Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise.
WALK: Grand Avenue Arts
The Broad. The Central Theater. The Phil. The Opera. MOCA. The Library. Redcat. The Grand Park. This is the most culturally important block in town, and for one day it’s all free and programed with great events, performances and exhibits. Check it out. (Nov. 4)
WATCH: Thor: Ragnarok
The Norse god (minus his hammer) tries to prevent the end of Asgard with help from a rogues gallery of heroes … including the Hulk. Directed by Kiwi up-and-comer Taika Waititi (What We Do In the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
ENJOY (NSFW): Scientwehst
An artistic mix of architecture and erotic photography by Brooklyn artist Giulia, who crafts “brazenly-feminine digital collages” on Instagram.
CHUCKLE: Paul Ryan
An almost 200-page McSweeney’s/ClickHole-worthy parody of the House Speaker, “refracted through an absurd prism of magazine hell.” Each article parodies a different genre or glossy magazine. Bonus: Get a photo of Paul Ryan with the actual Paul Ryan, and you’ll win a cheese basket.
SHOP: Mercado Sagrado Annual Fair
The Mercado Sagrado returns to Malibu Canyon with workshops on yoga and breathwork, live music in a field and plenty of local artisans hawking candles, clothes, art and food. (Nov. 4-5)
READ: Artemis
The Martian was a self-published phenomenon a few years back — and a pretty good movie that stripped out all the science (blame Ridley Scott). Andy Weir’s second book, however, is more of a hardboiled crime novel … set on the moon. A fun bit of sci-fi noir to read during your inevitable flight delays. (Nov. 14)
SUBSCRIBE: Charcoal Book Club
The world’s first photobook-of-the-month club is here to sex up your home. Handpicked photo journals sourced from “the most respected photographers and publishers in the industry,” and a must-have for any man’s (or woman’s) bookcase. Our five favorites are here. (Nov. 8)
PLAY: Call of Duty WWII
After a few wayward missions to space, the first-person shooter heads back to its “boots on the ground” World War II roots. You, too, can experience D-Day! And a co-op mode where you fight Nazi zombies (note: it’s OK to punch Nazi zombies). (Nov. 3)
VIEW: Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A.
The Zapotec and Oaxacan communities are among the largest in Mexico and L.A., and are part of the statewide Pacific Standard Time exhibit at the L.A. Public Library. They’re hosting a series of talks with local Oaxacan chefs and journalists on the impact of this unique culture on our food scene.
LISTEN: Our Spotify playlist
Thirty new tunes populate our playlist, including the Zep-loving kids of Greta Van Fleet, Sharon Jones (RIP), Thundercat, Sleigh Bells, Rhye and Franz Ferdinand.
BINGE: Godless
“Mister, we’re a lot f*cking stronger than you think we are.” An outlaw takes refuge in a town run by badass women (and only women) in this new Netflix limited series, a violent western overseen by Steven Soderbergh and Scott Frank (Logan). (Nov. 22)
And don’t forget … Richard Linklater made a war movie? Well, it’s a meditative one. With an all-star cast (Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, Laurence Fishburne), the indie director examines what happens long after the battle in Last Flag Flying (Nov. 3) … Good timing or horrible timing? Louis CK goes full Woody Allen in his controversial, black-and-white dramedy I Love You, Daddy, which, yes, features an older man in show business possibly seducing an underage girl (Nov. 17) … A privileged New York family sees their home life shattered in Heather, the Totality, the debut novel from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner (Nov. 7) … Calling Stranger Things fans: Future Man is basically a comedic take on ‘80s cult hit The Last Starfighter, overseen by Preacher’s Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Nov. 14) … And finally, the welcome return of Stan Against Evil (Nov. 1) and Search Party (Nov. 19).
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