Weekend Combo

Adam Driver’s existential dread, immersive Salvador Dalí and your first gig of 2023
6 January 2023

Aup, 2023! Our new year’s resolution is to keep scouring London’s cultural map in search of excellent Weekend Combo recommendations. I’m sure you’ll agree that we’re off to a flying start. 

Film

A tale of modern life
Based on the seminal 1985 novel by Don DeLillo of the same name, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise is a brilliantly absurd and droll satire of 80s existential ennui. Here, the mundanity of everyday life is contrasted with a deadly toxic airborne event, supermarket aisles become dancefloors and the American Dream is pushed and pulled with hilarious results. Adam Driver stars as the pot-belly ‘Hitler studies’ professor patriarch of the family, alongside Greta Gerwig as his wife Babette, and Raffey Cassidy as one of their four children from multiple marriages, while Don Cheadle is on form as a professor looking to switch his specialism from car crashes to Elvis.

White Noise is streaming on Netflix.

Exhibition

Art you can’t miss
Inspired by the myth, folklore and spirits of her rural upbringing outside Warsaw, Poland, Magdalena Abakanowicz’s radical large-scale free-hanging works have taken over the Tate Modern, articulating ideas about nature’s power and the individual’s place in relation. Regarded as one of Poland’s most acclaimed visionary artists, this retrospective spotlights her influential career, combining suspended canvas pieces, naturalistic tapestries and radical works crafted from woven fibre. Forming a forest-like display in the Tate’s expansive exhibition space, take a meander through the pieces and let us know your favourite. 

Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Every Tangle of Thread and Rope runs at the Tate Modern until May 21st, more info here

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Every Tangle of Thread and Rope at Tate Modern

Film

Ode to cinema
Sam Mendes’ latest endeavour Empire of Light previews on 35mm at BFI Southbank this weekend – the perfect way to watch this majestic ode to cinema. Set in a 1980s English coastal town, Olivia Colman stars as a retiring singleton struggling to manage a once opulent multiplex cinema on the seafront, whose given a second lease of life with the chance to host a regional premiere of Chariots of Fire. With an ensemble including the likes of Colin Firth and Michael Ward, Mendes’ narrative is ultimately a poignant story of human connection while highlighting the power of cinema in times of strife.

Empire of Light previews at BFI Southbank on January 7th, more info here

Film

Tom Hanks is a grumpy old man
Based on the novel A Man Called Ove by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, Swiss filmmaker Marc Forster has adapted the tale into his latest feature film, A Man Called Otto (note the slight difference). Tom Hanks stars in the titular role as a grumpy widower who has been strictly stuck in his ways since his wife’s death until a young family moves in next door. Striking up an unlikely friendship, the relationship quickly turns Otto’s world upside down in a moving portrait of love and loss. Before heading to the cinema, check out our conversation with Hanks’ co-star Rachel Keller for the inside scoop.

A Man Called Otto is out in cinemas now. 

Gig

Start the year with a bang
Let’s face it, Jools’ Hootenanny was piss-poor this year. So we’ve saved our sonic new year celebrations for this weekend’s floor-shaking line-up at Hackney’s Paper Dress Vintage. Medway garage trio The Shadracks top the bill with some three-chord, knee-jerk rhythms, while London’s Body Horror and Bloke bring the scuzz.

Stick around after the show for a rock ‘n’ roll set by DJ Faris Badwan. Get down!

The Shadracks play at Paper Dress Vintage on Friday 6th January – buy tickets here.

 

Exhibition

A Dalí world
Immersive exhibitions have been a big hit recently, with the likes of Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo having had their work transformed into live installations. Next up is Salvador Dalí and his surreal, melting landscapes. Pioneer of the surrealist movement and the man behind some of the 20th century’s most iconic artworks, the show will feature 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling digital projections of Dalí’s masterpieces alongside holograms, sound effects and plenty of artificial intelligence. On top of that, you’ll be able to step inside the metaverse with a VR experience as your digital avatar weaves their way through The Persistence of Memory.

Dalí: The Immersive Exhibit runs at The Boiler House on Brick Lane until February 25th, more info here.

Dalí: The Immersive Exhibit

Food + Drink

Best pasta in town
Having reopened in Camberwell last summer, Forza Win is serving up some of the best pasta this side of Rome. Their sister wine bar aptly named Forza Wine is a perfect summer rooftop spot, but as we’re currently battling chillier climes we’re all about home comforts. From Bash Redford and Michael Lavery, the Italian eatery offers up exquisite Sicilian cuisine in the form of cavolo nero rigatoni, grilled bream and aubergine parmigiana. While you’re there be sure to try what has now become a cult classic on the menu: Custardo – a sweet combination of custard and espresso to finish off your Italian feast.

Top tip: post-meal, saunter down to The Old Dispensary for live music and good beer.

Forza Win is located at 29-33 Camberwell Church St, SE5 8TR, for more info click here and check out their Instagram here.

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