Movies to catch, books to read, television to bingewatch, music to dance to and podcasts to fill your ears this autumn.

Movies

THE LAST SHOWGIRL

This tale of the unravelling of a Las Vegas showgirl facing the end of her revue’s 30-year run has had mixed reviews but everyone seems to agree that its star, Pamela Anderson, is a revelation as Shelly Gardner. Fact blends with fiction in a script that explores the theme of what we lose in order to get what we want, and what the real cost is of that Faustian pact.

QUEER

Being heir to a family fortune meant beat poet and author William S. Burroughs got away with a lot, most of which he wrote about in books with titles such as ‘Junkie’ and ‘Queer’. This adaptation of the latter novel casts a post-Bond Daniel Craig as a drug-addicted writer who becomes obsessed with a US serviceman.

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN

Hollywood comes to a Kiwi rest home in another terrifying adaptation by director James Ashcroft of an Owen Marshall short story. Success with 2021’s ‘Coming Home in the Dark’ no doubt made recruiting Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow for the lead roles a lot easier. If you thought Ashcroft’s debut was scary, buckle up for this one.

Bingewatching

THE STUDIO

Worth it for the cameos alone (Bryan Cranston, Charlize Theron, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese...), this Seth Rogen satire of the film industry hits many a painful mark as it skewers everyone involved with equal intent. It’s cringe-worthy at times, which is why we love it.

WHITE LOTUS SEASON 3

The plaudits continue for season 3 of everybody’s favourite slice of holiday noir. This time it’s Thailand providing the sensory backdrop as the White Lotus guests let slip their cultured veneer and descend into various levels of ferality. Makes your worst holiday nightmare look good.

THE GONE SEASON 2

Irish Detective Theo Richter and Kiwi Detective Diana Huia return to the beat in the small town of Mt Affinity after solid reviews for season 1. This time around there is not one but two people for them to find. Definitely a cut above most streaming crime dramas.

Reading

NO WORDS FOR THIS – ALI MAU

One of our most loved and respected media personalities and storytellers lifts the lid on her own buried past in this intimate memoir. Ali Mau is unflinching as she revisits her early life, her personal and professional mid-life reinvention, and the challenges of a career in the media as a woman. For her, honesty is the best policy, even when it hurts.

BLACK SILK & BURIED SECRETS – DEBORAH CHALLINOR

Our favourite historical fiction author returns to heroine Tatty Crowe and the world of Sydney's Victorian funeral industry in this follow-up to ‘Black Silk and Sympathy’. As with her other many novels, Deborah bases her story in the hard facts and impeccable research she deploys for her non-fiction histories, so you know the feels are real. 

RYTUAL – CHLOE ELISABETH WILSON

The fine line between team culture and cult provides plenty of material in this darkly funny novel set in the beauty industry. Be careful what you wish for is one theme. Another? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The scales eventually fall from the eyes of our central character, Marnie, helped along by the happenings at Friday Night Drinks.

Listening

BASED ON A TRUE STORY – WILL SMITH

The slapper turns back to rapper in this first album from Will Smith since ‘05’s ‘Lost and Found’, also since he made Chris Rock a punchline at the Oscars. Verdict – he still gettin’ jiggy wit it. He gets some heavyweight help on that mission from Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir. Now where do we know that album title from?

LOVE IN THE WAY – SOJØURN

After several summers seducing festival crowds with their Kiwi combo of dub and funk with a side of psychedelia, the Mangawhai five-piece's debut album dropped to high expectations, especially after we were teased with 2024 singles ‘Hippie Chick’, ‘Play It Cool’ and ‘Stay’. Relax, they got this – their first album is an East Coast wave to our favourite vibes.

TRACY CHAPMAN – TRACY CHAPMAN

‘Fast Car’, ‘Mountains O' Things’, ‘If Not Now’ – just three of the tracks from Tracy Chapman’s eponymous debut, which dropped 35 years ago and sits one below ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ in Rolling Stone’s list of greatest albums. The success of Luke Combs’ cover of ‘Fast Car’ may have spurred this anniversary vinyl re-release. Whatever, we’ll take it.

Podcasts

KIM HILL WANTS TO KNOW

For all those missing Kim Hill with their coffee on a Saturday morning, your dose is at hand. The Acerbic One spends a good hour interviewing guests with one thing in common – her interest. And that’s hard won.

NORMAL GOSSIP

The home of guilt-free gossip, here are the lives and decisions of people you will never meet picked over by a panel hosted by ‘New York Times’ and Defector.com writer Kelsey McKinney. Very binge-y.