The evening’s are growing darker and the urge to hibernate is getting stronger, but thankfully there’s plenty ahead to keep you venturing out into the world.
Major new exhibitions in Paris and London focus on two of the world’s most famous impressionist painters, Monet and Renoir, while Tom Cruise stars as an eccentric oil tycoon with a hero complex in Digger.
There’s also new music from former The Smiths’ member Johnny Marr, and a crime drama starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as a drug dealer-turned-art dealer on a mission to take down some hit men.
Keep scrolling to find out more…
Exhibitions and events
Renoir and Love
When: 2 October 2026 – 31 January 2027
Where: The National Gallery (London, UK)
From his iconic ‘Bal au Moulin de la Galette’ to ‘The Umbrellas’, over 50 of Renoir’s works are on display at this vast new retrospective — the most significant on UK soil in 20 years. The French impressionist became a pioneer of the loose brushstroke technique, especially adept at capturing the fleeting emotions between people in public. The National GalleryUtilising loands from museums across the glove, The National Gallery traces Renoir’s themes, techniques and career evolutions — focused on his output between the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s. Find out more here.
The Monet: Painting Time
When: 30 September 2026 – 25 January 2027
Where: Musée de l’Orangerie (Paris, France)
Marking the centenary of Claude Monet’s death, ‘Painting Time’ is a riveting retrospective that explores the impressionist artist’s relationship with time. Known for his loose brushstrokes and remarkable ability to capture shifting light, Monet’s paintings have always had a sense of momentum; of capturing a world that’s always transitioning, even when frozen. The exhibition re-evaluates Monet’s works through this angle, featuring almost forty paintings from collections across the world — some of which have rarely been seen before. Co-organised by the Tate, the exhibition also acts as a precursor to a London presentation that opens in February next year. Find out more here.
Bonus highlight: The Design Museum in London will present the largest solo presentation of British artist Es Devlin’s works from 2 October unti 4 April 2027.
Movies
Digger
Where: Cinemas
When: 2 October
A little bit There Will Be Blood, a little bit Dr. Strangelove, and a hole lot of absurd! Digger is the new satirical comedy from Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman). It stars Tom Cruise (in even heavier prosthetics than Tropic Thunder) as an eccentric oil tycoon, whose drilling operations in Greenland have caused a global environmental disaster. Instead of doing what most billionaires would likely do — hiding in a bunker and denying all responsibility — he takes on the role of humanity’s saviour and heads out on a bombastic rescue mission. Supported by a stacked cast that includes Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Jesse Plemons, Cruise gives what looks to be his zaniest (and sure-to-be Oscar-nominated) performance yet. Stay tuned for our full review on Friday.
Bonus highlight: Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway star in a big screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity, a saucy thriller about a ghostwriter sent to finish a best-selling author’s books. Out in most cinemas from 2 October.
TV series
Kill Jackie
Where: Prime Video
When: 2 October
Catherine Zeta-Jones stars in Kill Jackie, a pulpy thriller series based on Nick Harkaway’s novel The Price You Pay. It follows a wealthy art dealer named Jackie Price, whose glamorous life conceals a criminal past — one she must revive resources from when a squad of hitmen target her. It’s glossy, goofy action that’s ideal for autumn escapism — or those that just want to watch a glammed-up and potty-mouthed Zeta-Jones in her element.
Bonus highlight: HBO’s new legal drama, War, stars Dominic West and Sienna Miller as a high-profile couple caught up in a monstrous divorce. Stream it on Sky/Now from 2 October.
Music
Johnny Marr: The Age Of Everything
When: 2 October
British musician Johnny Marr, who was formerly a lead guitarist for The Smiths, is releasing his fifth solo studio album. It follows 2022’s ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1–4’ and reflects on this era of hyper-connectivity. Through Marr’s charismatic acoustics, soaring “ooohs” and introspective lyrics, the album jitters with a kinetic energy that attempts to mirror the constant, overwhelming changes happening all around us. While tracks like ‘Just Once More’, meet this idea with some anxiety, others, like ‘All In A Life’, find calm in routine. But throughout, there’s the sense that Marr is holding listeners’s hands through the storms of contemporary life, reminding them to pause in awe occasionally.
Bonus highlight: American country singer Miranda Lambert returns with her 10th studio album, ‘Crisco’, on 2 October.
