Minamata film review – Johnny Depp shines in muddled drama August 17, 2021 The name Minamata may not be familiar to most, but the Johnny Depp-produced film is based on a shocking true story. In the early 70s, W. Eugene Smith (played here by Depp), an influential photojournalist for Life Magazine, is brought out of substance-addled seclusion by Japanese translator Aileen (Minami). She tells him about Minamata, a [...]
60 seconds with… Marquee TV founder Simon Walker August 16, 2021 Marquee TV has been streaming live art and culture for 3 years. We had a chat with founder Simon Walker about the business of streaming the arts and partnering with arts organisations to bring a global audience to their performances. You describe yourself as the ‘business guy’ in the team, developing the business model. Has [...]
Paradise at National Theatre: Kae Tempest play a partial success August 13, 2021 Everything old is new again. The National Theatre is back with its first full-capacity show since lockdown, and like the Young Vic it has decided to run with a modern reimagining of a work from antiquity. Directed by Ian Rickson, with a script by the Ted Hughes Award-winning and Mercury Prize-nominated spoken word artist Kae [...]
The Last Letter From Your Lover review is a waste of talent August 6, 2021 Two blockbuster heroes share top billing as Shailene Woodley (Divergent) and Felicity Jones (Star Wars: Rogue One) play two women in different times in literary adaptation The Last Letter From Your Lover. Jones plays Ellie, a journalist recovering from a break-up who views love with a degree of scepticism. This is shaken when she discovers [...]
Zola review – Twitter thread movie adaptation is full of suspense August 6, 2021 ‘Based on a true story’ is a common concept for movies, but how about ‘based on a Twitter thread’? In 2015, A’Ziah “Zola” King tweeted “Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out???????? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.” The subsequent thread become a viral sensation, described [...]
Stillwater – Amanda Knox-inspired drama is slow but solid August 5, 2021 Whoever said “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” clearly didn’t work on publicity for Stillwater, as this week’s drama comes to the screen with a lot of baggage. The film is very loosely inspired by the trial of Amanda Knox, who posted tweets denouncing the film. As if that wasn’t enough, star Matt Damon [...]
Changing Destiny at The Young Vic is a disappointing return August 4, 2021 The Young Vic is rolling out the big guns for its first post-lockdown production. Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah helms a new play by Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri, with sets and costumes from architect David Adjaye, whose design for a Holocaust memorial was approved last week for installation next to the Houses of Parliament. Expectations were [...]
School’s out: Time to be a tourist in your City of Culture August 3, 2021 Summer in the City is the best time to dive into the rich and diverse cultural scene. Here’s our monthly round-up of all the best goings on. The LSO have a series of Summer Shorts on Friday mornings including 6 August Ayanna Witter-Johnson and the LSO Percussion Ensemble in the Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s [...]
Bringing these wines will make you the perfect dinner party guest August 3, 2021 “Freedom Day” has come and gone and invitations to dinner parties, garden gatherings and long luncheons have come flooding in. It is the “done thing” to bring a bottle for your dinner party host but this can be tricky when you have no idea what is on the menu. If you cannot pair the wine [...]
Sundance Film Festival: London 2021 – Our Best of The Fest July 30, 2021 Thursday sees the return of Sundance London to Picturehouse Central. Like many events, the 2020 edition was held online, but the independent film extravaganza will once again be taking place in-person this week with a stellar line up picked from the best of its parent event in Utah. Fifteen features have been chosen, along with [...]