Iron Man has been very good to Robert Downey jnr. Banking a tidy $US75 million ($86 million) for the third movie in the series, he has become Hollywood's highest-earning star. Tony Stark has now turned to a tonier and starker role – see what I did there? – in The Judge, playing a hotshot lawyer who's caught up in a murder trial when he returns to his old home town. By no means a perfect movie, it features Robert Duvall as his father, Vera Farmiga as his old high-school sweetheart and Billy Bob Thornton as a prosecutor. If that doesn't appeal, see Gone Girl. And if you already have, see it again. GARRY MADDOX

MUSIC

There's a stellar wave of Australian hip-hop artists coming through at the moment. Not only is one of them, Adelaide MC and singer Allday, headlining his own sold-out show on Friday, you can read about him, one of his opening acts (Melbourne's Remi) and several more shining new lights of the genre in The Shortlist in a couple of weeks. Have we missed the boat featuring these two after this gig? We would politely beg to differ. These artists will not only be providing your urban-music-flavoured soundtrack for the summer, you can safely bet they'll be starring at festivals and headlining more shows of their own in the coming months. Friday, 7pm, Metro Theatre, city, sold out. GEORGE PALATHINGAL

STAGE

Four friends meet in a building overlooking Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. In an hour, a car containing the prime minister will drive past and, perhaps, one of these four will pull a trigger. Playwright Fregmonto Stokes's new play, Kill the PM, questions whether extreme solutions can ever be an answer to political problems. Tap this one into a search engine at your peril. Until October 26, Old 505 Theatre, Surry Hills, $18-$28, venue505.com.

Before he became an internationally known playwright for One Man, Two Guvnors, Richard Bean penned Harvest, a sprawling comic epic focused on a family of Yorkshire pig farmers battling everything the 20th century couldthrow at them, including two World Wars, the Great Depression, a fatal shooting and an armed robbery. Louise Fischer directs the play's Sydney premiere. Jeremy Waters and Sarah Carroll feature. Until November 8. New Theatre, Newtown, $27-$32, newtheatre.org.au. ELISSA BLAKE

ART

Nick Stathopoulos built a considerable following with finely detailed and immaculately executed oil paintings that combined his love of vintage toys and pop culture icons. It's a brave artist who steps away from their most popular work as Anthropocene: Found Objects from a Lost Civilisation (until October 18, NG Art Gallery, Chippendale, Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 9am-6pm) finds Stathopoulos offering a bracing new vision. The artist explores the surrealist inspired landscapes of classic sci-fi illustration invoking the work Bruce Pennington and Roger Dean with hints of Max Ernst and Paul Delvaux. Stathopoulos's mastery of his medium pays dividends in the spooky, post-human landscapes and eerie skies. ANDREW FROST

DON'T MISS

Hungry? There's no excuse for lacking fine fare this weekend, starting tonight with StreetFest, part of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month, when Pyrmont Bay Park will be overrun with food trucks and live music from 5pm. See streetfest.com.au. The Kings Cross Festival runs all weekend, the main highlight being the Macleay Street Long Table with local food options, wine tastings and the Potts Point Pooch competition (Sunday 10am-5pm, kingscrossfestival.com.au). And from using forks to using the force – sorry! - Books Kinokuniya in the CBD is holding the first Star Wars Reads Day in Australia for kids, with Storm Troopers, Jedis and beyond (dress-ups encouraged)  with readings and activities happening on Saturday from 11am, free, but registrations essential, see facebook.com/KinokuniyaSydney. SARAH THOMAS