Going out: Cinema

Watch the Skies
Out now
With the return of all things Y2K in fashion and music, it makes sense that the turn of the millennium fascination with little green men would likewise be back in vogue. But this sci-fi about a teenager teaming up with an agency that investigates paranormal phenomena is notable for its futuristic qualities too: it uses AI dubbing technology to create an English-language film from the Swedish original.

Superman
Out now
Superman is dead, long live Superman: wave goodbye to handsome hunk Henry Cavill’s stint as the man of steel and say hello to the new era of equally handsome hunk David Corenswet, a veteran of two Ryan Murphy series on Netflix. At the helm of this reboot is James Gunn, the director behind diverse entertainments including Slither and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Michael Haneke Retrospective
Various venues nationwide; to 30 July
The Austrian director is known for making films that are often kind of a bummer, but also bona fide masterpieces. Following a major season at BFI Southbank, Haneke films are being programmed in cinemas across the country this summer, so check out your local listings for the chance to see the likes of Funny Games and the Palme d’Or-winners The White Ribbon and Amour on the big screen.

Nine Queens
Out now
The nine queens of the title refers to a sheet of rare stamps, which a pair of hustlers (Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls) attempt to palm off on a wealthy collector in this new 4K rerelease of the award-winning 2000 Argentinian classic crime drama, directed by Fabián Bielinsky. Catherine Bray

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Going out: Gigs

Emma Rawicz
Jazz at the Palace, Buxton, 12 July
Buxton’s two-week arts festival features some generous jazz programming – covering the music’s variations all over the world, and including a centenary celebration for late great pianist Oscar Peterson. Powerful and lyrical young UK saxophonist Emma Rawicz is an early highlight, with her A-list quartet including pianist Elliot Galvin. John Fordham

Leon Bridges
18 to 24 July; tour starts London
Armed with an extraordinary voice, the Texan singer-songwriter’s 70s-indebted soul music really comes to life on stage. Playing some of his biggest venues in the UK, expect songs from last year’s Leon album, as well as breakthrough debut Coming Home, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Michael Cragg

Lost Minds festival
Exhibition Park, Newcastle, 12 July
Headlined by Horny in Jericho hitmakers and happy hardcore legends Scooter, the electronic dance music festival returns to Newcastle for its fourth year. Joining the German quartet on the lineup are DJs from the veteran Cream label and Bristol trance DJ and producer Ben Nicky. MC

First Night of the Proms
Royal Albert Hall, London, 18 July
Although there are some real treats to come later in this year’s season, the opening concert is distinctly run-of-the-mill. Sakari Oramo’s programme with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and its Chorus has one relative rarity – Vaughan Williams’ Sancta Civitas – but despite the premiere of The Elements, a BBC commission from Errollyn Wallen, the highlight is likely to be Lisa Batiashvili’s performance of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto. Andrew Clements

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Going out: Art

Lubaina Himid with Magda Stawarska
Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, to 2 November
Jim Ede’s unique and poetic art collection in his house, Kettle’s Yard, includes works by the early 20th-century modernist Sophie Brzeska along with her lover Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. She is the focus of an installation by Himid and Stawarska in an exhibition that also includes Himid’s witty paintings.

The Power of Drawing
Royal Drawing School, London, to 26 July
You don’t often see Tracey Emin and King Charles III in the same exhibition but they both love drawing – and the king has done a lot to nurture it with the Drawing School he founded 25 years ago. Others in this celebratory show include Tim Burton, David Hockney and Es Devlin.

Victoria Morton
Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, to 9 August
It’s 30 years since Morton graduated from Glasgow School of Art; this show marks the occasion with a tour of her achievements in painting, sculpture, photography and more. Her best works are her seductive abstract paintings that flow and seem to melt before your eyes in wild and convulsive colours.

Duane Linklater
Camden Art Centre, London, to 21 September
This Omaskêko Ininiwak artist from North Bay, Ontario questions ownership of cultural treasures, explores memory and portrays identity in installations partly created with his son Tobias Linklater, while incorporating objects created by his grandmother Ethel (Trapper) Linklater that have been borrowed from a museum. It’s an exhibition haunted by colonialism. Jonathan Jones

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Going out: Stage

Comedy at the Castle
Powderham, Devon, Friday & 19 July
Once the preserve of grotty clubs and rowdy pubs, nowadays it’s possible to see standup in the most bucolic and picturesque of settings. This event showcases big stars – Frank Skinner, Joel Dommett, Russell Kane, Jen Brister – in the magnificent surroundings of Powderham castle, which dates back to the 14th century. Rachel Aroesti

London City Ballet
Blackpool Grand Theatre, 12 July; Grange Park Opera, Surrey, 13 July (excerpts only), then touring
Last year, London City Ballet was triumphantly revived after an almost 30-year hiatus, with a remit to be a modern ballet company dancing new works and forgotten classics. This second season’s rep includes a revival of a lost George Balanchine work, and a piece by Alexei Ratmansky. Lyndsey Winship

Sing Street
Lyric Hammersmith, London, to 23 August
Enda Walsh did a stunning job adapting John Carney’s film Once for the stage – and now he’s tackling the charming coming-of-age film Sing Street. Set in 80s Dublin, it’s about a 16-year-old lad who starts up a band to impress a girl. Miriam Gillinson

Grace Pervades
Theatre Royal Bath, to 19 July
Ralph Fiennes’ season of work kicks off with a David Hare premiere. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, the play tells the story of Victorian stage stars Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, and their troubled but talented children. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison. MG

Staying in: Streaming

Bookish
U&Originals, Wednesday, 8pm
Scratch that Sherlock itch with Mark Gatiss’s new cosy, brainteasery detective series. He plays Gabriel Book, a bookshop owner (naturally) who assists police with “the fiddly bits” in 1940s London – and also happens to be a gay man married to his best pal (Polly Walker).

Mix Tape
BBC Two & iPlayer, Tuesday, 9pm
Adaptations of books themed around thwarted young love are TV catnip (see: Normal People, One Day). This dramatisation of Jane Sanderson’s 2020 novel about Dan (Jim Sturgess) and Alison (Teresa Palmer), who reconnect after a teenage tryst in 1980s Sheffield, mines similar appeal with its blend of sweetness, mystery and nostalgia.

The Institute
MGM+, 13 July
Available within the Prime Video platform, MGM+ will be hoping this adaptation of Stephen King’s 2019 novel about genius kids who are forcibly institutionalised – apparently for the global good – gets eyeballs on its streaming service. Newcomer Joe Freeman plays the suspicious teen protagonist, and Weeds’ Mary-Louise Parker is the organisation’s creepy head.

Untamed
Netflix, Thursday
Eric Bana and Sam Neill join forces for this murder mystery with a truly awesome setting, created by father-daughter writing team Elle and Mark L Smith (The Revenant). When a body is found in Yosemite national park, Bana’s special agent investigates – but is soon confronted by the frightening contours of his own past. RA

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Staying in: Games

Donkey Kong Bananza
Out 17 July; Switch 2
The first Donkey Kong game for a decade sees our primate protagonist smashing his way through a sprawling underground lair while hunting for stolen treasure. A gorgeous 3D world and lots of side quests make this a Switch 2 must-have.

Shadow Labyrinth
Out 18 July; PC, Switch 1/2, Xbox, PS5
Namco has reimagined Pac-Man hundreds of times over the past 40 years, but this might be the most fascinating example: a dark 2D action platformer in which you navigate a maze-like world, consuming enemies and taking their powers. No cute ghosts and sparkly cherries this time round … Keith Stuart

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Staying in: Albums

Wet Leg – Moisturizer
Out now
Now expanded to a five-piece, The Isle of Wight’s finest return with this follow-up to 2022’s self-titled breakthrough. More muscular than its predecessor, but no less playful, Moisturizer features the pogoing post-punk of Catch These Fists and the skewed indie shuffle of recent single Davina McCall.

Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness
Out now
The Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar, fresh from collaborations with the likes of Coldplay and 21 Savage, offers up more of his musical eclecticism on this eighth album. While the heartfelt Sweet Love rides a sun-kissed reggae lilt, TaTaTa, which features Travis Scott, is a heaving fusion of Afrobeats and rap.

Gwenno – Utopia
Out now
On this fourth album from Gwenno Saunders, the follow-up to 2022’s Mercury-nominated album, the Cornish-language Tresor, the Welsh singer-songwriter sings mostly in English for the first time. As cinematic and sonically rich as ever, songs such as Dancing On Volcanoes showcase Saunders’ melodic sensibilities.

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
Out now
Sixteen years after their last album, the Virginia rap duo, AKA Pusha T and Malice, return as if no time has passed. As with their 2006 classic Hell Hath No Fury, Let God Sort Em Out features Pharrell in the producer’s chair, with single Ace Trumpets built around a skeletal, head-knocking beat. MC

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Staying in: Brain food

Baumgartner Restoration
YouTube
The Chicago-based fine art restorers produce in-depth videos that are part art history explainer and part ASMR accounts of soothing brushwork. Learn how decades of damage is miraculously removed, as well as how previous restorations went wrong.

There’s a Lot I Haven’t Asked
Podcast
This moving new series by actor Hannah Donelan tells the story of Irish migrants to Manchester throughout the 20th century. First-hand testimony explores diaspora identity in the north and the legacy of the Troubles.

Apocalypse in the Tropics
14 July, Netflix
A fascinating film looking at the increasing influence of Christian televangelist leaders in Brazil. Speaking to both President Lula and former president Bolsonaro, it shows how rightwing politics are being manipulated by powerful church leaders. Ammar Kalia