Elden Ring is a wonderful, masochistic game from the Dark Souls team March 3, 2022 Few game developers run the gamut between the sublime and the ridiculous as gracefully as FromSoftware. One moment in Elden Ring I was scraping through an epic sword fight against a many-armed demi-god, each of us a sliver away from death as the fatal blow was finally delivered; the next I was battling the same [...]
The Collaboration is another must-see production at the Young Vic February 26, 2022 There’s a buzz about the Young Vic these days, a sense that this is a theatre hitting its stride after a relatively slow start to Kwame Kwei-Armah’s stint as artistic director. Cush Jumbo’s excellent Hamlet was followed by the political razzledazzle of Best of Enemies, and now we have The Collaboration, which manages to top [...]
Surrealism Beyond Borders is a trove of 20th century masterpieces February 26, 2022 Dali’s lobster telephone. Magritte’s bowler-hatted men. Klee’s strange fish. When we think of surrealism, our minds tend to drift towards Europe. Zoom in further and you’ll probably end up in Paris, the spiritual home of surrealism in the way Florence is the home of the Renaissance, or Britain the home of the industrial revolution. This [...]
National Portrait Gallery cuts BP sponsorship after 30 years February 22, 2022 The National Portrait Gallery has today announced that it will be cutting its partnership with BP, ending a 30 year relationship with the oil and gas firm. The announcement follows years of growing opposition to BP’s sponsorship of the Gallery, including the BP Portrait Award. Critics have varied from artist Gary Hume speaking out against [...]
Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: To see or not to see? February 22, 2022 Sean Holmes’ new production of Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is something of a curate’s egg. The costumes are an odd mix of period and modern, and there are a range of acting styles, which don’t really mesh, either. On the whole, it was the actors taking a more traditional approach who engaged better [...]
Here Before review: Andrea Riseborough shines in tense drama February 22, 2022 British star Andrea Riseborough has made thirty films in the sixteen years since her movie debut, fitting in a variety of projects. A fine supporting player in big names like Oblivion or Birdman, it’s smaller films such as horror-thriller Mandy or drama Luxor that allow her to really shine. The latest in that line is [...]
The Real Charlie Chaplin is an honest take on a cinematic genius February 21, 2022 Over a century on from his most famous film The Kid, Charlie Chaplin remains a singular figure in the history of cinema. In the film hub of Leicester Square, his statue has been standing since 1981, a short distance from London’s BFI IMAX, located on Charlie Chaplin Walk. Like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, his [...]
The Forest at Hampstead Theatre is a fascinating puzzle-box February 21, 2022 Were it not for the involvement of award-winning French playwright, novelist and film director Florian Zeller, The Forest might have flown under the radar as a stylish but straightforward psycho-drama. That would have been a shame, because this is a play more delicate and layered than its elevator pitch might otherwise suggest. It first presents [...]
Let It Be: Paul McCartney set to headline Glastonbury February 21, 2022 Glastonbury announced that Sir Paul McCartney will headline the festival this year after pandemic cancellations, making him the oldest artist to take the main stage. The 79 year old Beatle will perform on the Pyramid Stage in June, according to reports from The Sun. It comes after American superstar Taylor Swift pulled out of the festival [...]
BBC One’s Morning Live makes Manchester move February 21, 2022 BBC One's Morning Live has relocated to Manchester as part of a drive to spread opportunities beyond the capital.