Welcome to See/Hear, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise. Every month, we round up the biggest upcoming movie, TV and album releases, ask some cool people to tell us what they’ve been into lately, make you a playlist we guarantee you’ll have on heavy rotation and recommend a classic (or unduly overlooked) piece of pop culture that we think is worth revisiting.
MOVIES
Twinless
in theaters Sept. 5
Twinless earned a lot of buzz at Sundance earlier this year, where it took home the Audience Award. The dark comedy stars Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney (who also wrote and directed the film) as two men who meet in a support group for twinless twins (in other words, people whose twins have died) and forge a friendship.
The Threesome
in theaters Sept. 5
The premise for this rom-com is simple: Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) has a threesome with his crush, Olivia (Zoey Deutch) and another woman (Ruby Cruz) and accidentally gets both of them pregnant. (Don’t you hate when that happens?!) Sure, it sounds a bit far-fetched, but it’s an excuse to see Deutch show off her romantic comedy chops again after the surprisingly great Set It Up.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
in theaters Sept. 12
Over 40 years after they first went to 11, the members of Spinal Tap are back for a sequel. This time around, the mockumentary follows the group as they reunite after 15 years apart to play one final show. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner all reprise their roles from the original, and this time around they’re joined by the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
in theaters Sept. 19
In this romance, two strangers (played by Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell) meet at a wedding and eventually discover a magical path that allows them to revisit — and, most importantly, revise — moments from their past.
Him
in theaters Sept. 19
Anybody who watches football knows it can get pretty horrific sometimes — life-altering injuries, toxic masculinity, you name it — so it makes sense that the sport would be at the center of Jordan Peele’s latest (he’s producing, while Justin Tipping directs). This one seems like a demented twist on All About Eve, with an aging quarterback (Marlon Wayans) mentoring a young hotshot.
Adulthood
limited release Sept. 19, VOD Sept. 23
Discovering a dead body in the basement of the house you grew up in isn’t usually a laughing matter. But that’s exactly why this comedy starring Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario as siblings who grow to suspect their parents are murderers looks so funny.
One Battle After Another
in theaters Sept. 26
Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated thriller features a pretty stacked cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Alana Haim. Like everything Anderson does, it wears a lot of hats; inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, it straddles the line between political satire and action comedy. DiCaprio plays an ex-revolutionary who must reunite with members of his old group after 16 years to rescue his daughter (played by newcomer Chase Infiniti).
All of You
Sept. 26, Apple TV+
There’s a bit of a sci-fi angle to this romance: A test can match people to their soulmates, and best friends Simon and Laura (Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots) are matched with other people. They spend the next 12 years fighting the urge to be together despite the fact that they’re a confirmed non-match.
Eleanor the Great
limited release Sept. 26
Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with this film, which follows a 94-year-old woman (played by June Squibb, who’s 95 in real life) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 19-year-old student (Erin Kellyman) and her father (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
TV/STREAMING
The Paper
Sept. 4, Peacock
The long-awaited spinoff to The Office finally lands at Peacock. Don’t expect to see Dunder Mifflin, though: The Paper is set in Toledo, Ohio, and follows the staff of the Toledo Truth-Teller, a struggling local newspaper run by volunteer reporters. Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore star, and Oscar Nuñez reprises his role as Oscar Martinez.
Task
Sept. 7, HBO Max
Written by Brad Ingelsby (who also penned Mare of Easttown), this Philadelphia-based limited series features Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent who must put together a task force to figure out who’s responsible for a string of violent robberies taking place in the city. Will his Philly accent be as good as Kate Winslet’s? Only time will tell.
Only Murders in the Building Season 5
Sept. 9, Hulu
The bodies keep piling up at The Arconia, and Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building sees our favorite trio of sleuths investigating the mysterious death of their doorman, Lester. This one was ruled an accident, but naturally Charles, Oliver and Mabel suspect murder. Renée Zellweger joins the cast as Camila White, a prim and proper high-society type, and Christoph Waltz plays Sebastian “Bash” Steeg, a wealthy man obsessed with extending his life as long as he can. Logan Lerman, Beanie Feldstein, Bobby Cannavale and Keegan-Michael Key also make appearances this season.
aka Charlie Sheen
Sept. 10, Netflix
Based on the trailer, it seems as though Charlie Sheen fully committed himself to this docuseries about his career and his struggles with mental health issues and addiction. No topic seems to be off the table, no matter how sensitive, and the show features interviews with ex-wives, his former drug dealer and even Heidi Fleiss.
The Girlfriend
Sept. 10, Prime Video
Fans of soapy dramas like The Perfect Couple, this one’s for you. Robin Wright stars as a mother who’s incredibly suspicious of her son’s new girlfriend. Is she onto something, or is it just some good old-fashioned Oedipal jealousy?
The 77th Emmy Awards
Sept. 14, 8 p.m. ET, CBS and Paramount+
Will The Studio put an end to The Bear‘s domination of the comedy categories? Will The White Lotus win a whopping 23 awards? We’ll have to tune in to find out.
Futurama Season 13
Sept. 15, Hulu
All 10 episodes of Futurama‘s 13th season will drop on Hulu at the same time, and all of the main voice cast returns for this latest go-around of the long-running animated comedy. What can we expect? According to the logline, “Bender is rampaging out of control! A volcano is about to explode! Fry confronts a rival for Leela’s love! And Dr. Zoidberg is rising up to heaven?! The excitement might be too much!”
The Morning Show Season 4
Sept. 17, Apple TV+
The new season of The Morning Show deals with the aftermath of the merger that ended Season 3, which means it also has a ton of big names joining the cast. Marion Cotillard, William Jackson Harper, Jeremy Irons, Boyd Holbrook and Aaron Pierre all appear in this latest batch of episodes.
Black Rabbit
Sept. 18, Netflix
Jude Law and Jason Bateman play brothers in this limited series about a New York restaurateur who gets sucked into some criminal activity to evade the loan sharks breathing down his family’s neck. Bateman also directed the series’ first two episodes.
The Lowdown
Sept. 23, Hulu/FX
Ethan Hawke stars as citizen journalist Lee Raybon, loosely based on Lee Roy Chapman in this Oklahoma-set series. Tim Blake Nelson, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Kyle MacLachlan round out the cast.
House of Guinness
Sept. 25, Netflix
There’s no trailer yet for this Netflix series about the family responsible Guinness Irish stouts, but the synopsis says it deals with “the consequences following the death of Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne and Ben,” so it feels pretty safe to assume this one is gonna be the Succession of beer.
Wayward
Sept. 25, Netflix
Mae Martin created and stars in this creepy-looking miniseries about the “troubled teen” industry. There haven’t been very many specifics announced about the plot just yet, but there appears to be an extremely menacing Toni Collette character, so I’m sold.
The Savant
Sept. 26, Apple TV+
Inspired by Cosmopolitan‘s 2019 article “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?“, The Savant features Jessica Chastain as the real-life, anonymous woman known as “The Savant” who infiltrates online hate groups in order to prevent large attacks or other acts of violence.
Chad Powers
Sept. 30, Hulu
A TV series based on an Eli Manning sketch that originally aired on ESPN+ back in 2022 doesn’t sound particularly promising, but replace Manning with Glen Powell and now we’re getting somewhere. Powell stars as the title character, a quarterback whose bad behavior destroys his college career who then decides to disguise himself and walk on to a Southern school’s team incognito. In addition to acting in the show, he also co-wrote the pilot episode.
MUSIC
Big Thief, Double Infinity
Sept. 5
Big Thief’s sixth album is also their first as a trio, following last year’s departure of bassist Max Oleartchik due to “interpersonal reasons.” Produced by longtime collaborator Dom Monks, Double Infinity also features contributions from Alena Spanger, Ginla’s Jon Nellen, Natural Information Society’s Mikel Patrick Avery and Laraaji.
David Byrne, Who Is the Sky?
Sept. 5
David Byrne’s follow-up to 2018’s American Utopia features arrangements by Ghost Train Orchestra as well as contributions from St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Tom Skinner and more. “Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot.’ I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it,” the Talking Heads frontman explains in a statement. “Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody’s wearing everybody else’s shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done. I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that — hold opposites simultaneously.”
Jens Lekman, Songs for Other People’s Weddings
Sept. 12
After penning a song called “If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding)” in 2004, Jens Lekman started receiving a bunch of requests to actually sing at people’s weddings — so many, in fact, that it turned into a side gig for him. That career pivot inspired him to co-write the book Songs for Other People’s Weddings with David Levithan. Now that book has a companion album of the same name, and the music video for “Candy From a Stranger” even features real footage of him performing at various nuptials.
King Princess, Girl Violence
Sept. 12
Mikaela Straus, better known as King Princess, has pivoted to acting recently, appearing in Nine Perfect Strangers alongside Nicole Kidman and making her film debut in the forthcoming Song Sung Blue opposite Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. But she’s making a welcome return to music this month with her third album. “Girl violence is very sneaky,” Straus says in a press release. “It’s not physical, it’s deeply emotional, spiritual, and spooky. Women are both amazing and sinister — including myself — and it’s my curiosity to understand all the love, loss, and changes that come out of my love for women. Why are we so inclined to cause and receive chaos? If you’ve experienced even an iota of it, then you’ll have a story to tell. And these are mine.”
Cardi B, AM I THE DRAMA?
Sept. 19
More than seven years after she burst onto the scene with her Grammy-winning debut Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B is finally releasing her sophomore album. “Seven years and the time has come,” she said in a recent Instagram post announcing the LP. “Seven years of love, life and loss. Seven years I gave them grace, but now, I give them hell. I learned power is not given, it’s taken. I’m shedding feathers and no more tears. I’m not back, I’m beyond. I’m not your villain, I’m your tyrant. The time is here. The time is now.”
Amanda Shires, Nobody’s Girl
Sept. 26
We already got Jason Isbell’s perspective on his recent divorce from Amanda Shires with his solo album Foxes in the Snow, but now we’ve finally got a chance to hear Shires tackle the end of their marriage herself with Nobody’s Girl. If you’re hungry for some great, devastating break-up songs, you’re in luck: As she sings on single “Piece of Mind,” “If you think I could ever hate you, you’re wrong, but that was a real fucked up way to leave / ‘Bout buckled when I heard and saw you on the Ring cam whistling.”
Jeff Tweedy, Twilight Override
Sept. 26
It’s not too often we get a triple album, but Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy’s massive forthcoming solo effort, Twilight Override, is just that — 30 stunning songs to help us cope with the state of the world. As Tweedy explains in the album’s press materials, “Creativity eats darkness. Sort of an endless buffet these days — a bottomless basket of rock bottom. Which is, I guess, why I’ve been making so much stuff lately. I mean, is the world getting darker? Sure feels like it. What is it? Is it the pervasive nagging toothache of dread that comes from the disintegration of a country that you thought you knew and understood? A home you still love with a love that could never be taken away, regardless of how painful that love has become? That sense of decline is hard to ignore, and it must be at least a part of the shroud I’m trying to unwrap. The twilight of an empire seems like a good enough jumping-off point when one is jumping into the abyss.” He’s joined on Twilight Override by some frequent collaborators, including producer Tom Schick, guitarist James Elkington, and his sons, Spencer and Sammy.
Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green
Sept. 26
Hot on the heels of her memoir The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You hitting the New York Times best-sellers list, Neko Case is back with her first solo album in seven years. “There are so few producers who are women, nonbinary, or trans,” Case said in a press release. “People don’t think of us as an option. I’m proud to say I produced this record. It is my vision. It is my veto power. It is my taste.”
Robert Plant, Saving Grace
Sept. 26
For his follow-up to 2021’s Raise the Roof with Alison Krauss, the former Led Zeppelin frontman assembled a new band (also called Saving Grace): vocalist Suzi Dian, drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley and cellist Barney Morse-Brown. Plant also produced the 10-track LP, and if his cover of Low’s “Everybody’s Song” is any indication, it’s gonna be a doozy.
YOUR MONTHLY PLAYLIST
What exactly makes a great “fall album” is subjective, and it depends entirely on how you feel about the season. If you see it as a depressing buffer between summer relaxation and winter festivity when everything dies and you can never figure out the appropriate amount of layers to wear, maybe you turn to your favorite sad indie-rock guy with a guitar. But if you’re the first in line for a pumpkin-spiced latte in late August and you’ve already got your annual trip to Storm King plotted out to take in the gorgeous foliage, fall music likely means something a little more majestic, full of intricate arrangements to match the season’s scenery and warm, inviting sounds to usher in the start of sweater weather. With that in mind, we rounded up this playlist of 25 songs that scream “fall” to us, whether they’re reminding us of the elegance of “Autumn in New York” or birthed from a remote hunting cabin in northwestern Wisconsin.
ARTIST RECOMMENDATIONS
Each month, we catch up with a few musicians, actors, comedians or otherwise cool people whose opinions we respect to hear about a piece of pop culture they’re particularly excited about. This month, it’s Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats.
Jim Putnam, Jim Putnam
“I’m recommending this album because it’s very good, it’s very calming, it’s hard to categorize and it’s written, performed and recorded by a guy who probably doesn’t care if you hear it or not. He probably would have poured his passion and talent into it whether it was going to get zero streams or a million streams. Purchasing a copy would be cool though, too.”
Romance or The End by Elaine Kahn
“I was a creative writing major in college, but fell off writing poems almost as soon as I graduated. I’d start to write one, but the rhyming would creep in and before I could stop it, a song had appeared instead. I told a friend this, and she started diligently sending her favorite poems to my inbox, and eventually handed me a stack of books to take home, which included Elaine Kahn’s Romance or The End. I devoured it in an evening and then returned to take it in in lingering doses. Kahn captures so well the ragged edges of beautiful things and the slinking allure of chaos. Thoroughly inspiring!”
WORTH REVISITING
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Streaming on Prime Video, available to rent on Apple TV+
Sure, it’s not quite spooky season yet, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show is typically more of a Halloween watch. But if you find yourself shivering with antici…pation, you’ve got a good excuse to queue it up a little early this year: Sept. 26 marks the 50th anniversary of the cult classic. In fact, thanks to half a century of midnight screenings full of fans eagerly awaiting their chance to throw toast, rice or toilet paper, it’s the longest-running release in film history.
In the years since Rocky Horror first hit the screen, many others have tried their hand at playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter, but they’ve all paled in comparison to Tim Curry’s original, electric performance. (Sorry to Laverne Cox and that girl from Glee.) It’s hard to overstate just how good he was in the role, which he originated with the stage versions in London and on Broadway. It’s not just that he steals every scene he’s in — it’s impossible to look away from him. He’s campy and funny as hell, and he manages to sneak in just the right amount of pathos. A big 11 o’clock number like “I’m Going Home” only works if you fully commit to it.
To celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary, Disney is releasing a newly restored 4K version. That restoration will hit theaters at the end of this month with a few special screenings and events, and it’ll play nationwide in October. But if you can’t wait till then to see Meat Loaf drive a motorcycle through a freezer, give the original ode to 1950s B-movies a spin and remind yourself why it’s never left the big screen.
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