Hot Sheet: Boys On Film

10. MUSIC: Banks "Beggin For Thread"
Indie pop's latest darling has been steadily releasing songs over the past few months from her Goddess album, due out September 9. Those who like the haunting croon of Lana Del Rey will enjoy Banks just as much, especially the lovesick sounds of "Drowning" and "Brain," both set to a moody electronic beat. Listen to the latest single from Banks, "Beggin For Thread," and if you like what you hear, check out the terrific remixes of her other tracks on Banks' SoundCloud page. - Scott Ragan

9. THEATER: New Original Works Festival
This three-week festival of innovative performances at REDCAT in Los Angeles will feature out artist John Fleck, one of the famed NEA Four, "labeled by right-wing politicians as too dirty to be funded" back in the 1990s, as Fleck puts it on his website. The festival opens this weekend with dance performances exploring the immigrant experience and the world of dreams, plus a musical theater piece about modern love in a mythical environment. Next weekend brings a piece about a woman who falls in love with inanimate objects and one questioning the stereotypes of masculinity and feminity in hip-hop culture. The third weekend, August 7-9, finds Fleck putting his spin on the gothic horror genre with Blacktop Highway, described as "a horrifyingly hysterical tale of taxidermy, transformation and caged creatures," plus the Ate9 dance troupe performing a new work, "For Now." Get information and tickets here. - Trudy Ring

8. FILM: A Most Wanted Man
Fans of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman will not want to miss one of his final cinematic performances, the spy thriller A Most Wanted Man. Based on the novel by John le Carre, the film showcases Hoffman as the hard-drinking head of an anti-terrorist team in Hamburg, where the attacks on the World Trade Center had been planned over a decade beforehand. When a tortured immigrant appears in the city's Islamic community to claim a large inheritance, Hoffman and his team, along with a CIA operative played by Robin Wright (House of Cards), are tasked with ascertaining his true identity. A Most Wanted Man is in theaters this weekend. Watch the trailer below.- Daniel Reynolds

7. DVD: Five Dances
In Five Dances, Broadway star Ryan Steele makes his way on screen as 18-year-old Chip, fresh out of Kansas and ready to begin his life. As soon as he gets picked up by a small dance company in New York City, he must choose between forging his new career and helping his struggling family back home, while tangling with fellow dancer Theo. You'll be amazed by the intimate beauty of the choreography, and the honesty of the actor's performances. Jonah Bokaer's choreography, Alan Brown's directing, and Derek McKane's cinematography create a solid foundation for this film. - Michelle Garcia

6. COMICS: Life With Archie #36
Shortly after news broke last week that comic book icon Archie would die taking a bullet for his gay best friend Kevin Keller in the final issue of Life With Archie, fans flocked to their local comics shop and snapped up every last copy. If you were one of the few who missed out the first time around, fear not. The sold out double-sized issue is getting a second printing available for preorder now at Archiecomics.com or at your local comics shop. - Jase Peeples

5. THEATER: The Habit of Art
This comedy by Alan Bennett (The History Boys) gets a return engagement at San Francisco's Theatre Rhinoceros after a successful run in the spring. Dubbed a "challenging, insightful, and entertaining play" by the Bay Area Reporter, The Habit of Art follows the relationship of two difficult men, exploring issues such as passion, creativity, and aging. It opens next Thursday and runs through August 23 at the Eureka Theatre; make your reservation here. - Trudy Ring

4. MUSIC: Erasure "Elevation"
Dance music royalty Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure are back September 23 with their 16th studio album, The Violent Flame. The new crowd-pleasing single "Elevation" dropped this week with a video soon to follow. Erasure's massive world tour kicks off in Miami on September 12, including special shows in Las Vegas during Halloween and NYC on New Year's Eve. Get concert dates and album pre-order info on Erasure's official website. - Scott Ragan

3. COMICS: Storm #1
As one of the fiercest, most fascinating, and fabulous mutants in the Marvel universe, Storm easily gained a loyal LGBT following moments after joining the uncanny X-Men, and now the mistress of meteorological conditions is flying solo in her own comic. Written by comic scribe Greg Pak, the first issue soared into comic stores July 23 and kicks off a new chapter in the life of the weather wonder. As the official description for the new series states, "Storm will travel the globe, confronting man and mutant, god and monster and everything in between. She will overthrow tyrants, quell tsunamis and strive to see her dream for the world realized. She is STORM, a hero like no other....and the skies will tremble at the sight of their namesake. - Jase Peeples

2. EVENT: Newfest
Following on the heels of its West Coast partner Outfest, NewFest, the premier LGBT film festival of New York, kicks off this week with a stellar lineup. From the lesbian sex work comedy The Foxy Merkins, to the joyous musical Cupcakes, to beautiful coming-of-age tale The Way He Looks, there is truly something for every audience to enjoy. Check out our roundup of the hot films to see here. - Michelle Garcia

1. FILM: Lucy
Director Luc Besson, renowned for films like La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element with strong woman leads, debuts his latest female action hero: Lucy, which stars Scarlett Johansson as the titular character. Forced to be a drug mule for a gang in Taipei, Lucy experiences a role reversal with her captors when a taste of the black market substances unlocks mental and physical powers. She partners with a professor, played by Morgan Freeman, as her superhuman abilities amplify and she employs them to kick bad-guy butt. Lucy premieres this weekend. Watch the trailer below. - Daniel Reynolds