If you’re still battered and bruised from a summer spent in beer gardens, social smoking and late nights then feel free to take a little time off. Like it or not, the holiday season (as our politically correct American friends like to call it) is just around the corner, so booze o’ clock will be back in full swing before you know it. Why not use this middling time to do things that maybe perhaps don’t involve drinking cheap wine from a bottle until you fall down in the street flashing your days-of-the-week pants to all and sundry? Just a suggestion.
Here’s a few cultural things to replace the pub with this month.
The BFI London Film Festival
God, Cannes? Lame. Venice Film Festival? OVER. The BFI London Film Festival is the actual best when it comes to film festivals, mainly because it's on our doorstep and also we (and by we, we mean you) can actually go. From masterclasses to talks (including one with best man ever Jon Stewart) to watching all sorts of films before they even come out (including loads that definitely won't be in your local namebrand multiplex any time soon) head over to their website to book tickets now.
The Moth
This event’s actually on in early November but give a shit. It’s THE shit. Fresh off the boat from America, this story telling event is the IRL version of popular story telling podcast The Moth. It’s kind of an open mic situation but if you go with the mind to tell a story, make sure you’ve got something prepared; the standard is HIGH. Bring the tissues, you’re going to have a cry.
Teh Internet Is Serious Business
First things first, that ‘the’ is not spelled wrong. It’s how the title’s spelled. It’s the whole Inglorious Basterds thing all over again. Albeit on a slightly smaller scale; no Brad Pitt to see here sorry. Anyways, this play follows two guys as they join a group of hackers intent on taking down the Scientology website. Expect cameos from all your favourite internet memes in this bonkers but brilliant mess.
100 Leading Ladies
Need some inspiration of the power lady kind? This exhibition has photographed 100 British older women who’ve done freaking amazing things with their lives. Expect to see Germaine Greer, Barbara Hulanicki, Daphne Selfe, Kirsty Wark and loads more. Even better, the whole thing’s free.
How To Get Away With Murder
You know how we feel about Scandal over here on The Debrief. Now, creator Shonda Rimes has a new show featuring f Viola Davis that follows a law professor and her students as they get entangled in a gripping murder case (FYI this now means that Thursday nights on ABC go Greys Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder – ALL by Shonda). This first episode went down a storm in America, not least because it included some licking of anuses in a particularly hot sex scene. More please.
Nightcrawler
Finally the film that Jake Gyllenhal lost all that weight for arrives. Nightcrawler is the debut directorial from Dan Gilroy (who wrote 2005’s Two For The Money which if you haven’t seen you need to immediately for it serves as proof that Matthew McConaughey’s been freaking awesome for a lot longer than the Dallas Buyers Club). Anyways Jake Gyllenhal stars in Nightcrawler as a reporter with zero-to-no morals who gets swept up in the underground LA crime scene.
Katherine Ryan
All of October and November and December, all around the country
Canada’s Katherine Ryan is winning comedy at the moment. Fresh from shit hot reviews at Edinburgh she’s the lady to go and see if you like your jokes with a splatters of Beyonce, filthy sex talk, abortion and the whole Israel/Palestinian crisis then PLEASE make sure you manage to visit her at least once on her exhaustive tour.
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Yes it might be full of Barbour wearing Cotswolds folk but that’s not to say there’s nothing for you to get your teeth into. Jo Ellison is doing a chat about Vogue, Heat’s Boyd Hilton and Camilla Long are having a chat about celebrity culture, Jack Monroe about as is JACQUELINE WILSON. Oh my.
Design Manchester
Although the core date for this one is the 24th, there's actually events throughout the whole week. Featuring talks from Peter Saville (that chap who designed the New Order Blue Monday album sleeve that cost more to produce than they managed to sell the each record for) and Andy Nicholson who did the production design on the Oscar winning Gravity. More acts to be announced soon.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.