What to play, watch, listen to, and read this weekend
The video game to play
WarioWare Gold
“With the way Gold brings 15 years of WarioWare together and slathers them in new layers of weird, manic energy, it serves as a much-needed salute to this underrated, often genius series. More than that, it’s a fitting testament to the last 15 years of daring ideas and handheld consoles from Nintendo, an era that’s possibly coming to a close.”
Read the rest of our review here.
The show to watch
Better Call Saul
“As more of the Breaking Bad universe seeps into Better Call Saul, there’s always going to be a worry about losing what has made the spin-off special, even as it draws from the textures and themes from its parent show. In order to land some sorrowful emotional beats, these new episodes have to shed some of Better Call Saul’s defining lightheartedness. And make no mistake: The way season four kicks into gear with such confidence and precision has all the markings of Breaking Bad’s clockwork plotting.”
Read the rest of our review here.
The album to listen to
Dorian Concept, The Nature Of Imitation
“The Nature Of Imitation… is a glorious return to chaos. Here, [Oliver] Johnson is pulling from many of the same inspirations as his [Brainfeeder] labelmates, manipulating his synths and backing tracks into unpredictable collages of jazz, funk, and techno. But for all its synthetic parts, Imitation is beautifully alive. It’s fussy and whimsical, with most tracks holding onto just a handful of elements as they transform their palettes and dynamics several times over.”
Read reviews of the week’s notable releases here.
The podcast to listen to
We Need To Talk About Britney, “Baby One More Time With Mandy Moore”
“As a pseudo-contemporary of [Britney] Spears, [Mandy] Moore shares some fascinating insights into what it was like to be a teen idol in the late ’90s and early 2000s. To hear Moore describe her more sheltered but still whirlwind early career drives home just how much pressure Spears was under from an incredibly young age. Though it’s loosely framed around Spears’ first album, Baby One More Time, the conversation mostly sticks to Moore’s own origin story… Moore is genuine, gracious, and just the right amount of self-deprecating about her pop star past.”
Read about the rest of the week’s best podcasts here.
The comic to read
Ollie Masters and Budi Setiawan, The Raid
“Gareth Evans’ The Raid films are two shining stars of modern action cinema, following a special forces cop in Jakarta, Rama, as he beats down wave after wave of attackers in increasingly elaborate action sequences. The movies don’t spend too much time delving into the complexities of the lead character, instead defining him by his steadfast determination and brilliant fighting skills. The new comic book adaptation from Titan Comics has a similar narrative dynamic, filling in the plot of The Raid 2 by exploring Rama’s prison time in greater detail.”
Read the rest of our review here.
The movie to watch
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post
“Adolescents are not always fully formed people, especially when they’re being specifically trained to un-form their true selves. [Director/co-writer Desiree] Akhavan’s sensitivity toward her performers and their material carry The Miseducation Of Cameron Post through its mid-movie meandering—and, crucially, the bookends to that meandering are beautifully assured. A great beginning and a great ending can make up for a lot, and Cameron Post’s final scenes move with an unhurried confidence that bring to mind the best of David Gordon Green.”
Read the rest of our review here.