Hump day recommendations, Jan. 8, 2025

Watch: “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.” Yes, the boys are back in town, and this time they’re struggling with an “emerging technology.” It’s been a few years since Nick Park’s last installment in the continuing adventures of daffy inventor Wallace and his loyal and absurdly inventive dog Gromit. I won’t spoil the plot for you. You can find it at your local cinema or streaming on Netflix. – Willis

Check out:The tattoos of Özge Kul. I’m on a real Turkish culture kick these days, and I have been enchanted by the work of this Istanbul-based artist. Her stunningly detailed linework on animal and plant motifs contrasts brilliantly with bold streaks of bright, saturated color, usually in just one or two tones, to emotional effect. Her work often reminds me of Japanese traditional tattoos and the tulip designs of Ottoman-era Iznik tiles, reimagined through a cubist lens in a style that is unmistakably unique. In Istanbul and interested in a piece of your own? Contact her here. – Matt

Read: “James.”This novel by Percival Everett grips the imagination with its retelling of the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (by Mark Twain, of course) as seen through the eyes of James, aka Jim, the slave. I need to go back now and reread the original Twain, but Everett’s version – complete with vivid scenes and dialog that challenges the racist philosophies of Enlightenment figures like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and John Locke – will be hard to beat. – Tracy

Sit down: with Putin’s Rasputin.We are now in the 26th year of Vladimir Putin’s reign. What makes him tick? To answer that question, Giuliano da Empoli, an Italian political analyst, wrote a novel. “Wizard of the Kremlin” imagines a lengthy conversation with “Vadim Baranov,” a late-Soviet theater kid who becomes a TV producer in the 1990s and is recruited as a Putin aide. Baranov is modeled on the real-life character of Vladislav Surkov, an immensely powerful and famously cynical adviser who shaped Russian politics and media in the early 2000s. Da Empoli’s depiction of the chaos and rush of post-Soviet Russia, his grasp of the country’s culture and history, and his insights into Putinism are all superb. So too are his warnings. – Alex

Watch: “Black Doves.” The Netflix series with Keira Knightley is a spy romp through the corridors of power at Westminster, replete with murder, lust, and duplicity. Set in London at Christmas time, “Black Doves” follows Knightley as Helen, a devoted mother and secret spy, who teams up with suave assassin Sam, played by Ben Whishaw, to unravel a conspiracy after her lover and the Chinese ambassador to England are both murdered. Love, betrayal, and geopolitical chaos are all on the menu – and a second season is in the works. – Tasha