The Mauritanian – Tahar Rahim saves Kevin McDonald drama March 31, 2021 On the surface, The Mauritanian should have been a bigger contender during awards season – it’s got a stellar cast, a high-profile director in Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland), and an intriguing story. However, despite some well-deserved acting nominations elsewhere, it hasn’t shown up on the radar of Oscar voters. McDonald is adapting [...]
Up in smoke: A beginner’s guide to cigar-smoking March 31, 2021 I started smoking cigars as an undergraduate. I know that sounds unbearable, but it was a small town and thanks to a regular influx of American tourists we had three decent cigar shops. I saw myself as an in utero sybarite, a trainee on the green slopes of decadence. After a dinner, a cigar can [...]
Culture Corner: Your regular City arts round-up March 30, 2021 As we look forward to the City reopening for business, we’re ready to start up our Culture Corner series again, pointing you in the direction of the best arts and culture within the Square Mile and championing the role of the arts within the business community. So much is made possible when the culture, arts [...]
Falcon and The Winter Soldier S1E2: Marvel picks up the pace March 29, 2021 *** WARNING: spoilers ahead for all current episodes of Marvel’s Falcon and The Winter Soldier *** Unlike WandaVision, which played its cards close to its chest, Falcon and Winter soldier had a lot of world building to do in its first episode. Sam/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) had given up Captain America’s, while Bucky/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian [...]
Travel influencers get a bad rep – but don’t judge too soon March 26, 2021 What’s your first thought when you hear the word ‘influencers’? If it’s anything like many members of the general public, it’s not too positive. Just the mere mention of ‘influencer’ evokes eye rolls, tuts and head shakes. Of course, the recent news stories haven’t helped. Hordes of influencers have been flocking to far-flung places like [...]
Six Minutes To Midnight – Eddie Izzard stars in wartime thriller March 25, 2021 Eddie Izzard has enjoyed quite an eclectic big screen career over the years. She’s been in cult hits such as Velvet Goldmine and Mystery Men; mixed it up with Clooney and Co in the Ocean’s films; and even faced off with a Nazi Tom Cruise in 2009’s Valkyrie. The Third Reich looms ominously in her [...]
Tina review: A documentary fit for an icon March 25, 2021 Coming to our screens from a successful run at the Berlin Film Festival, Tina is an exploration of the life of Tina Turner, the multi-Grammy winning icon who first became a success as one half of Ike and Tina, and became a global superstar in her own right with hits like The Best and Private [...]
Tom & Jerry film review: Animated legends don’t translate to film March 25, 2021 Since 1940, Tom and Jerry have been a staple of animation, influencing almost every cartoon that followed. With family movies proving big business during the pandemic, Warner Bros are giving these two a shot at a feature length film, a Roger Rabbit style hybrid of animation and live action. Tom & Jerry puts the pair [...]
Ammonite – Francis Lee period romance has nothing new to say March 25, 2021 British filmmaker Francis Lee follows up the award-winning God’s Own Country with another story of secret romance, albeit with a higher profile cast. Kate Winslet plays Mary Anning, a celebrated palaeontologist living a quiet life on the coast of 19th Century England, away from the male-dominated scientific community which acknowledges her findings but gives her [...]
Is Now A Good Time? is a brilliant phone play that will make you pine for office life March 22, 2021 It’s less than two months until theatres are tentatively slated to reopen, which will be a huge milestone for a London cultural scene that’s been brought to its knees over the last year. During that time we’ve seen innovative ways of overcoming social distancing, from entire theatres booked out for micro-performances for one to six [...]