Saturday Review

Bakersfield Mist at London's Duchess Theatre stars Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner in a play about a woman who's convinced she's turned up a Jackson Pollock original in a junk shop.

Tim Winton's new novel Eyrie is set in Fremantle Western Australia and tells the story of a man down on his luck, who tries to sew his life back together with the help of a former neighbour and her mysterious son.

When Albert Einstein died in 1955, the pathologist performing his autopsy stole the brain , hoping to find out truths about the nature of genius. A new play by Nick Payne at London's Bush Theatre uses it as a starting point for an exploration of how our mind makes us who we are.Touchy Feely is the latest film from leading mumblecore director Lynn Shelton. It's the story of a masseuse who develops a loathing for skin and a dentist who seems to have extraordinary unprecedented gift for healing. How much of their skill lies in their own minds or those of their customers?

Joseph O'Connor's novel The Thrill of it All is the story of 25 years in the life of an aspiring Anglo-Irish rock band who seem fated to never quite make the big time. How convincing and fascinating is his depiction of the 1980s music scene?

The RSC's Roaring Girls season aims to bring lesser known works (especially those with strong female leads) by Shakespeare's contemporaries back into the spotlight. The latest play to open at The Swan in Stratford is Arden of Faversham, a revenge tragedy whose authorship is unknown. How easily does the decision to play up the comedy sit with the gruesome story?

The film Frank stars one of cinema's most handsome, sought-after actors Michael Fassbender playing a man who wears a large polystyrene head all the time. Is it a waste of great talent or a fascinating way to see how he copes without the chance to show any expression?

Amanda Vickery's BBC2 series The Story of Women and Art aims to rediscover the great forgotten female artists in the world of fine art, and to discover why they have been sidelined through the ages. Among them a 16th century Italian sculptor and a paper cutter from The Dutch Republic whose works were largely forgotten.

Lily Allen's album Sheezus is a comeback after three years away. But have her attempts to set the world to rights created a great piece of work or has her participation in the culture she targets in her lyrics forced a necessary compromise?

The exhibition Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in The UK at The British Library looks back at nearly 2 centuries of comic book art in this country. Looking at and reflecting the social mores of their time, they provide an insight into the society that created them. What insight will our reviewers gain?

Edward St Aubyn's newest novel tells the story of the jury judging the Elysian Prize for Literature. If you've not heard of it, that's because it doesnt exist. The book includes extracts from novels nominated for the award, but does this satire skewer or flatter the world of literary prizes?

Sunny Afternoon is a musical based around the songs and career of The Kinks - a hugely influential group of the 60s and 70s. The world of juke box musicals - trying to shoe-horn a pop performer's catalogue into a slight narrative - has proved a popular and easy device in the past, with mixed success. How can this musical play at London's Hampstead Theatre successfully get around the potential pitfalls?

Blue Ruin is an award-winning independent US film; a gruesome revenge story following a normally placid modest man who seeks retribution on the killer of his parents. But it all spirals rapidly out of control.

In the centenary year of Welsh poet's Dylan Thomas birth, A Poet in New York is part of BBC Wales' coverage to mark the occasion. It's a distinctly unflattering portrayal of Thomas' last few days, drunk and fatally ill in an unfamiliar city. But does it capture his genius?

Privacy is a new play at London's Donmar Warehouse, looking at the way we inadvertently give away valuable private information through our use of modern communication technology - phones, computers. Is this a surprise?

Director Joanna Hogg's third film, Exhibition, continues her exploration of a very British awkwardness in the ways we relate to each other and our environment. It's a quiet film but does it have an important message?

The Last Days of Troy is Simon Armitage's theatrical reimagining of Greek Legend; telling timeless tales in modern language.

John Simm plays a policeman framed for a crime he didn't commit and determined to clear his name in Prey. The creative team behind it have tried to make it edgier and visually unconventional. Is it a cut above the usual police drama?

Chris Marker was a French artist whose work influenced film-makers including Terry Gilliam and James Cameron. An exhibition at London's Whitechapel Gallery looking back at his life is crammed full of imaginative peculiarities and controversial items.

In 1941, following a life-threatening illness, Matisse decided to change the way he made his art; from painting on canvas to creating cutout shapes of painted paper and arranging them to create brilliant vivid images - he described it as "painting with scissors". A new exhibition at Tate Modern in London brings together a collection of these works, many of which haven't been seen together since their creation more than 5 decades ago.

Locke is a film set entirely in a car driving down the motorway, no car chases just a bit of mild speeding, with just one actor, suffering personal crises and talking mostly about concrete. The film -and especially actor Tom Hardy's performance - has been getting rave reviews from many critics. Is it an indulgent creation for the delight of the film's director (Steven Knight) or will the Saturday Review panel be won over?

Since The Coen Brothers released their Oscar-winning film Fargo in 1996 there have been a few unsuccessful attempts to turn the darkly comic work into a TV series. And now it's happened. Based on the spirit of the film rather than recreating the characters or scenarios, it features the dysfunctional citizens of a small Minnesota settlement when a mysterious drifter comes to town with evil intentions...

The RSC's latest production in Stratford is Henry IV pts 1 and 2 as part of their staging of all Shakespeare's 40 plays. Directed by Gregory Doran and with a cast that includes Anthony Sher as Falstaff, this is one of Shakespeare's most dramatic history plays and the double-bill is a major undertaking; what will this new production bring to a much-loved work?

Jayne-Anne Phillips is an American author of historical fiction whose newest book is based on a real-life mass murderer in 1930s Illinois. It's the story of the capture and trial of a serial killer, which followed a series of brutal murders preying on lonely middle-aged single women whom he killed for their money. The story was later the basis of Charles Laughton's chilling film 'Night Of The Hunter'. Is "Quiet Dell" deathly dull or a killer read?

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Dreda Say Mitchell, Emma Woolf and Kevin Jackson.

John Michael McDonagh's film Calvary reunites him with Brendan Gleeson after their success together on The Guard in 2011. This time it's about a priest who is told in confession that - in one week's time - he will be killed. It has an allstar Irish cast and was rewarded with prizes at The IFTAs. Does the mix of serious subject matter and offbeat humour work?

Simon Stevens is probably best known for his stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -which is about to transfer to Broadway. His newest work Birdland opens at London's Royal Court Theatre and features Andrew Scott as a disintegrating rock star; could it achieve the same degree of success?

The BBC's new adaptation of Jamaica Inn is a sumptuous brooding production starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey). Filmed in Northern Ireland and Cumbria, does it do justice to Daphne du Maurier's Cornish setting?

Nigerian-born Teju Cole won widespread acclaim for his first published work Open City, setting a young African man wandering the streets of New York City. His follow-up; Every Day is for the Thief, sends a young African American man back to Nigeria and explores the cultural resonances and differences he experiences.

The First Georgians exhibition at The Queen's Gallery Buckingham Palace, reflects the reigns of Kings George I and II (1714-1760) through a range of objects from The Royal Collection. Portraits, gold table settings, battle plans, furniture and a whole room full of works by Hogarth are among the items on display. Does it hold together and impress or just overwhelm with its opulence?

Noah is a film of biblical proportions. It's directed by Darren Aronofsky and stars Russell Crowe in the title role, and cost roughly $125m to make. The ambition is impressive, but the execution has left some film critics and religious groups underwhelmed. Is the film heaven-sent or horrible?

Kamila Shamsie is a frequent contributor to Saturday Review, her new novel " A God In Every Stone" is set in pre-Partition India telling the story of a country taking part in the First World War while struggling with its own identity. What will our searingly honest reviewers make of it?

Drum and Bass DJ and graffiti artist Goldie is a man of many talents, impressing the judges in a TV reality show with his instinctive orchestral conducting skills, despite being unable to read music. Now he's making his stage debut in Kingston 14 a play about Jamaican gangsters by Roy Williams, at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Will he convince our critics that he can act?

In Olden Days, Ian Hislop considers the British delight in looking back and invoking the past and tradition to validate the present. It's a three part series for BBC2 which reflects his personal fascination with Britain, but will it fascinate the general viewing public?

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Andreas Whittam Smith, Catherine Bott and Bidisha.

At the age of 88, Dame Angela Lansbury returns to the West End theatre playing Madam Arcati in a revival of Noel Coward's wartime comedy Blithe Spirit. On Broadway it was widely acclaimed - how will a UK audience, traditionally less adulatory - receive her exuberant performance?

Kate Winslet is an actress who can open and carry a movie; nobody denies her pull at the box office and skill on the screen. Her latest film 'Labor Day' is about an escaped prisoner (Josh Brolin) who ends up spending time on the run in her home. Can one of today's finest screen actresses convince us of the learning that takes place on both sides of the relationship?

The exhibition by the sixteenth century painter Veronese at London's National Gallery includes works from art collections around the world which have never been seen together before. When he was working (at a prolific rate) he was one of the leading artists in Europe and later artists including Van Dyck, Rubens, Watteau and Delacroix depend upon his example. Will our reviewers be overwhelmed by this generous display of Renaissance Venetian art?

TV drama based on relatively recent real life events is a contentious subject. The Widower on ITV stars Sheridan Smith and Reece Shearsmith in the story of Malcolm Webster who murdered his first wife and attempted to murder his second. Does our familiarity with Shearsmith's gallery of grotesque oddballs mean we can see him as an ordinary man capable of doing ghastly things?Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Stephanie Merritt, Nicholas Barber and Susan Jeffreys.