TV: “Duster”
There’s not much new under the blazing Phoenix sun in this soft-boiled, neo-noir action series from creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan (streaming on Crave), in which a gangster’s gofer and the first Black female FBI agent uncover a conspiracy in the ’70s American Southwest. Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson are two of the more obvious touchpoints, what with the incessant, crate-digger needle-drops, strutting camera moves and shocking bursts of ultraviolence. But the gleeful tone, wild cameos and ridiculously charismatic lead performances by Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson make this a lot of fun to watch. —Doug Brod
Movies: “Celebrating Gene Hackman”
The world lost one of its finest actors this year with the death of Gene Hackman. Thankfully, he leaves behind a slew of all-time great performances. A shrewd everyman, he brought smarts and earthy charisma to big and small roles alike. The Criterion Channel celebrates his work this month with classics like “The Conversation,” “The French Connection” and “Night Moves” and deeper cuts like “Scarecrow” (his own personal fave) and the profoundly weird Nicolas Roeg joint “Eureka.” And, yes, “The Royal Tenenbaums” is here too. He may have reportedly hated making it, but boy, do we love watching him in it. —Briony Smith
Visual Art: “To Dream of Other Places’
This free exhibit, now on display through the end of August at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, transports visitors out of the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto, and into a world of plaintive, picturesque gardens. These paintings, by Toronto artist Emmanuel Osahor, are inspired by both real and imaginary locations, and are borne out of Osahor’s interest in how nature can be regenerative. Also on display in this multimedia exhibit: drawings, prints, ceramic sculptures and an immersive photographic installation that stretches from the floor to the ceiling, wrapping viewers in perpetual twilight. —Joshua Chong
Music: Foxwarren, “2”
After their breezy self-titled debut in 2018, the Andy Shauf-led quintet were primed for a more expansive, thematically rich follow-up. The resulting sophomore effort is ambitious, ambiently warm and melodic in all the right places. Though “2” (ANTI-) sometimes relies too heavily on samples from grainy movies, the gentle grooves of “Round&round” and the frenetic, jagged guitar tones of “Deadhead” tie together a seamlessly sunny collection of songs with as much charm and depth as the collaged cover. —Hayden Godfrey
