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 we think is worth revisiting.
MOVIES
The Bride!
In theaters March 6
Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, this long-delayed twist on The Bride of Frankenstein stars Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as the monstrous couple. Can Buckley follow up her impressive awards run for Hamnet with something totally different? She’s joined in the cast by Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz.
War Machine
March 6, Netflix
The recruits at an Army Ranger training camp find themselves facing an unfamiliar enemy — one that isn’t human — in this action-packed sci-fi film starring Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jarryd Goundrey and Daniel Webber.
Project Hail Mary
In theaters March 20
If early reviews are any indication, the highly anticipated Project Hail Mary — an adaptation of the best-selling sci-fi novel by Andy Weir — is worth the hype. Could it be enough for Ryan Gosling to finally get his Oscar? He stars as Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he wound up aboard said ship. His mission, he figures out, is to determine why a mysterious substance is causing the sun to die out, stop it and save humanity from extinction. Easy, right?
Tow
In theaters March 20 (limited release)
Hot off her Oscar nomination for If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You, Rose Byrne is back — this time as Amanda Ogle, an unhoused woman in Seattle who sets off on an adventure to reclaim the car that she’d been living in after it’s towed away. Dominic Sessa, Octavia Spencer, Demi Lovato and Ariana DeBose also star.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
March 20, Netflix
Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby in this sequel to the popular Birmingham crime drama, set during World War II. Most of the cast reprise their roles, and they’re joined by new additions Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Jay Lycurgo and Barry Keoghan.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
March 27, Hulu
The title of this buddy action comedy featuring Vince Vaughn and James Marsden doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it’s about “two gangsters and the woman they love trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives,” per its logline. Oh, and a time machine is involved.
They Will Kill You
In theaters March 27
Zazie Beetz stars in this horror-comedy as Asia Reaves, a woman who answers a help-wanted ad for a housekeeping job in a New York City high-rise only to find out it’s the site of multiple suspicious disappearances. Myha’la, Tom Felton and Heather Graham round out the cast.
Fantasy Life
In theaters March 27
After losing his job as a paralegal, Sam Stein (Matthew Shear) has a panic attack and winds up babysitting the three granddaughters of his psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch). Is that unethical? Yes, but it gets more complicated: The girls’ mother, Dianne (Amanda Peet), is a struggling actress stuck in a rough marriage to David (Alessandro Nivola), a rock musician. You can probably guess where this all is headed.
TV/STREAMING
DTF St. Louis
March 1, HBO Max
HBO’s latest buzzy miniseries features Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini as a trio tangled up in a love triangle until one of them — no spoilers — winds up dead. Can Detective Donoghue Homer (Richard Jenkins) figure out who’s at fault? Peter Sarsgaard and Joy Sunday also appear in this dark comedy.
Marshals
March 1, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
Another day, another Yellowstone spinoff. This latest one follows former U.S. Navy SEAL and rancher Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as he joins a group of U.S. Marshals protecting Montana. Logan Marshall-Green, Arielle Kebbel and Ash Santos also star.
Young Sherlock
March 4, Prime Video
This Guy Ritchie-produced series strives to answer an age-old question: What if Sherlock Holmes was young and hot? Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the famous detective, who must solve his very first murder case while studying at Oxford.
Vladimir
March 5, Netflix
Between The White Lotus and Bridget Jones 4, we’ve seen a lot of Leo Woodall seducing older love interests, so he seems perfectly cast here. Woodall plays the titular character in this dark comedy opposite Rachel Weisz, and they’re joined in the eight-part limited series by the likes of John Slattery, Jessica Henwick and Ellen Robertson.
Rooster
March 8, HBO Max
Between Ted Lasso, Scrubs and Shrinking, writer Bill Lawrence has a celebrated pedigree when it comes to TV comedies, so it’s no surprise that Steve Carell described this new Lawrence series as having “one of the best comedy pilots I’ve read — period.” Carell plays Greg Russo, a best-selling author of popular, pulpy novels centered around a character named Rooster. He’s brought in as a guest lecturer at the same liberal arts college where his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) works as a professor. That’d be complicated enough, but he comes aboard around the same time Katie happens to find out that her husband is cheating on her with a grad student. What would Rooster do?
Scarpetta
March 11, Prime Video
Based on Patricia Cornwell’s popular series of crime novels, Scarpetta follows Dr. Kay Scarpetta (Nicole Kidman), the chief medical examiner of Virginia, who uses her forensics knowledge to solve various murder cases. In addition to Kidman, the show boasts a pretty stacked cast: Jamie Lee Curtis plays Dorothy, Kay’s sister; Ariana DeBose plays Dorothy’s daughter; and Bobby Cannavale turns up as a former detective. Amazon has high hopes for this one, too, having already renewed it for a second season. They’ll have plenty of material to work with, as Cornwell’s Scarpetta series consists of a whopping 29 books thus far.
Sunny Nights
March 11, Hulu
Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden star in this Australian comedy as Martin and Vicki Marvin, a pair of siblings who move Down Under in the hopes of starting their own spray-tan business. Instead, they find themselves caught up in a criminal underworld, where, according to the show’s logline, they’re “trying to stay out of prison, stay alive and keep their business running.”
The 98th Annual Academy Awards
March 15, 7 p.m. ET, ABC/Hulu
Can Michael B. Jordan follow up his surprise win over Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio at this weekend’s Actor Awards with a Best Actor win on Hollywood’s biggest stage? Will One Battle After Another beat out Sinners and Marty Supreme? You’ll have to tune in to this year’s Oscars to find out. Conan O’Brien returns as host.
Imperfect Women
March 18, Apple TV
Based on the Araminta Hall novel of the same name, Imperfect Women follows three longtime friends (played by Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara) who suddenly find themselves caught up in a murder investigation. Corey Stoll and Joel Kinnaman also star.
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
March 20, Prime Video
Jury Duty moves out of the courtroom for its second season, this time following a man who takes what he thinks is a new job at Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce and attends the company’s annual retreat. The catch? Just like Jury Duty, everyone on the show save for our hero is actually a paid actor, and the whole thing is a Truman Show-style setup. Does it feel a little meaner this time around, letting a guy think he just landed a new job only to eventually rip it out from under him? Yeah, but hopefully a pile of cash and 15 minutes of fame will help soften the blow.
Bait
March 25, Prime Video
Riz Ahmed wrote and stars in this comedy, which has been likened to The Studio due to its camerawork. Ahmed plays struggling actor Shah Latif, whose life is turned upside down when he suddenly finds out he’s in the running to be the next James Bond.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
March 26, Netflix
The Stranger Things finale may have left a sour taste in some fans’ mouths, but the Duffer Brothers will soon have a shot at redemption: the duo’s new Netflix series is a psychological thriller that follows a couple (played by Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco) during the week leading up to their wedding. As you can probably guess from the ominous title, it won’t be a happy occasion.
MUSIC
Bonnie “Prince” Billy, We Are Together Again
March 6
Will Oldham, also known as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, is in the midst of a prolific period. We Are Together Again is the singer-songwriter’s second album in as many years. Of this one, Oldham writes, “This record was made closer to the Ohio River than any I’ve been involved with since 1993’s Palace Brothers There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You. Louisville’s current-and-past vital musical community is highlighted on every song. Catherine Irwin, who sang on the BPB release Ease Down the Road, is back here on ‘Hey Little’ and ‘Vietnam Sunshine.’ Lacey Guthrie, Tory Fisher and Katie Peabody, the three front women of the band Duchess, sing together on the opening and closing songs, parallel odes to the beast that is fear.”
Cut Worms, Transmitter
March 13
Max Clarke’s fourth studio album was produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and recorded at the band’s Loft studio in Chicago. “The stories in these songs are equal parts innocence and experience — dealing with the ecstatic moments of being freshly enamored with the world as well as the isolation and seclusion that can come after,” Clarke says in a press release. “On view are the unseen inner sanctums of quiet daily life — the private worlds that people inhabit, where they don’t or can’t let anyone else in. It is not a uniquely American phenomenon, but it does seem prevalent here, rooted in the mythos of rugged individualism and the idea that each person must be strong enough to make it on their own or die.” (Read our 2023 profile of Cut Worms here.)
Kim Gordon, Play Me
March 13
Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon returns with her third solo album, and like 2024’s The Collective, it was produced by Justin Raisen. “We wanted the songs to be short,” Gordon says of this latest collaboration. “We wanted to do it really fast. It’s more focused, and maybe more confident. I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one. Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work — that came forth even more on this record.”
The Black Crowes, A Pound of Feathers
March 13
Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson are back with their follow-up to 2024’s Happiness Bastards, and it’s a record that came together relatively quickly. “We made this record in eight to 10 days,” Chris Robinson said in a statement. “Bringing the high and inspiration from Happiness Bastards into this album, it was a natural progression. We experimented more, we wrote on instinct and how we were feeling in the moment. Rich brought a spontaneity to the record that I can’t describe, but it’s the best shit he’s ever done.”
Morgan Nagler, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It
March 13
You may have heard Morgan Nagler’s music without even knowing it. She has spent a good chunk of her career as a songwriter for other artists, including Phoebe Bridgers, Haim, Margo Price, Madi Diaz and Kim Deal. I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It is her debut solo album, but it features contributions from a band of heavy hitters: Kyle Thomas (King Tuff) on guitar; backing vocals from Allison Crutchfield, Madi Diaz and Bethany Cosentino; Gabe Noel (Kamasi Washington, Kendrick Lamar) on bass; Courtney Barnett, Meg Duffy and Harrison Whitford on guitars; and Josh Adams (Cat Power, Weyes Blood) on drums.
Courtney Barnett, Creature of Habit
March 27
Creature of Habit, Courtney Barnett’s highly anticipated fourth studio album — her first since 2021’s Things Take Time, Take Time — was penned during a period of upheaval for the singer-songwriter. The record was written shortly after Barnett’s relocation from her native Australia to Los Angeles and the closure of her longtime label Milk! Records. It makes sense, then, that you can hear that uncertainty on “Site Unseen,” where she sings, “Letting go of everything that might have been / and if we like it here, we’ll stay another year / let’s figure out the rest another day.” Of that song, which also features vocal contributions from Waxahatchee, Barnett writes, “I tried 3 separate times over 2 years to track this song, and each time it either wasn’t finished or didn’t sound right and each time we had to start again. I kept hearing this really high harmony in my head, so for the fourth and final version, I asked Katie if she’d be into singing it with me. I’m a big Waxahatchee fan. I really love Katie’s songwriting and her voice, so it was an honour to have her sing on Site Unseen.”
Flea, Honora
March 27
It’s hard to believe that after decades in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea never released a solo album earlier, but the forthcoming Honora is, in fact, the bassist’s solo debut. Don’t expect anything sonically similar to his work with RCHP, though: Honora is an opportunity for Flea to experiment with jazz trumpet, and it features some guest vocals from Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms for Peace) and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes).
Snail Mail, Ricochet
March 27
For her latest record, Lindsey Jordan — better known as Snail Mail — changed a few things up. She moved from New York City to North Carolina, but she also switched up her creative process a bit: “I’ve never done this before, but I wrote all of the instrumentals and vocal melodies on the piano or guitar, and then I filled in the lyrics all at once over a year,” she explains in a press release. Those lyrics are focused on what Jordan describes as “death and what comes after.”
The New Pornographers, The Former Site Of
March 27
The New Pornographers’ 10th studio album fittingly features 10 songs, each a distinct story about what the record’s press materials describe as “people at personal and societal extremes.” Frontman A.C. Newman first recorded the album’s tracks at his home studio before bringing them to his bandmates (Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins and Todd Fancey). “Having time in my studio really opened things up,” Newman explains in a statement. “I don’t like wasting my bandmates’ time, and always felt guilty when I’d give them a song, ask them to do something, then completely change the song and ask them to do it again. Now I can get the skeleton of a song together first — just a couple of elements, the key feeling, really as little as possible — before bringing it to the band and running from there.”
YOUR MONTHLY PLAYLIST
March weather is notoriously unpredictable, and sure, much of the country is still buried under a foot or two of snow. But it’s important to remember that, even if it may not feel like it, spring will come eventually, and when it finally does show up, it’ll be glorious. There’s no feeling quite like that first warm, sunny day of the year, when everything seems new and we all get a little extra jolt of dopamine that compels us to roll down those windows, leave that winter coat in the closet where it belongs and get outside.
Naturally, you need a killer soundtrack full of feel-good vibes for such a day, and for me, that first taste of spring is my cue to dust off Rumours. But there are plenty of other tracks that match the mood, whether they’re a little on-the-nose (“Lovely Day,” “Mr. Blue Sky”) or they simply possess a hopeful, springlike quality. With that in mind, we’ve put together a playlist for the first warm day of the year. Here’s hoping you have an opportunity to use it sooner rather than later.
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 Morgan Nagler, a songwriter who has collaborated with Haim, Phoebe Bridgers, Kim Deal and others, and whose debut album of her own, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It, drops this month.
The Witch’s Daughter: My Mother, Her Magic, and the Madness That Bound Us by Orenda Fink
“It’s riveting. Not only is the narrative so compelling you simply won’t be able to put it down regardless, it’s also beautifully and artfully written. It’s a Southern Gothic tale of small-town isolated family life, witchcraft, mental illness and ultimately of survival. I’m proud to call Orenda Fink (who stepped away from musical projects Azure Ray and solo efforts) a friend and collaborator. Alongside her new career as a celebrated author, she is certified in Jungian depth coaching, and those themes are also spun into her writing, which makes for a rich, complex and multilayered read. She also narrates on the audiobook, which is an amazing listen! So even if you don’t read, it’s a must-read.”
WORTH REVISITING
The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993)
St. Patrick’s Day is just a few weeks away, and you know what that means: green beer, Shamrock Shakes and the inevitable Dropkick Murphys songs blaring out of every Irish pub in Midtown. No offense to Ken Casey and company, but you can do better. This year, why not celebrate one of Limerick, Ireland’s finest exports and revisit The Cranberries’ 1993 debut album?
If Dolores O’Riordan and her bandmates had come crashing out of the gate with just one of these songs, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? would still be an impressive first effort, but between bangers like “Linger,” “Dreams” and “Sunday,” it contains some of their most popular, enduring work. O’Riordan wrote “Dreams” about falling in love for the first time, and man, did she nail it; there’s a reason why the jangly, head-in-the-clouds track keeps turning up in so many romantic comedies, perhaps most memorably in the opening scene of You’ve Got Mail. The record is an important reminder of O’Riordan’s enormous influence, one that can be heard in countless indie-pop groups today. (If you don’t hear her in Alvvays’s “Archie, Marry Me,” you’re not listening hard enough.)
Sadly, O’Riordan died in 2018, but she leaves behind a catalog of timeless songs. As guitarist Noel Hogan told NME in 2019, “It’s only really since Dolores passed away that I’ve grown a proper appreciation for songs like ‘Linger’ and ‘Dreams.’ They were just songs in the set list for us; everybody else was losing their mind about them. And when I listen to them now I realize how great they are for someone so young, which I never, ever appreciated until a year ago. We must have played it a gazillion times in our lives and it just becomes a part of the set, but it’s different now. We’re so lucky to have left that behind, to have that legacy.”
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