A German Life at Bridge Theatre review: Maggie Smith shines in this examination of Nazi fervour May 10, 2019 “Everything that is beautiful is also tainted, and whatever’s horrible also has its bright side. Nothing is black and white.” These words, at first glance a truism, become morbidly fascinating when spoken by Brunhilde Pomsel, the wizened former stenographer to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and subject of the award-winning documentary A German Life. Maggie [...]
Three Sisters at the Almeida: This most Chekhovian of Chekhov’s plays flatters to deceive May 10, 2019 After last year’s superlative Summer and Smoke, the pairing of director Rebecca Frecknall and young star Patsy Ferran is an irresistible proposition. This time they combine to drag Chekhov’s fin de siècle play Three Sisters into an unspecified time and space somewhere between pre-revolution Russia and present-day King’s Road. But despite another fitful, engaging performance [...]
Days Gone review: Biker gangs and bounty hunting in Sony’s zombie infested apocalypse May 3, 2019 At times the plot of Days Gone can be difficult to track. You play as Deacon, a hardass biker navigating a zombie-infested open world. For the most part you’re on a quest to find your missing girlfriend Sarah. However, your motorcycle parts are nicked early on (Deacon’s bike functions as the game’s second lead character; [...]
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile review: A well-intentioned but discomforting exercise in glamourising a serial killer May 3, 2019 Is it possible to make a genuine anti-war film? Francois Truffaut famously thought not; you might set out with the purest of intentions, but the spectacle and grandeur of cinema means that even the most ardently anti-war director will end up glorifying what he seeks to condemn. While watching this new biopic of Ted Bundy, [...]
Rosmersholm review: A gripping revival of Ibsen’s masterpiece political drama May 3, 2019 The suffocating weight of dead generations looms over Henrik Ibsen’s 1886 political drama, in which Rosmer, an enlightened young aristocrat, defies his upper class status and risks alienation to pursue his newfound socialist ideals. Quite literally, the portraits of his ancestors hang over the stage like silent accusers, revealed in a flourish by his companion [...]
Stagecoach dropped as Turner Prize sponsor after just one day over LGBT rights concerns May 3, 2019 The Turner Prize has severed ties with Stagecoach South East, just one day after the sponsorship was announced. Read more: Stagecoach: Pension risks 'exceeded £1bn' for blocked rail franchise bids The prestigious arts award rejected its sponsor following criticism of the chairman of Stagecoach's parent company's support for a ban on teaching LGBT issues. Stagecoach and [...]
Mortal Kombat 11 review: The latest entry in the long-running series is the best fighting game in years May 3, 2019 Mortal Kombat 11 marks the latest instalment in this long-running series of over-the-top fighting games that was originally launched in arcades back in 1992. For the unfamiliar, Mortal Kombat involves magicians, monsters, and martial arts masters from different worlds duking it out in a series of gentlemanly one-on-one fisticuffs in an eternal battle of good [...]
Avengers: Endgame review: A fitting finale to the most ambitious series in cinematic history April 25, 2019 Reviewing Avengers: Endgame is hard, because it’s not really a film, it’s more of a ridiculous fairground ride without the boring uphill bits. You could argue that the slow upwards climb for Endgame has been the 21 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that preceded it, and which you need to have watched so that [...]
Time to party: John Lewis & Partners opens summer roof garden on top of flagship Oxford Street store April 17, 2019 John Lewis & Partners is launching its summer rooftop garden at the summit of its Oxford Street store this week. Read more: Ranked: The top 15 retailers to work for The venue will open its doors at the start of the bank holiday weekend on Friday, and busy shoppers can enjoy the opportunity to relax [...]
Which Game of Thrones leader are you? April 12, 2019 From Cersei Lannister to Daenerys Targaryen, every major character in Game of Thrones has a different approach when it comes to leadership. Over the last seven seasons, we have come to learn that attaining power is hard, and maintaining that power is even harder. The same holds true in the real world. Corporate competition often lies [...]