The Real Charlie Chaplin is an honest take on a cinematic genius February 21, 2022 Over a century on from his most famous film The Kid, Charlie Chaplin remains a singular figure in the history of cinema. In the film hub of Leicester Square, his statue has been standing since 1981, a short distance from London’s BFI IMAX, located on Charlie Chaplin Walk. Like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, his [...]
The Forest at Hampstead Theatre is a fascinating puzzle-box February 21, 2022 Were it not for the involvement of award-winning French playwright, novelist and film director Florian Zeller, The Forest might have flown under the radar as a stylish but straightforward psycho-drama. That would have been a shame, because this is a play more delicate and layered than its elevator pitch might otherwise suggest. It first presents [...]
Let It Be: Paul McCartney set to headline Glastonbury February 21, 2022 Glastonbury announced that Sir Paul McCartney will headline the festival this year after pandemic cancellations, making him the oldest artist to take the main stage. The 79 year old Beatle will perform on the Pyramid Stage in June, according to reports from The Sun. It comes after American superstar Taylor Swift pulled out of the festival [...]
BBC One’s Morning Live makes Manchester move February 21, 2022 BBC One's Morning Live has relocated to Manchester as part of a drive to spread opportunities beyond the capital.
The Chairs at the Almeida review: Experimental comedy is a treat February 19, 2022 Comedy, as you might have heard, is in crisis. The backlash against Jimmy Carr for his bit about the ‘positives’ of Nazi genocide have thrown petrol on a debate that’s already been raging across the Atlantic, where comedians have increasingly found themselves defending their trade. This feels like an appropriate backdrop for The Chairs, the [...]
Flee is a wonderful animated docudrama February 17, 2022 In the past few years, animation has been used as a tool to tell stories that are too difficult to realise in live action. Films like Persepolis or The Breadwinner bring to life compelling recreations of real-life conflicts, often seen through the eyes of children. Nominated for three Oscars this week, Flee continues that tradition [...]
Death On The Nile review – a sedate but slick whodunnit February 17, 2022 The sequel to 2017’s Murder On The Orient Express has a problem that its studio doesn’t want to address. One of its key players is Armie Hammer, who early last year was accused of abusing former partners. While Hammer denies the allegations, which range from emotional abuse to cannibalism fantasies, the victims’ statements were enough [...]
Uncharted movie review: Action blockbuster will make you smile February 16, 2022 Having become the champion of pandemic cinema with Spider-man: No Way Home, Tom Holland looks to make himself a new franchise in this live action adaptation of the Uncharted video game series. He plays Nathan Drake, a barman and small-time thief with an encyclopaedic knowledge of history thanks to his missing older brother Sam. He [...]
Museums struggle to get people through the door with visitors still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic February 16, 2022 The number of people visiting museums is still 50 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, as iconic sites struggle to get visitors back through the door. According to data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Music and Sport released today, there were a total of five million visits to the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries between [...]
Wuthering Heights at the NT: Emma Rice finds gold on the moors February 13, 2022 There can be little sympathy for any theatre-goers expecting a traditional retelling of Wuthering Heights in this new version at the National Theatre. Emma Rice is the controversial director who proved too ‘out there’ for Shakespeare’s Globe, her tenure as artistic director cut short after a backlash by the theatre’s more conservative members, who weren’t ready for [...]