Flee is a wonderful animated docudrama February 17, 2022 In the past few years, animation has been used as a tool to tell stories that are too difficult to realise in live action. Films like Persepolis or The Breadwinner bring to life compelling recreations of real-life conflicts, often seen through the eyes of children. Nominated for three Oscars this week, Flee continues that tradition [...]
Death On The Nile review – a sedate but slick whodunnit February 17, 2022 The sequel to 2017’s Murder On The Orient Express has a problem that its studio doesn’t want to address. One of its key players is Armie Hammer, who early last year was accused of abusing former partners. While Hammer denies the allegations, which range from emotional abuse to cannibalism fantasies, the victims’ statements were enough [...]
Uncharted movie review: Action blockbuster will make you smile February 16, 2022 Having become the champion of pandemic cinema with Spider-man: No Way Home, Tom Holland looks to make himself a new franchise in this live action adaptation of the Uncharted video game series. He plays Nathan Drake, a barman and small-time thief with an encyclopaedic knowledge of history thanks to his missing older brother Sam. He [...]
Museums struggle to get people through the door with visitors still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic February 16, 2022 The number of people visiting museums is still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, as iconic sites struggle to get visitors back through the door. According to data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Music and Sport released today, there were a total of five million visits to the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries between [...]
Wuthering Heights at the NT: Emma Rice finds gold on the moors February 13, 2022 There can be little sympathy for any theatre-goers expecting a traditional retelling of Wuthering Heights in this new version at the National Theatre. Emma Rice is the controversial director who proved too ‘out there’ for Shakespeare’s Globe, her tenure as artistic director cut short after a backlash by the theatre’s more conservative members, who weren’t ready for [...]
Cressida Dick resigns after Khan loses faith February 10, 2022 Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick has reportedly resigned after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he no longer had confidence in her leadership.
The Souvenir Part II review: Indie darling gets a well-deserved sequel February 9, 2022 The Souvenir, released in 2019, became an art house favourite, offering a coming-of-age drama that wasn’t afraid to take a different perspective. Independent films rarely get the chance for a sequel, but director Joanna Hogg’s searing look at artistry and toxic love demanded another chapter. Part II once again stars Honor Swinton Byrne as Julie, [...]
Parallel Mothers review: Another glorious Pedro Almodovar movie February 9, 2022 For reasons unrelated to cinema, it feels like an age since we last saw a new film by Pedro Almodovar. In reality, it’s only been a couple of years since his Oscar-nominated love letter to creativity Pain and Glory, which proved the Spanish filmmaking legend shows no signs of losing his edge. His new film, [...]
2001 named best year for top hit albums February 8, 2022 New research has revealed that 2001 produced the highest number of albums appearing in the top 250, including hits like The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’, Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint’ and Bjork’s ‘Vespertine’. The study by Convertr.org analysed the top 250 albums on AlbumOfTheYear.org and found that the albums released that year averaged out a score of 87.9 out [...]
Jackass Forever is an affectionate tribute to 20 years of chaos February 8, 2022 “The world waited for what felt like forever” begins the narrator of Jackass Forever’s trailer. In truth, few could have predicted the return of the madcap crew for a fourth film (seventh if you include spin-offs). Financially, it makes sense – they’re cheap to produce, draw a crowd, and tug at early noughties nostalgia. However, [...]