Wikileaks flick struggles to tackle big questions October 13, 2013 FILM THE FIFTH ESTATE Daniel O’Mahony, Cert 15 Three Stars TWO YOUNG idealists defy warnings and threats from the powers-that-be in the relentless pursuit of journalistic truth. Is this film All The President’s Men for the information age? The answer: unfortunately not. This cinematic rendering of Julian Assange’s Wikileaks organisation doesn’t manage to scale the [...]
Lofty characters fail to lift musical’s acrobatic spectacle October 13, 2013 THEATRE THE LIGHT PRINCESS Xenobe Purvis, The National Theatre Three Stars THE NATIONAL Theatre turns to fairy tale in its latest production, The Light Princess, written by songwriter Tori Amos and playwright Samuel Adamson. The musical elaborates on George MacDonald’s story of the same name; this version finds two kingdoms grieving for lost queens, and [...]
Le Weekend of laughter, angst and lingering love in Paris October 13, 2013 FILM LE WEEKEND Daniel O’Mahony, Cert 15 Four Stars IN THIS funny and moving film written by Hanif Kureishi, Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play a fifty-something couple trying to rejuvenate their ailing marriage on a weekend sojourn to Paris. Kicking off with a fraught Eurostar journey, it’s clear things won’t be that simple. Nostalgia [...]
Knives are out for Rodriguez’s Machete Kills October 13, 2013 FILM MACHETE KILLS Simon Thomson, Cert 15 Three Stars MACHETE KILLS hits you like a shot of tequila. It’s a frantic, stupid, cartoonish mess and that’s what makes it so fun. In this sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s 2009 film Machete, Danny Trejo returns as the former Mexican federale and cleaver-like knife enthusiast, Isador “Machete” Cortez. [...]
No wow factor in R&J remake October 13, 2013 THEATRE ROMEO & JULIET Simon Thomson, Cert 15 Two Stars THE LATEST adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is the tale of two young, star-crossed lovers who, despite the enmity of their families, will not silence their desire to… fight crime! Only kidding – this is another paint-by-numbers remake of the same Romeo and Juliet you [...]
A rip-roaring adaptation of a Scandinavian classic October 6, 2013 THEATRE GHOSTS Almeida Theatre | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars THE PUBLICATION of Ibsen’s Ghosts in 1881 was met with total silence. The play was so at odds with the conventional morality that Norwegian critics dared not even raise their voices to condemn it. The British press were not so shy. A column in a [...]
Fringe production of Vietnam play is a moderate success October 6, 2013 THEATRE PVT WARS The Space | By Daniel O’Mahony Three Stars STAGED IN a cleverly converted church on the Isle of Dogs, this production from The Barebones Project is about Vietnam veterans; at least, you’re assured it is. Adorning the walls of the theatre are pictures from the conflict, and over the PA plays Hendrix’s [...]
Another striking play in The Shed at The National October 6, 2013 THEATRE THE WORLD OF EXTREME HAPPINESS The Shed | By Xenobe Purvis Three Stars A MAN describes the taste of pigeon excrement, his wife gives birth, praying with every eye-popping push that her child will be a son, and a newly-born daughter is thrown to the slop bucket, all within the space of ten minutes. [...]
Filthy, dirty and great fun October 3, 2013 FILM FILTH Cert 18 | By Steve Dinneen Three Stars Adaptations of Irvine Welsh novels, like Irvine Welsh novels, have gone downhill since Trainspotting. The Acid House (1998) had a flawed, lunatic charm but Ecstasy (2011) was little more than an anemic homage to Danny Boyle’s more famous Edinburgh romp. Filth – based on a [...]
Where to Drink: A new opening from the owners of Bodo’s and a slice of Indian chic in the middle of Mayfair October 3, 2013 SEPTEMBER witnessed a number of high-end clubs and bars launching across London and the Westbury Hotel has bragging rights to one such venue. No 41 is nestled underneath the newly Michelin-awarded Brasserie Chavot and accessed through a street-side entrance. The nightclub is a plush amalgam of self-aware opulence, with a design scheme replete with grand [...]