ADVERTISEMENT Hello, and welcome back for a fresh serving of cultural recommendations that’ll (hopefully) have you drooling like a xenomorph.
Indeed, Alien: Earth crash lands on small screens this week, taking us back to the origins of face hugger-to-human contact. Meanwhile,Together hits cinemas, utilising the concept of codependency for some sick supernatural body horror nightmares. It’s turning out to be a good summer for scares, huh? Which reminds us, there’s also Zach Cregger’s Weapons to add to your watchlist if you haven’t already – read our resident film critic David Mouriquand’s review here.
Finally, exhibitions! As well as the below mentions, there’s the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Hip Hop: Living A Dream’ and Copper Box’s ‘House of Kong’, while over in Warsaw is a never-before-seen display of Zdzisław Beksiński’s works.
Until next time, enjoy this week’s highlights.
Exhibitions
Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero
Where: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (UK)
When: Extended until 18 January 2026
As the world continues to mourn the loss of its Prince of Darkness, a free exhibition – based near where Ozzy grew up – has extended its run until the new year. Open every day throughout August, visitors can peruse a curated collection of the Black Sabbath-founder’s solo career accolades, including Grammy Awards and his Hollywood Walk of Fame honour. It’s a reminder of the musician’s working class roots, and the remarkable things he went on to achieve. A must-visit for fans.
Lygia Clark: Retrospective
Where: Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin, Germany
When: Until 12 October
A pioneering figure of contemporary art, Brazilian artist Lygia Clark became best-known for her sensual and abstract works that blended imagination with experience; fragmented installations that destabilise traditional perceptions. Now, 37-years since her death, Berlin is hosting an expansive retrospective of her works that spans the 1940s to the ’80s. Works on display include her famous ‘Bicho’, a series of moveable geometric sculptures that can be manipulated by the viewers.
Bonus: David Hockney 25 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton comes to an end soon on the 31 August – it’s his largest exhibition ever, so not to be missed! (Paris, France)
Movies
Together
Where: European cinemas
When: 15 August
What’s your attachment style? Almost certainly ‘anxious avoidant’ after watching this. The directorial debut from Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks, Together revolves around couple Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), who have recently hit a rocky patch in their relationship. After moving to a new home in the countryside, the pair find themselves in the clutches of some sinister supernatural forces that result in their flesh melding together. For fans of body horror and relationship psychology, this twisted commentary on toxic codependency is likely to satisfyingly sicken. Stay tuned for our full review.
Bonus highlight: Materialists – Celine Song’s highly-awaited follow-up to 2023’s Past Lives that stars Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal.
TV series
Alien: Earth
Where: Disney+
When: 13 August
In space, no one can hear you scream – but the same can’t be guaranteed on Earth (warn the neighbours). Having acquired the Alien franchise in 2019, Disney are taking its drooling xenomorphs to the small screen following Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus last year.
Directed by Noah Hawley (Fargo the TV series), the show is set two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s original 1979 movie, and takes place much closer to home. After an ominous-looking space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young, part-synthetic woman named Wendy (Sydney Chandler) investigates its contents alongside a team of soldiers. You can already imagine what’s lurking inside…
“If people wanted a television series based on the world of Alien, I think I’m gonna give them something special,” Hawley said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year. We’re shielding our faces in anticipation.
Bonus highlight: Daniel Dae Kim stars as a former US intelligence operative named David Jung in the South Korea-set thriller series Butterfly, streaming from 13 August (Prime Video).
Music
Maroon 5: Love Is Like
When: 15 August
Maroon 5 – now there’s a band most of us probably haven’t thought about in a while! A defining sound of 2000’s pop-rock, with hit singles like ‘This Love’ and ‘She Will Be Loved’, the Adam Levine-led sextet has struggled to achieve the same levels of success over the past decade (not helped by some pretty atrocious releases). But perhaps the return of the word love in their latest album’s title is a promising sign? The follow-up to 2021’s ‘Jordi’, ‘Love Is Like’ includes collaborations with Lil Wayne and Lisa from BLACKPINK.
Bonus highlight: Everyone’s favourite former Flight of the Concord member Bret McKenzie is back with his second solo album: ‘Freak Out City’.
Did we miss anything? Let us know what you get up to in the comments!
