{"id":633254,"date":"2026-10-17T08:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T08:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/633254\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T08:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T08:04:11","slug":"the-influencer-project-to-melanie-c-your-complete-entertainment-guide-to-the-week-ahead-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/633254\/","title":{"rendered":"The Influencer Project to Melanie C: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead | Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going out: Cinema<\/p>\n

The Influencer Project
\n
Out now
\n
When your career involves constantly posting footage of everything you do to social media, it makes things a cakewalk for stalkers. And lo, the influencer-in-peril horror subgenre was born. British social media star Chiara King plays herself in this chilling iteration, set in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

Naza
\n
Out now
\n
The ongoing genocide in Gaza has proven an urgent subject for documentaries and drama alike. Here, directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (two of the four film-makers behind the 2025 Oscar winner No Other Land) construct a doc made up of interviews with Israeli Intelligence Corps agents, who map out the details of targeted airstrikes in civilian areas.<\/p>\n

Whalefall
\n
Out now
\n
What if you were swallowed by a whale but survived? That\u2019s the vivid premise of this \u2013 what to call it? Eco horror? Monster movie? Survival thriller? Maybe all three? \u2013 in which scuba diver Jay (Austin Abrams) has one hour to find a way to escape before his oxygen runs out. Also starring Josh Brolin (sadly not as the whale).<\/p>\n

Street Fighter
\n
Out now
\n
This reboot marks the third live-action movie based on the hit video game to make it to the big screen, and features Jason Momoa as Blanka, 50 Cent as Balrog, and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. Ready\u2026 set\u2026 fight! Catherine Bray<\/p>\n

Going out: GigsThe Spice of life \u2026 Melanie C. Photograph: Taylor Jewell\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Melanie C
\n
18 to 24 October; tour starts Dublin
\n
The seemingly indefatigable Melanie C, whose dancefloor-focused ninth solo album Sweat peaked at No 3 earlier in the year, takes her solo oeuvre for a spin around a collection of mid-sized venues. As well as the raft of recent bangers, there should be space for some Northern Star-era pop gems, too. Michael Cragg<\/p>\n

J Cole
\n
19 October to 2 November; tour starts London
\n
The US rapper heads out on his first solo headline tour in five years in support of seventh, and apparently final album, The Fall-Off. A star-studded, 24-track behemoth, it\u2019s quite the swansong, so chances are these arena shows will carry a similar sense of celebratory closure. MC<\/p>\n

Mingus Big Band
\n
Ronnie Scott\u2019s, London, 19 to 24 October
\n
Charles Mingus, one of the most soulfully creative jazz composers, died in 1979, but the powerful legacy band bearing his name has cherished his repertoire for three decades. The classy lineup includes saxists Wayne Escoffery and Craig Handy, trumpter Alex Sipiagin, and uncannily Mingus-echoing bassist Boris Kozlov. John Fordham<\/p>\n

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
\n
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 17
\n October
\n
Rising-star conductor Adam Hickox takes to the podium for the world premiere of a new clarinet concerto by Gavin Higgins, performed by outgoing RLPO artist in residence Mark Simpson. The programme culminates in Stravinsky\u2019s Rite of Spring \u2013 still thrilling, more than a century after its own premiere provoked a riot. Flora Willson<\/p>\n

Going out: ArtAl smiles \u2026 Sturtevant\u2019s Haring Tag, 1986. Photograph: Fredrik Nilsen Studio<\/p>\n

Sturtevant
\n
Raven Row, London, to 20 December
\n
Sturtevant was the ultimate appropriator, a satirical copycat who had been mimicking the work of other artists since the 1960s. This first UK institutional show since her death in 2014 is a celebration of her radical take on conceptualism.<\/p>\n

Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji
\n
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, 13 October to 17 January
\n
Hokusai\u2019s iconic depiction of Mount Fuji, one of the most famous images in the history of art, wasn\u2019t a one-off. It was part of a series, and this exhibition brings the full set together.<\/p>\n

Joy Gregory
\n
Arnolfini, Bristol, 17 October to 7 February
\n
A celebration of four decades of experimental photography by this leading voice in Black and feminist art, working across historic photographic processes and digital manipulation.<\/p>\n

Larry Achiampong
\n
Karst, Plymouth, to 12 December
\n
Using the visual language of science fiction, this British Ghanaian artist tackles big ideas of colonialism, class, diaspora and displacement in this continuation of his ambitious film project. Eddy Frankel<\/p>\n

Going out: StageCruise control \u2026 Olga Koch. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Olga Koch
\n
Where Else?, Margate, 15 October; touring to 4 December
\n
Not all standups ooze confidence like Koch \u2013 and not all have such good reason to. In her meticulously crafted new show Fat Tom Cruise, the Russian-British comedian (and PhD student) explores the masculinity crisis via routines delivered with vim, vigour and flair. Rachel Aroesti<\/p>\n

Some Woman
\n
National Theatre: Dorfman, London, to 21 November
\n
Anne-Marie Duff stars as an overlooked woman who, after a troubling encounter on a train platform, decides to take a stand in this new play from Helen Edmundson. Miriam Gillinson<\/p>\n

Northern Ballet: Cinderella
\n
Nottingham Theatre Royal, Friday to 24 October; touring
\n
to 15 December
\n
A new Cinderella for Northern Ballet. Created by choreographer Michael Pink for Milwaukee Ballet, this is the show\u2019s UK premiere, with all the trappings \u2013 pumpkin carriage, fairy godmother, comic stepsisters \u2013 as well as a great live Prokofiev score. Lyndsey Winship<\/p>\n

Lanny
\n
Bristol Old Vic, to 7 November
\n
Max Porter\u2019s acclaimed novel is adapted for the stage by Bea Roberts, with a cast drawn largely from the south-west. It\u2019s a blurred and beguiling tale about a young boy who goes missing: is it foul play, the work of an ancient shape-shifting figure or something else? MG<\/p>\n

skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign up to Inside Saturday<\/p>\n

The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Staying in: StreamingReich here, Reich now \u2026 It Gets Worse. Photograph: Channel 4<\/p>\n

It Gets Worse
\n
Channel 4, 15 October, 10pm
\n
Leo Reich has created the first good gen Z hangout comedy with this London-set tale of three university friends struggling to self-actualise in their mid-20s. From Lena Dunham to Zadie Smith, celebrity cameos abound \u2013 but Reich\u2019s winningly bratty protagonist is the real star attraction.<\/p>\n

The Audacity
\n
HBO Max, 15 October
\n
Writer Jonathan Glatzer (Succession, Better Call Saul) mines frantic comedy from the dark heart of Silicon Valley in a series about a megalomaniacal tech boss (Billy Magnussen). Industry\u2019s Sarah Goldberg plays his therapist, Motherland\u2019s Lucy Punch is his wife and Zach Galifianakis guests as another unhinged billionaire.<\/p>\n

The New Stanford Prison Experiment
\n
Netflix, 14 October
\n
The 1971 psychological study which saw male college students randomly split into guards and prisoners in a mock jail remains one of the most fascinating and notorious of all time. Will Netflix\u2019s new reality show version have the same results \u2013 and, crucially, the same grim appeal?<\/p>\n

Last One Laughing: Halloween
\n
Prime Video, 16 October
\n
The spectacular success of our version of the Japanese gameshow means it\u2019s already entered seasonal spin-off territory. Phil Wang and Reece Shearsmith (plus old faves Lou Sanders and Daisy May Cooper) are among the comics trying desperately not to laugh or \u2013 spooky twist alert! \u2013 scream in this latest edition. RA<\/p>\n

Staying in: GamesNintendo Switch Sports Resort. Photograph: Nintendo<\/p>\n

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
\n
Switch 2; out 15 October
\n
Take up boxing, bowling, archery, basketball, tennis, skating and more in this latest game in the fine controller-waggling lineage of Wii Sports. Parents of competitive siblings: remember to use the controller straps to stop a Joy-Con from flying through a window.<\/p>\n

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
\n
PC, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox; out Friday
\n
Activision\u2019s theatre of war goes on tour to Korea, where an invasion threatens the stability of the rest of the world. The multiplayer offers the usual cornucopia of ways to play soldiers, where the campaign follows a Korean private and returning character Captain Price, on the run after an assassination. Keza MacDonald<\/p>\n

Staying in: AlbumsSongs for the ages \u2026 Rachel Chinouriri. Photograph: Yana Van Nuffel<\/p>\n

Rachel Chinouriri \u2013 I Think I Spoke Too Soon
\n
Out now
\n
Lyrically influenced by a mid-20s existential crisis, the second album by London singer-songwriter Chinouriri sweetens those fears with vibrant musical touches. On Broken Chair and One Song Away from Crying she dabbles in bubbling 80s synthpop, while the murkier Make Believe grows slowly overcast.<\/p>\n

Ang\u00e8le \u2013 Instinct
\n
Out now
\n
Five years after her second album, Nonante-Cinq, the Belgian superstar returns with more gleaming dance-pop. With production from French knob twiddlers Justice and SebastiAn, plus assistance from Caroline Polachek on the slinky Love Triangle, it\u2019s a play for the big leagues.<\/p>\n

Florrie \u2013 Magic for a While
\n
Out now
\n
As part of production hothouse Xenomania, Florrie played drums on hits by Kylie and Girls Aloud. Since stepping up to the mic she\u2019s released her own collection of decadent bops, with this second album expanding into indie pop (The Times) and pensive balladry (Catch You If You Fall).<\/p>\n

Fontaines DC \u2013 Dopamine Chamber
\n
Out now
\n
After hitting their creative and commercial stride on 2024\u2019s Grammy-nominated Romance, the Irish rock experimentalists are back with this swaggering fifth album. As with Romance it\u2019s been produced by James Ford, who peppers the undulating Tongue with twitchy electronic effects. MC<\/p>\n

Staying in: Brain food<\/p>\n

The LRB Podcast<\/a>
\n
Podcast
\n
Intellectuals\u2019 favourite the London Review of Books makes the big questions of our time slightly more digestible in this audio series. Writers, thinkers and experts discuss everything from the worth of criticism to the German far right.<\/p>\n

TED-Ed: Public Speaking 101 <\/a>
\n
YouTube
\n
This ongoing and insightful series of lectures on public speaking is sure to give even the shyest person confidence to talk to a crowd. The most recent episode covers succinct ways to explain complex ideas.<\/p>\n

Illuminated: Faithless
\n
BBC Sounds, out now
\n
Journalist May Robson\u2019s expertly reported and deeply moving documentary follows four people who were raised in religious devotion and who have since chosen to leave their faith. Testimony comes from former Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, Mormons and others. Ammar Kalia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Going out: Cinema The Influencer Project Out now When your career involves constantly posting footage of everything you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-633254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}