Entertain Me: July 2019

Our picks of the best flicks, music, books, games and TV to get into this season.

Watching

The Lion King

While the 1994 Lion King flick will hold a special place in our hearts, there’s no denying that we at the Cityscape office are low-key ecstatic for the 2019 version, which will hit the big screens on July 17. Helmed by The Jungle Book’s director John Favreau, the CG-animated re-imagining will have some big names stepping up to voice the main characters, with Donald Glover as Simba and Beyonce as Nala. James Earl Jones also makes a comeback and is tapped to reprise his role as the villainous Mufasa, and Seth Rogen will provide the comedic goods as the beloved Pumbaa. Relive the nostalgia and sing along to the hits that defined a generation – both Hans Zimmer and Elton John are back on muso duty and are set to re-work the original score!

Listening

Anima - Thom Yorke

Radiohead alum Thom Yorke has released his highly anticipated third solo album, Anima, which is now available on all streaming giants. Developed by Yorke and longtime producer Nigel Godrich (who has also worked on previous Radiohead albums), the album features electronic music with layers of electronic fuzz and deconstructed noise. The nine tracks on the album possess themes of anxiety and dystopia, with Yorke commenting: “For some reason I thought a really good way of expressing anxiety creatively was in a dystopian environment.” The title Anima references psychotherapist Carl Jung’s concepts of the anima and animus and stemmed from Yorke’s obsession with dreams.

Reading

Big Sky - Kate Atkinson

Secrets, sex and lies are at the forefront of Kate Atkinson’s new novel Big Sky which sees iconoclastic detective Jackson Brodie roped into gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife. A typical day for Brodie, however this time things get shaken up by a chance encounter with a strange man on a cliff that ultimately leads him down a path to a sinister network – and across the path of his old friend Reggie.

Playing

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Bring the wizarding world of Harry Potter to life with the new Harry Potter: Wizards Unite augmented reality game. Inspired by the Wizarding World, the free-to-play game is available on any Android or iOS device and comes with an array of funky features. Specialise in different professions from Auror to Professor; discover and activate a Portkey which reveals an immersive VR-like experience; brew your own potions; cast various spells that trigger a detailed 3D encounter in full 360-degree advanced AR; and explore not only your own streets but the many Wizarding locations on the map including fortresses and magical traces and embrace your inner detective by solving various mysteries.

Bingewatching

Stranger Things

With the season three prem of Stranger Things only a mere few days away – July 4 to be exact – what better way to familiarise yourself with the epic sci-fi series than to cram a mad bingewatching sesh in before the new season kicks off. There’s mind control, there’s Winona Ryder, there’s sneaky science experiments, there’s badass fight scenes, there’s amazing acting from a young talented cast and there’s a huge slice of 80s nostalgia that makes Stranger Things one of the best and easiest TV series to kick up your feet and settle in to watch. Do it. You won’t regret it.