04/02/2012

Tom Sutcliffe and his guests writers Natalie Haynes and Terence Blacker and anthropologist Kit Davis review the week's cultural highlights including Martha Marcy May Marlene Sean Durkin's film Martha Marcy May Marlene stars Elizabeth Olsen as Martha - a young woman who comes to stay with her estranged sister after running away from a sinister utopian cult. Alex Preston's novel The Revelations features an evangelical movement called the Course whose founder - charismatic priest David Nightingale - wants to turn it into a global brand. The four young members he has chosen as his leaders have difficulty squaring the demands of religion and high finance. She Stoops to Conquer - the classic comedy by Oliver Goldsmith - revolves around mistaken identity and misunderstandings. In Jamie Lloyd's production at the National Theatre Steve Pemberton plays Mr Hardcastle whose house is mistaken for an inn by his daughter's suitor. David Shrigley: Brain Activity at the Hayward Gallery in London is the first major UK survey of Shrigley's works. It features 68 new works made specifically for the exhibition and includes many of his idiosyncratically artless but witty drawings alongside animated films and 3D pieces. Luck is the latest television drama by David Milch whose previous work includes NYPD Blue and Deadwood. Directed by Michael Mann, it stars Dustin Hoffman as Chester 'Ace' Bernstein - a criminal kingpin who has just served 3 years in jail. He now has plans to introduce casino gambling to a racetrack outside Los Angeles, but he needs to move stealthily. Producer: Torquil MacLeod.