The Independent film 2023 review: All-star cast fail to ignite this political thriller February 27, 2023 Political movies used to be a specialist subject, but whatever side of the aisle you sit it’s safe to say everyone is better versed in his world than they were a few years ago. Sky’s new original movie, The Independent, seeks to look into our polarised world. Jodie Smith-Turner plays Eli, an ambitious young reporter who [...]
‘Multiple’ Lord of the Rings films officially being made 20 years after Peter Jackson trilogy February 24, 2023 We’re going back to Middle Earth: the first new Lord of the Rings films in 20 years are being made, it has been confirmed. Warner Bros has confirmed new feature films are in the making, 20 years after Peter Jackson wrapped the epic trilogy that broke box office records, making $2.9 billion (£2.41 billion) at [...]
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is back with the brilliant Broker February 24, 2023 Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is back after almost four years, taking his talents to Korea for a drama with echoes of his Palm D’Or winning 2018 film Shoplifters. Broker is based around a heart-breaking reality. In many countries, overwhelmed mothers bring new-born children to Baby Boxes – drop off points at churches that guarantee the [...]
Why Cocaine Bear is exactly as good as it sounds February 24, 2023 You know the kind of movie Cocaine Bear is. It’s what made films like Snakes On A Plane, Sharknado, and last years The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent headline news. Director Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2, Charlie’s Angels) has the task of making it more than a one line joke. Based loosely on real events [...]
Rhinegold at the London Coliseum is a delicious Wagnerian success February 24, 2023 Richard Jones’s tacky and triumphant Rhinegold is the most recent addition to the English National Opera’s Ring Cycle. After a mixed and shadowy Valkyrie, Jones has reembraced his familiar droll kitschiness with a glorious slice of dramatic and comedic gold, complete with delicious Wagnerian weirdness. Wagner’s opera follows the story of the Nibelung Alberich, who [...]
Cirque Berserk founder: Great circus involves real jeopardy – and the audience needs to feel it February 23, 2023 In our interview series The Lowdown, we ask performers and directors how they’re feeling ahead of their London show openings. Here, we sit down with Cirque Berserk founder Martin ‘Zippo’ Burton, a legend of the circus scene who’s been performing for 49 years HOW DOES IT FEEL TO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF CIRQUE BERSERK? 10 [...]
Romeo and Julie is the perfect romcom for the National Theatre crowd February 23, 2023 Romeo and Julie is the tale of two star crossed lovers from Splott, Cardiff, whose forbidden love threatens to tear apart two houses not particularly alike in dignity. We first meet the tragic hero elbowdeep in a soiled nappy. This Romeo is a working class, 18-year-old single dad struggling to raise the baby he couldn’t [...]
Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons at the Hayward Gallery is a new high bar for installation art February 23, 2023 The Hayward Gallery has emerged as London’s foremost destination for large-scale installation art since it reopened in 2018, from the bio-technological horror of Lee Bul’s pink tentacles to the jaw-dropping scale of a Finnish spruce in Among the Trees. But even against this backdrop, Mike Nelson’s Extinction Beckons sets a mind-boggling new standard for transforming [...]
My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) review: A joyous outsider tale is a must-see February 22, 2023 My Son’s A Queer review and star rating: ★★★★★ There wasn’t a dry eye in the room: Rob Madge’s autobiographical show about his life growing up as a queer outsider is intensely joyous, and required viewing for queers and their allies. (And most importantly, required viewing for the people who wouldn’t think to book a [...]
Florian Zeller interview: The Son director on fighting the shame of mental illness February 22, 2023 Who among us hasn’t dreamed of a meeting that forever changes the direction of their life? This is exactly what happened to French author, playwright and director Florian Zeller. The meeting in question came about after Zeller had adapted a screenplay from his harrowing 2012 portrait of dementia The Father, in which he tailored the [...]