Small Island review at the NT: A fabulous play about racial injustice March 11, 2022 The small island is Jamaica but then again it is also Britain: this brilliant play explores the injustices faced by the people who arrived on our shores in the 1940s in search of a better life, only to be met with violence and hostility. One of the play’s great strengths is how it makes audiences [...]
Red Rocket review – a fascinating story of sleaze March 10, 2022 Like 2017’s Oscar nominated The Florida Project, director Sean Baker once again deals with people at the other side of The American Dream in a story that is miles away from anything you’ll currently see at the cinema. Simon Rex stars as Mikey, a former LA porn star who returns to his hometown in Texas [...]
A look towards this year’s BFI Flare LGBTQ film festival March 10, 2022 During the height of The Gateway club’s popularity in the 1960s, Mick Jagger turned up and begged for entry. He knew this was a space for women only but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “He said ‘Go on Gina, I’ll wear a dress,’” recalls Jacquie Lawrence, director of a new documentary on the [...]
The Merchant of Venice at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review March 9, 2022 Abigail Graham’s production of The Merchant of Venice, at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, sets out with the stated intention to “reclaim Shakespeare’s disturbing tale”, from whom it is not clear, but it successfully reframes the ancient hatreds central to the text in a way that will sit even more uncomfortably with contemporary audiences. If it [...]
New version of The Batman really puts the ‘dark’ in the Dark Knight March 9, 2022 The new version of The Batman really puts the “dark” into the Dark Knight. It’s the meanest, most sinister take on the character yet, set in a squalid, rain-soaked Gotham full of thugs and perverts, the Batman most definitely among them. Starring the always-excellent Robert Pattinson, it’s a decidedly emo take on a character who [...]
Animal Kingdom at Hampstead Theatre is theatre as therapy March 8, 2022 The intimate Hampstead Downstairs is just the setting for the emerging playwright to display their wares – all the more so when the work in question introduces its audience to the very private, innermost space of a family therapy session. From the other side of an imaginary two-way mirror, the audience observes an exposed, unadorned [...]
Ali and Ava film review – a wholesome modern British romance March 8, 2022 British director Clio Barnard returns with her first film since 2017’s Dark River, and it’s an uplifting story of a second chance at love. As the title suggests, this is the story of Ali and Ava, two lost souls who seems to find each other in their bustling Bradford community. Ava (Claire Rushbrook) is a [...]
The Duke is a gentle farewell to British cinema great Roger Michell March 8, 2022 A long-delayed film finally getting its release is a weekly occurrence at the moment, but British comedy-drama The Duke arrives with some sadness. It is the final film of Roger Michell, the beloved British director of Notting Hill, Venus, and Enduring Love, coming just five months after his passing. The BAFTA winner’s final bow is [...]
Even after 50 years, The Godfather is still the Don Corleone of movies March 8, 2022 Even half a century since its release, it shouldn’t be difficult to convince you why The Godfather is worth catching this weekend for its anniversary. It’s The Godfather – the title itself is practically a synonym for good cinema. Adapted from Mario Puzo’s novel, Francis Ford Coppola had to fight to get his vision on [...]
Postwar Modern at the Barbican is a timely exhibition full of energy March 8, 2022 How do you make sense of war? How can the human psyche comprehend senseless, wanton de- struction and loss of life for supposed political reasons? This question is searing red hot across the world following Russia’s inva- sion of Ukraine, and adds an un- nerving poignancy to this vibrant survey of 48 artists working in [...]