaf<\/a><\/p>\n

You may have missed \u2026One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Dina Nayeri<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A cathartic savaging of western hypocrisy over Gaza.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt is an important book, a must-read, if only for the reminder that history always comes down to one simple question: \u2018When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>The ugly truth of American violence has never been plainer<\/a><\/p>\n

Albums<\/strong>If you only listen to one, make it \u2026Earl Sweatshirt \u2013 Live Laugh Love<\/p>\n

Out now<\/p>\n

Discomfort zone \u2026 Earl Sweatshirt. Photograph: Juliet Wolf<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> With a sunlit disposition and paeans to his daughter, the mood turns lighter on the US MC\u2019s sixth album \u2013 but the glitching, crashing beats are as esoteric as ever.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cYou\u2019re aware from the album\u2019s start that this is music from deep within what some people call hip-hop\u2019s \u2018otherground\u2019, an area in which normal rules don\u2019t apply \u2026 it\u2019s an enrapturing way to spend 25 minutes.\u201d Alexis Petridis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading <\/strong>\u2018I had to make myself inhabitable\u2019: Earl Sweatshirt on remaking his hip-hop persona<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restLinda May Oh Han \u2013 Strange Heavens<\/p>\n

Out now<\/p>\n

Covered in glory \u2026 Linda May Oh Han. Photograph: Shervin Lainez<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Ambrose Akinmusire and Tyshawn Sorey join the bassist-composer in a jazz trio playing originals and covers that are rhapsodic, rhythmic and tonally warm.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe guilelessly delicate Paperbirds is a highlight, as is the soaringly rhapsodic Folk Song \u2026 the title Strange Heavens unerringly nails this music.\u201d John Fordham<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Nourished By Time \u2013 The Passionate Ones<\/p>\n

Out now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Marcus Brown\u2019s second album of post-R&B makes a plea for big feelings in earthy vocals, rolling breakbeats and a contender for song of the summer.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cAbsorbing and cinematic \u2026 Often Brown sings with such wide-mouthed, full-hearted commitment that he could be laughing or crying.\u201d Katie Hawthorne<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

Tchaikovsky \u2013 The Seasons<\/p>\n

Out now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The young Korean star Yunchan Lim gives these 12 miniatures more gravitas than most pianists.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cNow, it seems, Lim feels it is time to reveal a more expressive, intimate side to his playing.\u201d Andrew Clements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p>\n

On tour this weekColdplay<\/p>\n

To 8 September, Wembley stadium, London<\/p>\n

Chris Martin and Guy Berryman of Coldplay on stage at Craven Park, Hull. Photograph: Andrew Benge\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Having sold 12m tickets to their Music of the Spheres tour, the band continue it with a 10-night run at Wembley stadium.<\/p>\n

What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cFrom a pounding version of Clocks to the gentle acoustic hum of Sparks, the band command, control and own every inch of the vast space as they move around it.\u201d Daniel Dylan Wray<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full review<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TVIf you only watch one, make it \u2026Confessions of a Brain Surgeon BBC iPlayer; available now Retired neurosurgeon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3940],"tags":[4080,77,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-366979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115077572624981198","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}