September: What to watch, stream, read and listen to this week

Monday, September 26

Flop Culture, wherever you get your podcasts

The latest offering from Fionnuala Jones (formerly of Bandwagons), Flop Culture is a podcast celebrating all our favourite flops. From Kelis’ failure to scale the heights seen by her pop peers to the infamous Cadbury Snowflake, and how the bar’s involvement in Anthea Turner’s wedding derailed her career – expect all manner of disasters to be discussed.

Tuesday, September 27

Shrines of Gaiety, by Kate Atkinson

 

From the inimitable bestselling author, Kate Atkinson, comes Shrines of Gaiety – a mesmerising novel set in Soho in the 1920s, when gangsters and politicians, peers and

dancing girls, rubbed shoulders in a dazzling new world. A brilliant depiction of Jazz era London, the novel centres on Nellie Coker; a ruthless but ambitious mother determined to advance her six children. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire is threatened endlessly – both from without and within. 

Wednesday, September 28

Blonde, Netflix

Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, the highly-anticipated adults-only Netflix biopic about America’s sweetheart. A project that’s been in the pipeline since 2010, director Andrew Dominik said that he wanted to tell the story of Norma Jean as “a central figure in a fairy-tale; an orphan child lost in the woods of Hollywood, being consumed by that great icon.” Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the complicated life of the starlet – blurring the lines of fact and fiction, as it artfully explores the tensions between her public and private life. 

Thursday, September 29

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Disney+

Love them or loathe them, there’s no denying that the Kardashians know how to get the world talking – even if that isn’t necessarily a good thing (*read: Kourtney and her new ‘sustainability’ role at Boohoo, sigh). Just back with a brand-new series, the famous family is giving the public an all-access pass into their lives… so, nothing new then. From the intense pressures of running billion-dollar businesses to the trials and tribulations of heartache; nothing is off limits here. Catch new episodes every Thursday on Disney+. 

Friday, September 30

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris, in cinemas nationwide 

A widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London falls madly in love with a client’s couture Dior dress… so much so, that she decides she simply must have one of her own. Scrimping, saving and scheming until she finally has enough, Mrs Harris sets off on an adventure to Paris where she gets much more than she bargained for. Leslie Manville, Isabelle Huppert and Lambert Wilson star. 

Saturday, October 1

Footloose, 6pm, Sky Cinema Megahits

Ren MacCormack, a teenager from Boston moves to a small conservative town in the South, where he discovers that the local council has enforced a ban on loud music and dancing – a result of the tragic death of Bobby Moore, reverend Shaw Moore’s son, after a night of partying in a nearby town. Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Miles Teller, Andie MacDowell and Dennis Quaid all star in this modern remake of the 1984 classic. 

Sunday, October 2

What Happens In Vegas, Disney+

 

Once considered in vogue, romantic comedies went from abundant to almost non-existent in recent years… but we’re in the midst of a rom-com renaissance once again, so no better way to celebrate than with a time-honoured classic. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher star as Joy McNally and Jack Fuller; two strangers whose wild night in Vegas leads to an ill-fated marriage, a jackpot casino prize and six months of couples counselling. As it turns out, what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.