From 'Sinners' and The Last of Us to David Hockney in Paris: This week's unmissable culture catch-up
From blockbuster art shows in Paris to Easter playlists, post-apocalyptic TV and Ryan Coogler’s latest vampire flick 'Sinners' - here’s what not to miss in culture this week.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/18/from-sinners-and-the-last-of-us-to-david-hockney-in-paris-this-weeks-unmissable-culture-ca
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From blockbuster art shows in Paris to Easter playlists, post-apocalyptic TV and Ryan Coogler’s latest vampire flick 'Sinners' - here’s what not to miss in culture this week.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/18/from-sinners-and-the-last-of-us-to-david-hockney-in-paris-this-weeks-unmissable-culture-ca
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00And welcome to another look ahead at what you should be spending your time on this holiday weekend as we approach Easter.
00:11I'm joined with my colleague David. David, what have you been watching this week? Let's start off by looking at the small screen.
00:17Well, The Last of Us. We've got the first episode of the second season of The Last of Us.
00:22And the thing is, is that when this first was announced, I was a little bit trepidatious because in terms of video game adaptations, they haven't fared well on the big or small screen.
00:34But the first season of The Last of Us did so, so well.
00:38So there was every reason to get excited about this second season, which picks up five years after the events of the first one.
00:44I mean, you know, from the opening sequence, which is beautifully designed to the score, that opening tune by the Argentinian composer Gustavo Santella, it's brilliant.
00:57And what I found particularly mesmerizing this time around was Bella Ramsey in the role of Ellie and how we see through her performance and that of Pedro Pascal as Joel.
01:08How the character of Joel unwittingly steals some of her agency.
01:14And I think we can expect to see this throughout the rest of the season.
01:17So it's a very exciting show and I'm very excited to keep on watching.
01:21I mean, what I find really incredible right now is, you know, so many people say to me and people who are writing in to us as well across different cultures, across different languages, is that we're all seemingly united by these shows.
01:34Are we in another or are we experiencing another golden age for television or are we just being force fed?
01:41I mean, we have absolutely no complaints when it comes to this year.
01:452025 so far has been a banner year for the small screen.
01:49The problem is, is that we're a little bit, I mean, speaking for myself, I'm a bit overwhelmed because there's no time for the cultural conversation to just stop and for us to enjoy it.
02:00That you're already moving on to the next one.
02:02So, you know, Severance Season 2 stopped and we're already moving on to White Lotus.
02:08White Lotus, oh, oh, it's the seventh season of Black Mirror and there's Yellow Jackets to catch up on.
02:15There's The Handmaid's Tale, which is coming and now The Last of Us.
02:19So we can't, again, complain because these shows are good.
02:22I mean, you know, they've really been fantastic.
02:24But it's a little bit of a cultural overwhelm.
02:27Like, it's hard to kind of really stop and enjoy these shows and it does feel a little bit like you're being bombarded by them.
02:34So it's tough when some people ask, you know, what do you recommend?
02:39Well, you know, I have to say Adolescence being one, the Netflix show, which is going to be shown in schools in the UK and necessarily so,
02:46despite what Boris Johnson says and his terminally stupid take on that show.
02:51And The Last of Us does seem to be one that may have some staying power.
02:55So fingers crossed for that one.
02:56But the first episode really did promise much.
02:59David, some might say we're also spot for choice in terms of releases on the big screen.
03:04What's caught your eye this week?
03:06This week, it's Sinners, the fifth film by Ryan Coogler, which is fantastic.
03:13He's coming back with his lucky charm, Michael B. Jordan, with whom he did Fruitvale Station, Creed and the two Black Panther films.
03:23And this time he's set the story in 1930s America during the Jim Crow era.
03:29And it follows two brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan.
03:34So a little bit like Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17.
03:37There's this kind of trend of actors doubling up in that respect.
03:42And here we see these two brothers coming back from Chicago to the deep south in order to open a jive joint.
03:49So they buy this barn and it's going to be a place of music and celebration.
03:54And before you know it, vampires arrive.
03:57But it does something very bold and unique with it.
04:00Because it establishes that music is essentially this kind of cosmic bond, this link between the past, the present and the future.
04:09And when we talk about music here, we're talking about the blues.
04:12And the way that Ryan Coogler intertwines the history of America and the history of blues music and vampire lore,
04:20which he does very, very well and sparingly, in order to create this kind of mishmash, which really, really works.
04:28It's bold. It's very, very exciting.
04:30And allegorically so rich.
04:34I mean, this is a film about cultural appropriation, about segregation, about racism in general, not just in the US.
04:41How everyone who belittles other people that they fear, that they despise, also have this moment of being envious of their culture,
04:52trying to steal it, trying to pry it away from them, but also divorce it from its roots.
04:57OK, well, that's certainly a great recommendation you've given us there to go and see that.
05:01Yes, so I'll be going to see that a second time during this Easter weekend.
05:05You're going to Paris this Easter weekend.
05:07I am going to go to Paris.
05:08And some of the things that you touched upon there, certainly in terms of music,
05:11made me think of one of the shows I'm going to see, Paris Noir, at the Pompidou,
05:16which is closing down this summer, this year.
05:20So lots of attention, lots of people trying to go in there right now.
05:23And that show in particular looks at the impression that black artists who've been working in the French capital
05:29over the last, like, quarter of a century, since 1950, in fact, hundreds of them,
05:35it explores their impact and how the French capital impacted their art, too.
05:42The other big show that I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend, potentially, is the David Hockney.
05:48I'm massively excited about this.
05:50I can remember when I was a fledgling, a small art student, many, many, many, many, many, many years ago.
05:56You know, that was one of the first shows that I saw.
06:00And I also remember when he first started using the iPad and so much of this enormous show in Paris.
06:08So it brings together its retrospective.
06:10It's perhaps the, I think it is the largest retrospective of his career.
06:14I'm very much looking forward to seeing that this weekend.
06:17Brilliant. And do you need a soundtrack to your weekend?
06:21Who doesn't?
06:22Right. I've got just the thing for you.
06:23Two recommendations.
06:25One of them, I've been looking at the hidden meanings behind songs with Jesus in the title.
06:32It is Easter, after all.
06:33It is. And so I've gone timely.
06:35And essentially, when it comes to songs by, say, Depeche Mode with Personal Jesus, Chocolate Jesus by Tom Waits, Jesus to a Child by George Michael, and various others.
06:48And looking at the hidden meaning, which go well beyond the immediate religious connotation, whether it's heartbreak, whether it is the commercialization of religion and religious holidays.
07:00So if ever you need a soundtrack, that's something I can recommend.
07:05We'll be checking that out.
07:06And the other thing I can recommend is a band that is very near and dear, the Irish band Fontaine's DC.
07:15Now, as you know, they've released last year their fourth album called Romance, which is, in my opinion, their best album so far.
07:23Which is saying plenty, because their previous one, Skintifia, it was superb.
07:28And they've just surprise released a deluxe edition of Romance with three extra songs, including one which has a David Lynch connotation, I'll Say No More.
07:39Definitely worth listening to.
07:40And the band are currently touring the US at the moment, but they're coming to Europe at the end of May.
07:46And they're staying in Europe until end of August.
07:50Anyone who can get a ticket to go see them live during the summer should absolutely rush to it, because I don't think they've ever been better when it comes to their music.
08:00And they're the, in my mind, the unmissable band of the summer.
08:04Well, thank you very much, David, for that.
08:06So that gives you plenty to look forward to over the Easter break.
08:10Do join us there next week, of course.
08:11And if you want more details on what we're looking at and what we're seeing, do check out eonews.com.