{"id":657601,"date":"2025-12-27T10:02:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T10:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/657601\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T10:02:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T10:02:12","slug":"the-lowdown-to-the-devils-backbone-the-week-in-rave-reviews-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/657601\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lowdown to The Devil\u2019s Backbone: the week in rave reviews | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

TV<\/strong>If you only watch one, make it \u2026The Lowdown<\/p>\n

Disney+<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Ethan Hawke stars in this very funny but profound drama from Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cA poignant and surprisingly personal story, about purpose and ageing and noble failure; about the timeless truth that the journey is more important than the destination. \u201d Phil Harrison<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Further reading<\/strong> Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater on power, combovers and Blue Moon<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restTea With Judi Dench<\/p>\n

Now<\/p>\n

Char lady \u2026 Judi Dench. Photograph: Sky UK<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The acting great invites Sir Kenneth Branagh over for a cuppa, and proves a surprisingly good interviewer \u2013 and owner of a foul-mouthed parrot.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe section on Dench\u2019s late husband, Michael Williams, in particular, is the highlight here. Her house is full of trinkets of the pair of them, and when Branagh pulls out a tablet to show her a clip of Williams in Henry V, she\u2019s moved to silence by the sight of him. If there\u2019s a lovelier, more touching moment on television this month, I\u2019ll be staggered.\u201d Stuart Heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

The Great Christmas Bake Off<\/p>\n

Channel 4<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The Peep Show cast (minus Robert Webb) reunite for a festive special that is oddly soothing to watch.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt is lovely to see the old gang again: this time in the spotlessly clean environs of the Bake Off tent instead of a shabby Croydon flat painted various shades of B&Q\u2019s Miasmic Despair range, for The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off.\u201d Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Further reading <\/strong>Did Egg get a Michelin star? Did Super Hans make it to Macedonia? The TV shows that most need a comeback<\/a><\/p>\n

Amandaland Christmas special<\/p>\n

BBC iPlayer<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> It\u2019s a mini Ab Fab reunion for this festive special, as the cast \u2013 including Joanna Lumley \u2013 decamp for a Christmas at the home of Aunt Joan (AKA Jennifer Saunders).
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt has been around for less than a year, yet the wildly popular Motherland spin-off feels as if it has been with us for ever, so timeless are the characters.\u201d Sarah Dempster<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

You may have missed \u2026The Ridge<\/p>\n

BBC iPlayer<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A bitterly funny, achingly realistic thriller about an anaesthetist who flies to New Zealand for the wedding of her younger sister, only to find her dead.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe inherent strangeness and wild beauty of the New Zealand setting add a dash of menace to every scene, a sense that anything might be possible if you take your eye off someone or something for a moment too long.\u201d Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Film<\/strong>If you only watch one, make it \u2026Marty Supreme<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet in Marty Supreme. Photograph: A24<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet stars as an on-the-make hustler trying to rise up the table tennis rankings in the early 1950s in an anxiety-inducing tale directed by Josh Safdie.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s a marathon sprint of gonzo calamities and uproar, a sociopath-screwball nightmare like something by Mel Brooks \u2013 only in place of gags, there are detonations of bad taste, cinephile allusions, alpha cameos, frantic deal-making, racism and antisemitism, sentimental yearning and erotic adventures.\u201d Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Further reading<\/strong> Josh Safdie on Marty Supreme, latent Jewish anxiety and why men are lost<\/a><\/p>\n

Pick of the restSentimental Value<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value. Photograph: MUBI\/PA<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Joachim Trier\u2019s entertaining drama sees Norwegian auteur-on-the-slide Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd putting his showbiz family through the wringer in the service of his fading career.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cAn uproarious but bittersweet black comedy of the movie world and showbusiness and the emotional vampirism and ruthlessness it involves, with a touch of All About Eve perhaps \u2013 made worse when you are working with members of your own family.\u201d Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Further reading <\/strong>Sentimental Value\u2019s Renate Reinsve on vomit-inducing reviews and 19-minute standing ovations<\/a><\/p>\n

Bowie: The Final Act<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Documentary covering the late musical hero\u2019s last couple of decades, in which he bounced from mediocrity to national treasure to creative resurgence.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cIt would be wrong to call it going out on a high, under the circumstances, but it\u2019s heartening that Bowie could craft such a poignant, defiant, dignified exit.\u201d Steve Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Further reading<\/strong> I thought I was a lesbian. David Bowie made me realise the truth<\/a><\/p>\n

The Devil\u2019s Backbone<\/p>\n

In cinemas now<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Rerelease of 2001 gothic gem from Guillermo del Toro, a part-horror, part-fairytale set in a haunted orphanage, executed with trademark technical flair and a good deal of empathy.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe political and the supernatural come together beautifully (and violently), and the unsentimental portrayal of childhood is refreshing, with terrific performances from the boy actors.\u201d Steve Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Now streamingLight Needs<\/p>\n

Streaming on True Story<\/p>\n

Another green world \u2026 Light Needs. Photograph: True Story<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> Meditation on plants and their people in which houseplants appear to make conversation and yearn for lost friends in a witty yet luminous film.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThis experimental documentary by Jesse McLean about houseplants inspired me to go around my house and water all my vegetal housemates and treat the mealybug infections afflicting the jade plants in my office. Now I feel better for it in every way, while also basking in the afterglow of this luminous piece of film-making that is cinematic fertiliser for thought.\u201d Leslie Felperin<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Books<\/strong>If you only read one, make it \u2026Capitalism: A Global History by Sven Beckert<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Dorian Lynskey<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A globe-spanning history of capitalism\u2019s first thousand years.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cBeckert enjoys shredding capitalism\u2019s self-flattering myths. He calls the notion of the free market \u2018nothing more than a figment of scholars\u2019 and ideologues\u2019 imaginations\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Pick of the restPalaver by Bryan Washington<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Michael Donkor<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> An estranged mother and son come to terms with each other in Tokyo.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cAll the staples of Washington\u2019s style are on show: the mumblecore prose, the interest in Asian culture, messy gay bars, a chosen family of queer sidekicks, frank presentations of sex and sexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Killing the Dead: Vampire Epidemics from Mesopotamia to the New World by John Blair<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Steven Poole<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A deep dive into the world of the undead.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cThe author, a historian and archeologist, argues that belief in the unquiet dead is found in many cultures and periods, where it can lay dormant for centuries before erupting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Chelsea Leu<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> The American novelist uses fiction to explore her Chinese mother\u2019s life and their difficult relationship.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cJust as her mother was berated as a girl for her curiosity and spirit, so she berated Jen with the same cutting refrains: \u2018Bad bad girl!\u2019 and \u2018No one will ever marry you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

You may have missed \u2026Every One Still Here by Liadan Ni\u0301 Chuinn<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Chris Power<\/p>\n

Summed up in a sentence<\/strong> A brilliant debut short story collection confronting Northern Ireland\u2019s bloody past.
What our reviewer said<\/strong> \u201cN\u00ed Chuinn\u2019s stories are unpredictable and memorable \u2026 they describe entanglements that cannot be ignored or consigned to history.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Albums<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the year\u2019s outstanding releases, explore the Guardian\u2019s best of 2025 music coverage, including the best rock and pop<\/a>, jazz<\/a>, folk<\/a>, classical<\/a>, experimental<\/a> and global<\/a> releases, plus the five-star albums we missed<\/a> this year<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TVIf you only watch one, make it \u2026The Lowdown Disney+ Summed up in a sentence Ethan Hawke stars…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":657602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[77,3943,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-657601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115790960696802238","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657601","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=657601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/657602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}