Sound Of The Underground review: Travis Alabanza’s Royal Court drag play is a meta triumph January 26, 2023 Sound of the Underground review and star rating: ★★★★☆ “The drag brunches are very heavy.” It’s one of the drag confessions in Sound Of The Underground, Travis Alabanza’s Royal Court play, a provocative, emotional testament to the artform. Performed in a non-queer space to largely wealthy West London audiences, Alabanza understands the power of this [...]
Minecraft makeover: This is what Sadiq Khan looks like with a perfectly square head January 26, 2023 Have you ever wondered what London’s long-standing mayor Sadiq Khan would look like with a perfectly square head? Now you can find out for sure after he was brought to life as a character in the video game Minecraft. With his grey hair, the faintest hint of 5 o’clock shadow and those kind, slightly sleepy [...]
Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light lacks a compelling story January 25, 2023 Empire of Light review and star rating: ★★☆☆☆ Empire of Light is one part of a broader artistic response to the peril cinemas found themselves in during the pandemic. Steven Spielberg’s love of the big screen will soon be explored in The Fabelmans, and Babylon was another of 2023’s odes to cinema. Olivia Colman stars [...]
Reddit user’s outrageous pan project sends internet into meltdown January 25, 2023 There is an unlikely new star of Reddit: a user called fatmummy222 who has become perhaps the most famous cast iron pan seasoner in history after larding, buffing and heating the same pan 80 times until it glistens like a portal into another dimension. The user posted the epic experiment to the subreddit r/castiron and [...]
Till film review: America’s shameful history retold elegantly from perspective of Black victims January 25, 2023 Till star rating: ★★★★☆ Nearly seventy years on, the murder of Emmett Till stands as one of the most shocking and shameful moments in American history. In 1955, 14-year-old Till was abducted while visiting family in Mississippi and lynched for a perceived offence to a white woman. His horrifyingly disfigured remains were found, and the [...]
Beyonce Dubai gig at Atlantis The Royal: Inside the world’s most lavish launch January 24, 2023 “There are two types of people in the world. The people that are in Dubai right now. And us.” So went the meme, shared tens of millions of times across the world this weekend. The occasion – as if you haven’t already heard – was the launch of a self-described “icon”, the Atlantis The Royal [...]
“It’s broken for Black women”: Oscar nominations 2023 not diverse enough, say critics January 24, 2023 American film critics have begun calling out the Oscar nominations 2023 for not being diverse enough, saying there are systemic reasons why Black people are not being recognised. Of this year’s Oscar nominations 2023, All Best Actor nominations are White men, while Michelle Yeoh makes up the only non-White nomination for Best Actress. In terms [...]
“A truly historic moment”: Irish filmmakers respond to record haul of 14 Oscar nominations for 2023 January 24, 2023 The Oscar nominations for 2023 have been revealed at a ceremony in Los Angeles and it is a huge year for Irish talent. Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell are both nominated for Best Actor, Mescal for indie hit Aftersun and Farrell for drama-comedy The Banshees of Inisherin. In total there has been a record 14 [...]
Crown Estates sues Twitter over unpaid rent of its Piccadilly Circus HQ January 24, 2023 Twitter is being sued by the Crown Estates over unpaid rent relating to its Piccadilly Circus-based headquarters building. The Crown Estates manages property for King Charles III and the monarchy, which includes the 10m sq Twitter headquarters in central London. The estate filed the claim against Twitter Inc, which is also facing legal action over [...]
Why Tom Hanks’ grumpy old man role in A Man Called Otto doesn’t work January 24, 2023 A Man Called Otto Star rating: ★★☆☆☆ When you think of movie stars that seem nice, Tom Hanks has to be at the top of the list. You don’t play Mr Rogers, Walt Disney, Woody, and Santa Claus without people feeling affection toward you. That’s why the two-time Oscar winner seems such an odd choice [...]