Postwar Modern at the Barbican is a timely exhibition full of energy March 8, 2022 How do you make sense of war? How can the human psyche comprehend senseless, wanton de- struction and loss of life for supposed political reasons? This question is searing red hot across the world following Russia’s inva- sion of Ukraine, and adds an un- nerving poignancy to this vibrant survey of 48 artists working in [...]
The Batman – Robert Pattinson stars in a new twist on a familiar hero March 7, 2022 Strap in, everyone, blockbuster season has officially begun. It’s the first opportunity for Hollywood to return to some kind of normal release schedule since 2019, and who better to bring back the crowds than The Dark Knight himself? Robert Pattinson’s debut as The Batman is the 8th Batman-related film in the last decade. It won’t [...]
Cyrano is a sweeping and sentimental musical March 7, 2022 The 19th film adaptation of French play Cyrano de Bergerac brings with it to cinemas an advantage. This new version, directed by Joe Wright (Darkest Hour, Atonement), is based on the well-received 2019 Broadway musical by Erica Schmidt. She serves as screenwriter here, while the production’s lead Peter Dinklage is also on board. The Game [...]
Batman returns with a bang: Box office debut hits £97m March 6, 2022 Batman well and truly returns this weekend, with “The Batman” raking in $128.5m (£97.1m) in its box office debut. The blockbuster has not only had the best opening weekend of 2022 so far, but it has also followed in the footsteps of Sony’s superhero hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which broke records with its $260m (£197m) [...]
Elden Ring is a wonderful, masochistic game from the Dark Souls team March 3, 2022 Few game developers run the gamut between the sublime and the ridiculous as gracefully as FromSoftware. One moment in Elden Ring I was scraping through an epic sword fight against a many-armed demi-god, each of us a sliver away from death as the fatal blow was finally delivered; the next I was battling the same [...]
The Collaboration is another must-see production at the Young Vic February 26, 2022 There’s a buzz about the Young Vic these days, a sense that this is a theatre hitting its stride after a relatively slow start to Kwame Kwei-Armah’s stint as artistic director. Cush Jumbo’s excellent Hamlet was followed by the political razzledazzle of Best of Enemies, and now we have The Collaboration, which manages to top [...]
Surrealism Beyond Borders is a trove of 20th century masterpieces February 26, 2022 Dali’s lobster telephone. Magritte’s bowler-hatted men. Klee’s strange fish. When we think of surrealism, our minds tend to drift towards Europe. Zoom in further and you’ll probably end up in Paris, the spiritual home of surrealism in the way Florence is the home of the Renaissance, or Britain the home of the industrial revolution. This [...]
National Portrait Gallery cuts BP sponsorship after 30 years February 22, 2022 The National Portrait Gallery has today announced that it will be cutting its partnership with BP, ending a 30 year relationship with the oil and gas firm. The announcement follows years of growing opposition to BP’s sponsorship of the Gallery, including the BP Portrait Award. Critics have varied from artist Gary Hume speaking out against [...]
Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: To see or not to see? February 22, 2022 Sean Holmes’ new production of Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is something of a curate’s egg. The costumes are an odd mix of period and modern, and there are a range of acting styles, which don’t really mesh, either. On the whole, it was the actors taking a more traditional approach who engaged better [...]
Here Before review: Andrea Riseborough shines in tense drama February 22, 2022 British star Andrea Riseborough has made thirty films in the sixteen years since her movie debut, fitting in a variety of projects. A fine supporting player in big names like Oblivion or Birdman, it’s smaller films such as horror-thriller Mandy or drama Luxor that allow her to really shine. The latest in that line is [...]