From Digger to The Strokes: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

Tom Cruise transforms in Alejandro Iñárritu’s heavyweight satirical comedy, while the NYC indie rockers are in the UK for an arena tour

Going out: Cinema

Digger
Out now
Tom Cruise is back, but he’s giving flyboys and secret agents a rest in favour of a transformation into a powerful oil tycoon, in director Alejandro G Iñárritu’s 2027 Oscar bid. But here’s the kicker: it’s not a sober, serious Oscar contender, but a wild and comedic big swing. Dig in.

The Weight
Out now
As character motivations go, the need to be reunited with your child is a powerful one. That’s what’s driving Ethan Hawke in this Depression-era historical thriller, in which a convict must transport gold illegally through the wilderness if he’s to be allowed to see his young daughter again. Also starring Julia Jones and Russell Crowe.

Verity
Out now
Anne Hathaway’s golden era of psychological thrillers (see also: Eileen, Mothers’ Instinct, Mother Mary) keeps on trucking. In this Colleen Hoover adaptation she plays an unstable novelist who may or may not be a murderer. Josh Hartnett plays her husband, and Dakota Johnson the ghostwriter caught up in a nightmare.

Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie
Out now
Prolific film-maker Alex Gibney directs a documentary about the aftermath of 24-year-old Hadi Matar’s 2022 attack on Salman Rushdie. Based on the literary titan’s own bestselling memoir, it contains footage filmed by his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Catherine Bray

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Going out: Gigs

Beyond the Music
MediaCity, Salford, 7 to 9 October
As well as offering an industry talks programme, the annual Beyond the Music conference showcases new talent over three days. This year’s lineup includes Jamaican-Irish rapper JayaHadADream and noisy sister duo Alt Blk Era. Michael Cragg

The Strokes
6 to 28 October; tour starts London
Having galvanised gen Z via 2020’s The New Abnormal, New York’s premiere indie rockers arrive in arenas in support of their new album Reality Awaits. Single Going Shopping should slot nicely next to Reptilia, Last Nite and Someday. MC

Leonkoro Quartet
Wigmore Hall, London, 6 October
Impressive new quartets appear constantly in classical music, but this group are the real deal. Their first recital as Wigmore Hall associate artists combines Beethoven and Schubert with the UK premiere of a new work by Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev. Flora Willson

Arbenz, Neame, Osby, Churchill
Watermill Jazz, Dorking, 6 October
Dorking is the last UK stopover for Swiss drums original Florian Arbenz’s European tour with US sax star Greg Osby, UK piano virtuoso Ivo Neame and resourceful UK singer Immy Churchill. Neame also plays 1000 Trades in Birmingham on Friday with his own trio. John Fordham

Going out: Art

Painting the French Riviera
Royal Academy of Art, London, to 31 January
Timed perfectly to coincide with the weather turning miserable, the Royal Academy is taking a warm, summery look at the Côte d’Azur and what made it such a destination for the artists who shaped modernism, such as Picasso, Matisse, Renoir and Raoul Dufy. It might make you very, very jealous.

The 90s: Art and Fashion
Tate Britain, London, 8 October to 14 February
Tate Britain’s big autumn show is a dizzying exploration of life in the UK during the hedonistic, hectic, drug-addled, rave-filled, Britpoptastic party decade that was the 1990s, with art by the likes of Juergen Teller and Sarah Lucas, all curated by former Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.

Living Labyrinths: Art and Fungi
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, 3 October to 21 February
Uncover all sorts of mycological marvels in this exhibition about the “culture of mushrooms”, featuring fungi-focused watercolours by Beatrix Potter, collages by Cy Twombly and mycelial art by a whole host of contemporary artists.

Mike Nelson
Modern Art Oxford, 3 October to 11 April
The master of large-scale, terrifying, atmospheric installation art returns to this Oxford institution 22 years after his last show here, this time tackling themes of belief, freedom, protest and memory. Eddy Frankel

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Going out: Stage

Rent
Tom Stoppard theatre, London, to 27 March
A high-voltage new take on Jonathan Larson’s powerful musical, starring Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo. Set in 80s New York in the midst of the Aids/HIV crisis, the show focuses on a group of young artists forging a living and falling in love. Miriam Gillinson

London City Ballet
Arts theatre, Cambridge, ouring to 24 October
It is only two years since artistic director Christopher Marney revived this ballet company, and he’s taken it swiftly from 0 to 60. It lands in Cambridge with a programme including Glen Tetley’s Firebird and a rarely seen work by Jerome Robbins. Lyndsey Winship

King Lear
Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester, to 15 November
David Threlfall tackles the mighty theatrical challenge that is King Lear – and stars alongside a rich ensemble cast, including musician Nadine Shah and Shakespearean pro Jonathan Slinger. MG

Finlay Christie
Guildford, 3 October; Peterborough; Sun; Chelmsford, Wed; Maidenhead, Fri; touring to 9 January
It sounds counterintuitive, but leaning into poshness can be a very effective way for comedians to connect with the public. It’s a tactic Christie uses in his latest show, Champagne Casanova, which combines riffs on privilege with the tale of a New Orleans mugging. Rachel Aroesti

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Staying in: Streaming

The Reluctant Vampire
BBC One & iPlayer, 4 October, 6.40pm
The neglected Sunday teatime slot gets a much-needed boost courtesy of this very cute adaptation of Eric Morecambe’s 1982 novel about a boy who discovers he’s a different beast from the rest of his bloodsucking family. Comic powerhouses Lenny Rush, Tom Davis and Sian Clifford star.

Below
Netflix, 8 October
This ominous new thriller sounds a bit like a Canadian Widow’s Bay minus the irreverent humour. Josh Hartnett plays a weathered fisher whose tiny coastal town is beset by a monstrous sea creature, a mysterious iceberg and some increasingly unsettling behaviour from the locals.

Carrie
Prime Video, 7 October
Television’s ongoing reliance on familiar IP plus the current vogue for horror means it was only a matter of time before we got a new version of Stephen King’s celebrated tale of a tormented teenage girl with telekinetic powers – now updated to include a grim cyberbullying plotline.

Damilola: The Untold Story
BBC Two & iPlayer, 5 October, 9pm
It has been a quarter of a century since 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was killed in south-east London. This documentary reflects on the violence faced by young people at that time and hears how tragedy killing shaped the lives of Taylor’s family and friends, including actor John Boyega. RA

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Staying in: Games

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
PC, PS5, Xbox; out now
On the face of it, this aerial combat game takes itself extremely seriously. It looks expensive, featuring a large cast and a dramatic military story. But it is also full of explosions and unselfconscious cheesiness. People who love Ace Combat really love Ace Combat.

End of Abyss
PC, PS5, Xbox; out now
This science fiction horror game has shades of Limbo, Inside, Little Nightmares, and Dead Space. You’re a space-suited investigator in a gloom-shrouded compound full of horrid things, dwarfed by the architecture and the scale of the monstrosities. Keza MacDonald

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Staying in: Albums

Johnny Marr – The Age of Everything
Out now
While his erstwhile colleague continues to swing a wrecking ball at his legacy, Marr has quietly built a solid solo career that peaks with this fifth album. Inspired by our overwhelming and oversaturated lives (hence the title), songs such as the bouncy Spin try to make sense of it all.

Victoria Monét – Frequency of Love
Out now
The multiple Grammy winner, fresh off a Bruno Mars stadium support slot, follows up 2023’s Jaguar II with another suite of luxurious R&B and soul. Working alongside regular producer D’Mile (HER, Silk Sonic) and Kaytranada, songs such as Juicy and Reach Out showcase Monét’s caramel vocals and melodic flair.

Walt Disco – Walt Disco
Out now
Alt-rock quintet Walt Disco return with their third album after a period of personal evolution. Musically influenced by the likes of Bowie and 00s indie discos, lyrically there are reflections on identity, growing up and, on the widescreen Lies, frontwoman Jocelyn’s struggles as a trans person.

Logic1000 – Confirmation!
Out now
Christine and the Queens, Jam City and Kučka guest on Australian DJ-producer Samantha Poulter’s second album as Logic1000. Featuring warm, house-adjacent bops such as All in for You, as well as club heaters (Jersey), the album peaks with The Only One’s ethereal ode to the next generation. MC

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Staying in: Brain food

The Questlove Show
Podcast
Drummer and film-maker Questlove hosts this in-depth interview series with his musical friends and inspirations. On the roster of intriguing guests are rapper Maseo from De La Soul and the R&B singer Eric Benét.

Why Do Some People Have a Better Sense of Direction Than Others?
YouTube
As someone who often finds themselves lost, this is a useful explainer on the existence of our “internal compass” and how those with a bad sense of direction can hone theirs to work more effectively.

Artworks: Roleplay
Radio 4, 6 October, 4pm
This charming series tasks actors from around the world to explain theatre’s great roles and their experiences playing them. This week, Fiona Shaw and Liz Carr are among the guests discussing Brecht’s gruelling Mother Courage. Ammar Kalia