Weekly Entertainment Roundup

A summary of new releases, compiled from various critic reviews.

Television

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV)

A drama about a woman being blackmailed by a camboy.

"A sure-footed and completely bingeable thriller with an edge of unpredictability." — Lucy Mangan

Kylie (Netflix)

A docuseries about pop icon Kylie Minogue.

"What emerges is Kylie’s sunny disposition, vitality and her immense struggle to become what she always was at heart – a magnificent pop star." — Chitra Ramaswamy

The Boroughs (Netflix)

A group of retirees fight a monster in a US retirement village, executive produced by the Duffer Brothers.

"Channel[s] the spirit of Spielberg" with an "emphasis on emotional truth." — Lucy Mangan

The Dark Side of Married at First Sight (BBC iPlayer)

A Panorama investigation into the Channel 4 reality series, featuring allegations of rape and sexual assault.

"There is enough in this half-hour programme to fuel a hundred, a thousand documentaries." — Lucy Mangan

Inside Britain’s National Parks (BBC iPlayer)

A tour of the UK's protected rural areas, featuring interviews with local people.

"The interviews with the people who live there make your heart truly sing." — Lucy Mangan

'Last One Laughing' Mockumentary (Channel 4)

Sam Campbell, a finalist on the comedy competition, stars in a mockumentary about a director who makes poor films.

"Deeply silly." — Stuart Heritage

Film

Eagles of the Republic (In cinemas)

A satirical political thriller, the third film in Tarik Saleh's "Cairo trilogy," about a washed-up movie star forced to star in government propaganda films.

Critic Peter Bradshaw compared the film to the work of Billy Wilder, as well as the films Mephisto and The Conformist.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (In cinemas)

The bounty hunter from the Disney+ series confronts the Empire and Jabba the Hutt's family.

"Serves up some entertaining but familiar Star Wars narrative tropes on a spectacular Imax scale." — Peter Bradshaw

Hen (In cinemas)

A survival story following a chicken.

Critic Leslie Felperin noted the filmmaker's "light tonal touch and his ability to truly empathise with his avian heroine without resorting to anthropomorphic sentimentalism."

Tycoon (In cinemas)

Set during the 2028 Olympics, two Latino men in a dystopian Los Angeles exploit a system of state-sanctioned racial violence.

Critic Phuong Le praised "beautiful[ly] attentive" blocking and composition.

Tribe (Available Monday on digital platforms)

A retired professor searches for a lost sect in the California mountains, encountering Lovecraftian terrors.

"A palpable sense of disintegration and malignancy." — Phil Hoad

Books

Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy by Daniel Okrent

A biography of the musical master.

"The successful years are slightly less enjoyable than the slog to the top." — Emma Brockes

I Want You to be Happy by Jem Calder

A love story set in the digital age.

"The characters here live both in and out of the physical world." — Sam Leith

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller

A gothic horror story combined with social realism, following a sculptor's dark past.

"A lurid, big-boned, messy, often brilliant book." — Lara Feigel

Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard

A debut novel about a woman threatened with deportation during the Windrush scandal.

"Moves with a propulsive energy." — Emma Loffhagen

Love’s Labour by Stephen Grosz

Stories of love and relationships from a psychoanalyst's practice.

"What a privilege it is for the reader to catch a glimpse of this process." — Sophie McBain

Albums

Kurt Vile: Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me (Out 29 May)

An indie rock album surveying life in mid-40s.

"Loose, lush, ambling, aimless, and totally, deeply poetic." — Shaad D’Souza

Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Fabio Luisi: Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (Out now)

A live concert recording of Wagner's Ring Cycle.

"Fabio Luisi’s clear-sighted command and strong orchestral playing make this Wagner set frequently impressive." — Clive Paget

Miles Davis: Ascenseur pour l’Échafaud (Out now)

A soundtrack for Louis Malle's 1958 film.

"A quiet slow-burn, but simmering with all of Miles Davis’s timelessly extraordinary light and heat." — John Fordham

Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt: Almost Waking (Out now)

A collaboration between Guatemalan musician Mabe Fratti and US musician Bill Orcutt.

"Reveals a deep kinship between these true originals." — Alastair Shuttleworth

Kraftwerk (Touring the UK to 9 June)

Ralf Hütter and the band are performing.

"Fifty-five years since the band formed, the machines still need their man." — Brian Coney