George the Poet interview: George Mpanga on how to change the world April 7, 2022 It seems almost unbelievable that Harry and Megan’s wedding – global audience: 1.9 billion – was opened by… a podcaster. But George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet, is no ordinary podcaster; he’s a musician and a thinker, pushing the boundaries of the medium so far he’s created a genre all of his own. [...]
The Bad Guys review: Better than average animated fun April 7, 2022 Once the home of giants including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How To Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks has played it safe over the last few years, with competitor Pixar disappearing into the distance. Films like Boss Baby, Trolls, and The Croods are enjoyable, but they are glossy distractions for children rather than something worth remembering. [...]
Live music and flamenco dancers to transform the City into Waste Land April 6, 2022 Flamenco dancers and DJs playing hip-hop aren’t the first things you think of when picturing the centuries-old churches in the City of London. Nor is Killing Eve actor Fiona Shaw, but this weekend all three contribute to a kaleidoscopic arts and culture festival. The three-day Fragments event is a celebration of the centenary year of [...]
Music festivals are going bigger and better than ever for 2022 April 1, 2022 Roaring from the campsite to the main stage, you take a swig from a friend’s hip flask before the two of you notice that – uh oh – that group over there have the same fancy dress on. Briefly stop, have a chat, compare outfits – then form a lifelong friendship or two. And then [...]
Jon Ronson on fine form in Leicester Square Things Fell Apart show April 1, 2022 It’s hard to categorise Jon Ronson’s live shows. To call them stand-up would imply the presence of jokes but they’re far more involved than a simple book reading. They’re kind of like meandering Ted Talks, complete with slide presentations, delivered by the world’s most endearingly anxious man. This time Ronson brings his podcast series Things [...]
Morbius review: The most pointless, regressive superhero film in a decade April 1, 2022 After the excellent Spider-Man: Far From Home and the gift-wrapped fan-service of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony, which owns the rights to the web-slinger but temporarily loaned him back to Marvel Studios, takes the reins once more in spin-off Morbius. And it immediately confirms that it learned nothing from the partnership, taking no notes, perhaps [...]
Straight Line Crazy sees Ralph Fiennes on fine form as NYC architect Robert Moses March 30, 2022 While Straight Line Crazy is ostensibly a historical play about Robert Moses, the New York architect whose car-friendly vision is still in evidence across much of the north eastern United States, David Hare’s latest play for the Bridge Theatre is equally interested in drawing contemporary parallels, touching on issues including environmentalism, gentrification and systemic racism. [...]
Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World review: An instant classic March 27, 2022 Director Joachim Trier rounds out his Oslo Trilogy, which began with 2006’s Reprise and continued with 2011 Cannes favourite Oslo, August 31st. For this final chapter, Trier has chosen a romantic comedy, one of the more challenging film genres with all its tropes and cliches to avoid. Yet, by subverting all of those conventions he [...]
Chopper is 20 years old, and still a brutal, brilliant modern great March 26, 2022 The early 2000s were a goldmine for stylish crime classics. Films like Sexy Beast and Lock, Stock… might have stolen the headlines, but The 21st century had barely started when a gem from Australia introduced us to a new star. Eric Bana, a TV comedy actor, found instant stardom when he took the lead in [...]
Tate Britain Commission: Hew Locke reclaims the Duveen Galleries March 26, 2022 The Tate Britain continues to put its more fashionable sibling the Tate Modern to shame with its flagship public installation, following up last year’s neon-soaked post-apocalypse by Heather Phillipson with a zeitgeist-capturing parade by British sculptor Hew Locke. The cavernous Duveen Galleries play the host to a rambling procession, with dozens – 150 to be [...]