Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise (note: you can find our monthly book guide a little later this week).
MOVIES
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
in theaters Sept. 6
A whopping 36 years after Tim Burton’s beloved tale of the afterlife first hit theaters, the Ghost with the Most is back for a sequel. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara all reprise their roles from the original Beetlejuice, and Jenna Ortega joins the cast as Astrid, Lydia’s teenage daughter who accidentally summons Betelgeuse.
The 4:30 Movie
in theaters Sept. 13
It’s been a while since we’ve had a new, great coming-of-age comedy, but this semi-autobiographical movie from Kevin Smith looks promising. Set in the summer of 1986, it follows a group of 16-year-olds who spend their weekends sneaking in to movies at their local theater and the hijinks that ensue when one of them invites his crush to an R-rated movie. Ken Jeong, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long and Jason Biggs also star.
My Old Ass
in theaters Sept. 13
We’ve all fantasized at one point or another about being able to go back in time and give advice to our younger selves. Aubrey Plaza gets to do just that as 39-year-old Elliott, who, with the help of a magic mushroom trip and a cell phone connection that’s somehow able to transcend space and time, is able to visit her 18-year-old self in My Old Ass.
The Substance
in theaters Sept. 20
Demi Moore earned plenty of buzz at Cannes for her performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a 50-year-old actress being pushed out of the industry for the sin of aging who takes the titular substance to create another, younger version of herself. (The irony here is that Moore is actually 61 in real life — in a movie about impossible beauty standards and getting old, she’s believably playing younger.) They alternate weeks living their shared life; while one is out in the world, the other is in a coma hooked up to a feeding tube at home. Read our critic Mark Asch’s review from Cannes here.
His Three Daughters
on Netflix Sept. 20
This character study has a relatively simple conceit — three estranged sisters reunite in NYC to care for their dying father. Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen play the trio of siblings, proving that you don’t always need elaborate set pieces or expensive action sequences to make a compelling movie. Sometimes all you need is grief and some good, old-fashioned family dysfunction.
Wolfs
on AppleTV+ on Sept. 27
The fact that this movie is not called Wolves drives the copy editor in me insane, but I’m going to give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s supposed to be a play on the fact that each of our two protagonists is a lone wolf — in this case, two professional “fixer”s who prefer to work alone but find themselves hired for the same job. The wolves (fine, “wolfs”) in question are Brad Pitt and George Clooney, reuniting onscreen to do that Ocean’s 11 Brad Pitt and George Clooney thing where they’re handsome and charming and engaged in some sort of illegal activity.
Lee
in theaters Sept. 27
Lee tells the real-life story of model-turned-WWII war photographer Lee Miller. Kate Winslet stars, and the film also features Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Josh O’Connor, Alexander Skarsgard and, perhaps most interestingly, Andy Samberg in his first dramatic role.
Megalopolis
in theaters Sept. 27
The lore surrounding Megalopolis makes it sound more enticing than any plot summary could: it’s been in development for decades (legendary director Francis Ford Coppola first came up with the idea for it all the way back in 1977), and Coppola spent $120 million of his own money to fund the film himself. As Mark Asch wrote for us after attending the movie’s Cannes debut, everything said about it, good or bad, is true: “It’s overambitious, undercooked, baffling, dubious, sentimental, messy, innovative, startlingly beautiful, profoundly moving.”
TV/STREAMING
English Teacher
Sept. 2, FX (streams on Hulu the following day)
A workplace comedy set in a school isn’t exactly an original concept (see also: Abbott Elementary, AP Bio), but we’ve got high hopes for this one, created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez as a high-school English teacher in Austin, Texas.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Sept. 5, Peacock
Based on the true-crime podcast Fight Night, this limited series chronicles a heist orchestrated in Atlanta on the night of Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in 1970. Kevin Hart stars as the hustler known as Chicken Man, and he’s joined by Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Don Cheadle and the one and only Samuel L. Jackson.
The Perfect Couple
Sept. 5, Netflix
Nicole Kidman and Meghann Fahy have both done the “a group of obscenely wealthy people’s lives are upended by a murder mystery” thing before, in Big Little Lies and The White Lotus respectively, but they’re at it again in The Perfect Couple. The limited series follows a rich Nantucket family who suddenly all find themselves tangled up in a homicide investigation when a body washes up onshore on the eve of their planned lavish wedding. Kidman and Fahy are joined in the cast by Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Billy Howle and more.
The Old Man
Sept. 12, FX (streams on Hulu the following day)
Jeff Bridges is back as the titular old man (a former CIA operative who, based on all the elaborate action sequences he finds himself in, still seems pretty spry) when this thriller returns for its second season. John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat and Amy Brenneman also star.
How to Die Alone
Sept. 13, Hulu
Natasha Rothwell created and stars in this comedy series about a woman who works at JFK Airport and has never been in love. After a near-death experience at work, she decides to change her life. We’ll have to tune in to find out whether or not she’s successful.
High Potential
Sept. 17, ABC
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Kaitlin Olson plays a cleaning lady with a freakishly high IQ who works at a police precinct and helps the detectives there solve the crimes they’re too dumb to figure out on their own.
Nobody Wants This
Sept. 26, Netflix
The premise for this one sounds more like the set-up to a joke — “a podcast host and a rabbi walk into a bar.” Turns out it’s actually a new series about a seemingly mismatched couple starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.
MUSIC
Hinds, Viva Hinds
Sept. 6
Since we last heard from them, Spanish garage band Hinds lost two members and got dropped by their label — but despite the turmoil, they’re back and better than ever. Viva Hinds also features guest appearances by Beck and Fontaines D.C..’s Grian Chatten.
MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks
Sept. 6
MJ Lenderman has been hyped as indie rock’s next great thing for several years now, but Manning Fireworks feels like the album that will carry him to a new level of recognition. (If glowing profiles in The New Yorker and The New York Times are any indication, the singer-songwriter who’s also a member of the band Wednesday is well on his way.) If wry lyrics about heartbreak and malaise (“Please don’t laugh, only half of what I said is a joke,” he insists on “Joker Lips”) are your style, this one’s for you.
Toro y Moi, Hole Erth
Sept. 6
Chaz Bear returns with his follow-up to 2022’s Mahal, which features guest appearances from Ben Gibbard, Kevin Abstract, Glaive, Don Toliver, Porches and more.
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Indoor Safari
Sept. 13
Nick Lowe’s latest collaboration with Los Straitjackets just happens to be his first album of new material in 11 years. Indoor Safari‘s 12 songs will include new tracks, covers and a few “refitted” versions of previously released songs. It’s Lowe’s first new effort since 2013’s Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for all the Family.
Suki Waterhouse, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
Sept. 13
Don’t let the cutesy-sounding name fool you: Suki Waterhouse’s new double album takes its name from a cannibalistic breed of spider recently discovered in Australia. “I kind of felt like this record was a metamorphosis, something new, a new season of life,” she said in a recent interview. “I was thinking about metamorphosis, I was like, ‘Could it be a butterfly?’ But no — I don’t feel like a butterfly. I feel more like this scraggly spider that hasn’t always got it together.”
Nada Surf, Moon Mirror
Sept. 13
Matthew Caws and company are back with their 10th studio LP, the follow-up to 2020’s Never Not Together. Moon Mirror marks the band’s debut for New West Records. “Every time we make an album, I’m asked (and ask myself) what it’s about,” Caws says in a press release about the record. “I never know how to answer that question. I’m still trying to figure everything out, and that’s probably as close to a theme as there is. Looking back over the years, I know what our songs are about in theory: trying to reach acceptance (of circumstances, of oneself, of others), connection, a constant search for possibility and the bright side, a willingness to change, forgiveness, curiosity, checking in with one’s mortality, motivations and judgements, etc. But in the moment when making one up, I have no idea what I’m doing and maybe that’s ok. I’m just trying to stay honest with myself and take my best guess at making sense of the world.”
Bright Eyes, Five Dice, All Threes
Sept. 20
Bright Eyes return with their first new album since their 2020 comeback record Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. Five Dice, All Threes features guest appearances from Cat Power, The National’s Matt Berninger and the So So Glos’ Alex Orange Drink (who also co-wrote several songs on the album).
FIDLAR, Surviving the Dream
Sept. 20
Surviving the Dream is LA punks FIDLAR’s first album in five years, and it’s also the first since frontman Zac Carper was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It’s a different, more grown-up sounding FIDLAR for sure, but it’s by no means subdued. “This record is about doubling down on what you love,” Carper says in a press release. “For us, it’s about playing shows and making music. Coming back after a few years away, our intention was to self-make an album that the three of us are stoked on. We’re very very very pumped on it and what’s to come. These songs are meant to be heard live with the fellow FIDIOTS going off.”
Manu Chao, Viva Tu
Sept. 20
French-Spanish artist Manu Chao returns after a long hiatus with Viva Tu, his first new album in 17 years. The record features songs in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English, as well as collaborations with Willie Nelson and French singer Laeti.
Thurston Moore, Flow Critical Lucidity
Sept. 20
The Sonic Youth co-founder returns with his ninth solo album, where he’s joined by Deb Googe (bass), Jem Doulton (percussion), James Sedwards (guitar and piano) and Jon Leidecker (electronics). According to a press release, this new batch of songs include “lyrical references to their environments inspired by nature, lucid dreaming, modern dance and Isadora Duncan.”
Alan Sparhawk, White Roses, My God
Sept. 27
White Roses, My God is the first solo album from Low’s Alan Sparhawk since the death of his wife and bandmate Mimi Parker. (Parker passed away in 2022 after a long battle with cancer.) Naturally, it’s a record rooted in grief, but if you’re expecting the same sparse slowcore we’ve come to expect from Low, this album’s experimental electronic sound will come as a shock to you.
Sunflower Bean, Shake
Sept. 27
This five-track EP from Sunflower Bean features some of the New York trio’s heaviest music to date. The group produced and engineered the project themselves — their first time doing such a thing — and if early singles are any indication, they did an impressive job.
ARTIST RECOMMENDATIONS
Each month, we’ll catch up with a few trusted musicians to hear about a piece of pop culture they’re particularly excited about. First up, it’s Good Looks frontman Tyler Jordan and TASHA, who is currently appearing on Broadway in the Sufjan Stevens musical Illinoise.
Jack White, No Name
“I’ve been really obsessed with the new Jack White album, No Name. It came out just before we went on our most recent tour and we blasted this one in the van. What a great return to form. It feels triumphant to see one of your childhood heroes get back to his roots and tear it down one more time. It gives me chills every time I listen.”
Spiritual House and Soulful Grooves with DJ Lovie
“I’ve been listening to this incredible live set by New York-based DJ Lovie on the Youtube channel MAJ. I’ve always loved Lovie’s taste for curating both fun and soulful sets. This analogue mix in particular is the perfect blend of ambient, jazz, soul and house music.”
WORTH REVISITING
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Streaming on Peacock
There’s long been debate over when our hero took his day off and took the city of Chicago by storm. Many have settled on June, citing the date the Cubs game featured in the movie took place (though all the shots inside Wrigley Field were actually filmed at a different game in September 1985), the looming anxiety over graduation and the fact that Ferris Bueller has managed to rack up nine absences so far that year. I’ve always thought of it as the perfect depiction of this time of year, however — that early part of fall where it’s crisp enough that you need a light jacket, but an unseasonably warm day can make you feel like anything is possible. (And look, if you want to argue with me on this, the Von Steuben Day parade he crashes typically takes place around Sept. 17.)
But regardless of when it’s supposed to take place, it’s never a bad time to revisit this John Hughes classic. Ferris’s famous “Life moves pretty fast” line is the one that will get quoted in yearbooks until the end of time, but for me, the movie’s most profound moment is the one where Cameron (Alan Ruck, who, between this and his role as Connor Roy on Succession, has perfected the art of playing the son of outrageously wealthy-yet-uncaring-and-abusive parents) stares at A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte in the Art Institute and eventually realizes the whole painting actually is made up of a bunch of little dots. He’s freaked out by it, but it’s the perfect example of the movie’s nihilism: when you think about it, we’re all just a bunch of particles crashing into each other. All the stress and anxiety that Cameron carries is just a bunch of dots, too — and there’s something incredibly freeing in that. We’re here for a good time, not a long time, so as Ferris reminds us, we might as well enjoy it while we can. It’s a lesson we need to remind ourselves of every now and then, and now that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is being added to Peacock’s streaming library this month, we can.
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