CULTURAL RADAR

Here
Directed by Robert Zemekis, starring Tom Hanks

Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, this ambitious film all takes place on the same patch of land in New England. The timeline of the film takes us from the beginning of time to far into the future, though the main focus is on a couple, played by Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who occupy the house built on this patch of land, taking them from Vietnam-generation teens to octogenarians. It has been described as a breathtaking and revolutionary odyssey through time and memory and will also reunite the team – Eric Roth (script) Zemeckis, Hanks and Robin Wright – who made Forrest Gump 30 years ago. It is a film full of interesting quirks most notably that the camera has been placed at a fixed angle for the entire running time, never moving, allowing the lives of the characters to unfold around it.

Before We Forget Kindness
Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Pan Macmillian, £14.99

The first book in this series, Before the Coffee Gets Cold was a million-copy bestselling story of a small café in Tokyo where customers can travel back in time asking the question – if you could revisit your past, would you? There were conditions. The customers must sit at the same seat, they cannot leave the café and they must travel back to the present before their coffee gets cold. It was enthusiastically received with its gentle plot hiding more powerful musing on regret, nostalgia and romance. This is the fifth instalment with a new group of people – a father who forbade his daughter’s marriage, a woman who couldn’t give Valentine’s chocolates to someone, a wife holding a child with no name and a boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents – with more life-affirming results.

Silo Season 2
Apple + November 15

First season went under the radar, buried under a pile of (to this reviewer’s mind) undeserved praise for Slow Horses. It is set in a dystopian future where an environmental catastrophe has caused humanity to retreat to giant underground silos comprising 144 levels. Those floors delineate the community in terms of class and occupation and at the series’ heart is a central mystery – why, when people who have broken the rules, are sent outside do they feel compelled to clean the lens of the external cameras that are the occupants only link to the outside world? It is twisty, boasts an amazing cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, David Oyelowo, and Common, and the world building is incredible. Season two looks to explore the world beyond the original silo, with new characters and a failed rebellion.

Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh
Assouline, £115

It was a mere six years ago that Virgil Abloh took his first bow for Louis Vuitton. On a sweltering Parisian afternoon in the Palais-Royale Gardens, he redefined the brand’s sartorial lexicon. With theme “colour as metaphor”, it was a multicultural, multicolourful riot of luxurious normcore. Three years later, he was tragically dead – a career in its comparative nascency cut short. This book honours his bright but brief tenure at Louis Vuitton. With over 250 stunningly iconic images and personal reflections from Abloh’s inner circle, including Nigo, Naomi Campbell, Luka Sabbat, Kendall Jenner and Kid Cudi, the book is the definitive chronicle of a partnership that redefined not only dress codes but their very vocabulary.

The A24 Podcast

Films become cult, distributors don’t. Unless you’re A24, that is. Founded in 2012, A24 is behind every cool film and TV series of the last decade. Netflix’s Beef, HBO’s Euphoria? A24. Awards’ season darling, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Adam Sandler heart attack of a film Uncut Gems, Greta Gerwig masterpiece Ladybird? A24. elevated horrors Midsommar, Hereditary (or “her head hit a tree”!) and The Witch? You get the idea. And it also has a podcast that manages to be both nerdy and cool at the same time. Previous episodes include Past Lives’ director Celine Song in conversation with Sofia Coppola to discuss their careers to date and what genres they’d like to direct in future and Emma Stone and writer and comedian Julio Torres going down some weird and wonderful conversational avenues. A must-listen whether you have an “A24” tattoo or not.

Inked Up – Printmaking in Scotland
Sept 14 2024 – Jun 1 2025, City Art Centre, Edinburgh

Printmaking is one of the most richly diverse areas of the visual arts. For centuries, artists have employed different printmaking techniques and processes to create a variety of effects – experimenting with line, tone, texture and colour. In Scotland this potential has long been recognised and embraced, with Scottish printmakers offering valuable contributions to the discipline. This exhibition celebrates this versatile artform, presenting a selection of works from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection of fine art. The exhibition showcases both historic and contemporary prints, with examples of relief printing, intaglio printing, lithography and screenprinting. Featured artists include Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Muirhead Bone, and, Victoria Crowe (pictured, Jenny and Feeding, 2000).

Dreamstate
Kelly Lee Owens

Dreamy, woozy and somewhat ephemeral, Kelly Lee Owens eponymous debut album announced this Welsh musician, singer, and producer, as an interesting new name on the dream-pop scene. Since then, she has opened for Depeche Mode, collaborated with Bjork, and remixed St Vincent. Dreamstate, her fourth album, feels more substantial than previous releases no doubt a result of working with the likes of Bicep and Tom Rowlands from The Chemical Brothers. Sunshine is a “hands in the air” techno track with major remix potential, while Love You Got feels very Ibiza sunset but with a dark undercurrent that stops it feeling cheesy. Lee Owens has described this album as the sound of a person letting go. She’s certainly letting go in the right direction.