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Going out: Cinema
Dog Man
Out now
Remember The Fly, where Jeff Goldblum’s scientist becomes fused with a fly? OK, imagine that, but with a dog and a police officer. Together they are Dog Man, who must defeat an evil orange cat voiced by Pete Davidson, in this family animation based on the graphic novel of the same name.
The Fire Inside
Out now
Claressa “T Rex” Shields was the first female American boxer to win Olympics gold. This sports drama tells her story, starring Ryan Destiny, with Brian Tyree Henry as the tough-love coach, from a script by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), directed by Rachel Morrison.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Out now
Acclaimed drama written and directed by award-winning Iranian film-maker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil), whose cast and crew had to flee Iran after threats against them. Having premiered at the Cannes film festival last year, this tale of politics and paranoia focusing on an investigating judge in the revolutionary court in Tehran is now an Oscar hopeful.
Bring Them Down
Out now
Starring two of the most in-demand actors of the current moment, Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, this Irish debut from Christopher Andrews is that rare beast: a thriller starring a shepherd, whose sheep have been massacred by persons unknown. Catherine Bray
Going out: Gigs
Cyndi Lauper
Too 16 February; starts Glasgow
After five decades of performing, the outlandish 80s superstarheads out on what is being billed as her farewell to the road. As you’d imagine, the setlist is basically wall-to-wall hits, opening with She Bop and ending with the classic Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Michael Cragg
Inhaler
Touring to 21 February; starts Manchester
Irish rockers Inhaler, fronted by Elijah “son of Bono” Hewson, head out on tour in support of their Kid Harpoon-produced new album, Open Wide. Their third record, it marks a departure from the garage rock of old, so expect to hear glimpses of inspiration from the likes of MGMT, Prince and Depeche Mode. MC
Tommy Smith and Gwilym Simcock Duo
St George’s, Bristol, 13 February
Alongside being collaborators with some of jazz’s most famous contemporary names, the Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith and pianist Gwilym Simcock are both internationally recognised solo masters of their instruments. As a duo, their meetings are intimate and thrillingly expressive, as this rare gig will confirm. John Fordham
Festen
Royal Opera House, London, 11 to 27 February
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s fourth full-length opera is based on the 1998 movie by Thomas Vinterberg that launched the Danish Dogme 95 movement. A black comedy set at a businessman’s 60th birthday party, during which a family’s dark secrets are exposed, Festen has a libretto by Lee Hall, and a cast led by Gerald Finley, Allan Clayton and Stéphane Degout. Andrew Clements
Going out: Art
Goya to Impressionism
Courtauld Gallery, London, 14 February to 26 May
There are bound to be delights in this haul of art from Switzerland’s Oskar Reinhart Collection. Just don’t expect a coherent thesis. Instead it is a grab-bag of masterpieces by Picasso, Cézanne and more. Many resonate with the Courtauld’s own collection including a cafe by Manet, and a lovely Toulouse-Lautrec.
Linder
Hayward Gallery, London, 11 February to 5 May
Punk’s not dead as one of Britain’s most radical artists gets the retrospective she richly deserves. Linder started out by cutting up adverts to create Dada images for Manchester band Buzzcocks, and has continued her collage mayhem ever since. There is a restlessness to her that should make this compelling.
Anselm Kiefer
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 14 February to 15 June
Born in 1945 in Germany’s ruins, Anselm Kiefer has spent his artistic life dredging the depths of modern history, finding riches in horror. He is arguably the greatest artist alive, a sublime, still-relentless monster of creativity. In his 80th year, this show looks back at how he started out.
Hans Coper
The Arc, Winchester, to 24 March
Jewish engineering student Hans Coper fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and was trained as a ceramicist in London by Lucie Rie. He became famous for his modernist pottery in postwar Britain, creating pure, prehistoric, abstract forms. He also made three ceramic murals that are shown here in all their ambition. Jonathan Jones
Going out: Stage
Chris Cantrill
12 February to 22 March; tour starts Edinburgh
Best known as one half of surreal sketch duo the Delightful Sausage (alongside last year’s Edinburgh award-winner Amy Gledhill), the Yorkshireman also has a sideline in relatively straightforward – but still gratifyingly silly – standup. His latest show, Easily Swayed, dissects the early tremors of a midlife crisis. Rachel Aroesti
TESTO
Battersea Arts Centre, London, 11 to 22 February
Once you see Wet Mess, you’ll never forget them: surreal facepaint; two slick curls on an otherwise shaven head; beefy chest piece; toothy grimace. The high-voltage drag performer caused a stir at the Edinburgh fringe. Kate Wyver
Mary and the Hyenas
Hull Truck, to 1 March
Feminist trailblazer, literary pioneer and now star of a musical. This new tribute to writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft captures the fighting spirit of a woman determined to make a stand. Written by Hull-based playwright Maureen Lennon with music from singer-songwriter Billy Nomates. KW
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Vollmond
Sadler’s Wells, London, 14 to 23 February
Looking for an alternative Valentine’s outing? No choreographer got to the heart of the hell men and women put each other through better than Pina Bausch, although happily Vollmond – one of her last pieces, made in 2006 – has more levity than some of her more gruelling works. Lyndsey Winship
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Staying in: Streaming
Virdee
iPlayer & BBC One, 10 February, 9pm
Between gang warfare, a murderer targeting the local Asian community and the fact his Sikh family have disowned him for marrying a Muslim woman, Detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair) has a lot on his plate in author AA Dhand’s adaptation of his own Bradford-set crime novels.
Funboys
iPlayer, 10 February; BBC Three, 14 February, 10pm
The brainchild of Belfast’s Rian Lennon and Ryan Dylan, this new Northern Ireland-set sitcom about the intense bond between three game-obsessed virgin nerds in their 20s is a bit of an acquired taste – but if you’re able to embrace the post-ironic insincerity and meticulous silliness, big laughs await. Jamie Demetriou guest stars.
Big Boys
Channel 4, 9 February, 10pm
More boy-based action as Jack Rooke’s sweet and very funny bromantic comedy returns for a third and final series. Sensitive Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and the deceptively blokey Danny (Jon Pointing) are on the verge of graduating from uni, but will their unlikely friendship survive in the real world?
Cobra Kai
Netflix, 13 February
This Karate Kid spin-off – which reunited Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, 34 years on from the original movie – has been a huge hit for Netflix since they poached it from YouTube. Having strung out the release of its final season, the third – and concluding – instalment arrives at last this week. RA
Staying in: Games
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Out 11 February; all platforms
The life-stealingly, potentially relationship-ruiningly compulsive strategy game is back. This time you can remix history, guiding the Greeks as Charlemagne or Ming China as Xerxes.
Rift of the Necrodancer
Out now; PC
If you thought music games died in the 00s, you were wrong. Riff and shred your way through monsters in this cartoonish rhythm-based fantasy game, before guitar-dueling with boss characters.
Keza MacDonald
Staying in: Albums
Olly Alexander – Polari
Out now
While Years & Years’ 2022 chart-topper Night Call was an Olly Alexander solo album in all but name, this follow-up marks his official debut. Produced by Danny L Harle, it features the excellent synthpop workout When We Kiss, as well as Dizzy, Alexander’s underappreciated Eurovision entry.
Oklou – Choke Enough
Out now
French artist Oklou’s debut album manages to create a mix of ambient soundscapes, art-pop and old-fashioned bops. The tactile, slow-moving Take Me By the Hand, featuring Swedish singer-rapper Bladee, is offset by the hyperpop bounce of Harvest Sky.
Squid – Cowards
Out now
Brighton’s post-punk experimentalists return with their third album, the follow-up to 2023’s unwieldy O Monolith. Exploring various degrees of evil, Cowards’ nine songs feel like a return to basics, with excellent opener Crispy Skin shapeshifting elegantly through various melodic moments.
Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory
Out now
Having released six solo albums of undulating indie rock, New Jersey’s Sharon Van Etten has now added some friends to the mix. After suggesting her band – Jorge Balbi, Devra Hoff, and Teeny Lieberson – just start jamming, songs started to take shape, with the results finessed by Marta Salogni (Björk, Bon Iver). MC
Staying in: Brain food
The Longest Shortest Time
Podcast
Writer Hillary Frank’s joyous series on parenting makes a welcome return after a five-year break. Beginning as Frank navigated motherhood with an infant, the new run of episodes now tackles her daughter’s high school experiences.
Grumpy
ICA
The ICA’s latest digital commission is a film by Danish artist Sidsel Meineche Hansen, who examines love, desire and human anatomy through snatches of voice recordings and an eerie animation of wax models.
Rise and Fall of the Rust Belt
PBS America, 10 February, 8.35pm
This two-part series, continuing on Tuesday, gives an impressive overview of the US’s midwestern rust belt. Once a powerhouse of industry, the region’s postwar decline and current status as a political battleground is outlined here.
Ammar Kalia
