Marvel show WandaVision Episode 1 and 2 double bill review January 15, 2021 While it wasn’t the original plan, we are finally getting more of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, cinemas are largely unavailable at the moment, so the first Marvel Cinematic Universe story will be on the small screen in the form of WandaVision, a spin-off for Avenger Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and computer-based hero [...]
We got an expert to pick three books pefect for City A.M. readers January 15, 2021 Throughout lockdown one of the pleasures coronavirus has been unable to take away is reading. According to the Reading agency, one in three adults is reading more, rising to almost one in two 18-24 year olds. And while many of us rely on a combination of celebrity book clubs and Amazon for our recommendations, Sam [...]
Stardust review – Bowie movie is a real oddity January 14, 2021 It’s five years since David Bowie passed away, leaving behind fifty-year legacy of creativity and inspiration. A movie biopic has been the dream of many a filmmaker since before Bowie died, with Danny Boyle recently attempting to make a musical. Bowie refused to allow the director to use the rights to his songs, scuppering the [...]
Blithe Spirit review: Judi Dench leads spooky nostalgia fest January 14, 2021 Welcome to cinema’s New Normal. While big blockbusters are optimistically waiting for us in the spring, the first quarter of the year is strategically filled with independent releases that have adopted a dual release format – in cinemas if we have them, on VOD if not. Produced by Sky, Blithe Spirit (starring Dame Judi Dench) [...]
One Night In Miami – Muhammad Ali fiction shines a powerful light January 14, 2021 Based on the Kemp Powers play of the same name, Amazon’s One Night In Miami, a big hope for the 2021 awards season, is centred on the real life meeting of four African-American icons in the hours after Muhammad Ali’s (Eli Goree) 1964 title victory over Sonny Liston. Instead of partying, Ali met with friends [...]
Save Burns Night with a virtual Boisdale party January 12, 2021 Burns Night is normally a beacon of extravagence in the post Christmas weeks, an island of indulgance amid Dry January and Veganuary and new year fitness resolutions. This year Covid threatens to take even this away – toasting the great Scottish bard alone seems like anathema to the spirit of the occasion, which entails drinking [...]
21 movies to see in 2021: Our bumper guide to the year ahead January 8, 2021 If 2020 had been the plot of a movie, no-one would have believed it. As the pandemic spread its tendrils across the globe, Hollywood’s studios were forced to shut their doors and an entire year’s worth of blockbusters either moved to streaming or were pushed back to 2021. This year the only thing we can [...]
From James Bond to Glastonbury, we rate the chances of this year’s cultural events going ahead January 7, 2021 Last year was a virtual write-off for the cultural calendar, with the year’s most hotly-anticipated events being brushed aside by the ceaseless march of Covid. This year the world seems to be drawing close to a solution to the crisis – but will it come in time to save 2021? Marina Abramovic at the Royal [...]
Vanguard review: Jackie Chan plays the hits January 7, 2021 The current climate is exactly the right moment for a classic action movie, a genre that can provide us with escapism and some vicarious victories at a time when so much seems out of our control. Vanguard would seem to fit the bill – legend Jackie Chan reunites with Stanley Tong, his collaborator on two [...]
Pieces of A Woman review: The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby excels in harrowing drama January 6, 2021 The coming awards season sees a number of challenging subjects covered by contenders – civil rights abuse in Da 5 Bloods, Nomadland’s portrayal of a broken economy, and depictions of dementia in The Father and Supernova. This week’s drama Pieces of A Woman looks at an equally difficult topic, but one not often explored. Vanessa [...]