The Raft review: A bizarre experiment to determine whether humans are naturally violent has predictably sexy consequences January 17, 2019 In 1973, Spanish-Mexican anthropologist and human behavioural psychologist Santiago Genoves stuck 11 strangers on a raft and sent them on a three-month voyage across the Atlantic. The ethically dubious experiment, which today sounds like the premise of a terrible reality TV show, is the subject of this gripping documentary, and was intended to determine whether [...]
Spyro Reignited Trilogy review: The purple dragon with attitude is back January 14, 2019 Back in the late 1990s Spyro, the purple dragon with a bad boy attitude, aspired to be the next Mario or Sonic. Though he never reached the same heights of mascot fame, he was beloved by fans and has at least done enough to earn this remastered edition for nostalgia junkies. With the Spyro Reignited [...]
Fallout 76 review : Bethesda fails to cram multiplayer into the long-running RPG series January 14, 2019 Fallout 76, the latest in the long-running series of RPGs, is the answer to a question no-one was asking: what if it was multiplayer? In the new release, you play as a member of a nuclear bomb shelter sent out to reclaim post-apocalyptic America. You explore Appalachia (a reimagined West Virginia) and scavenge the wasteland [...]
Colette review: Keira Knightley and Dominic West’s chemistry zings in this saucy biographical tale of French author January 11, 2019 To the unassuming trailer-watcher, Colette looks like a turn-of-the-century version of Big Eyes, Tim Burton’s 2014 film about Walter Keane, the American artist who claimed his wife’s paintings as his own. Colette is married to Henry Gauthier-Villars, a similar entrepreneurial fraud who passes off her novels as his own, but this film manages to be [...]
The Front Runner film review: A near-classic political true story about a more naive time January 11, 2019 Hugh Jackman stars in the true story of Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), charismatic favourite for the 1987 Democratic Presidential nomination. His squeaky clean demeanour is tarnished by accusations of an affair, prompting a national debate as to how much we need to know about our leaders. Shot in an almost documentary like fashion and making [...]
The Upside film review: Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart battle a cliched and stereotype-heavy script in remake of The Intouchables January 11, 2019 The casting of Bryan Cranston as a quadriplegic billionaire has led to fierce debate about the portrayal of disabled people by able-bodied actors. This, however, feels like the least of The Upside’s problems, it being a deeply problematic story about a stuffy white billionaire teaching his young black protégée the wonders of opera and art, [...]
Pinter Five and Pinter Six review: Jamie Lloyd’s season of Pinter’s one act plays hits new heights January 11, 2019 The season of Harold Pinter’s short plays at his eponymous theatre continues its blistering run of form with another full day’s worth of mind-melting absurdism and savage social satire. Pinter Five kicks off with the playwright’s very first work, The Room, written in 1957. It’s a strange little piece, a working prototype for the menacing, [...]
Stan & Ollie review: A heartfelt and hilarious tribute to comedy’s biggest legends January 10, 2019 Though it’s been more than half a century since they were last on stage, Laurel and Hardy remain history’s archetypal double act, the pair somehow still regarded by most as the funniest men ever to have dropped a piano down the stairs. Stan & Ollie, a cheerful biopic focused on the pair’s last tour around [...]
Bumblebee film review: After the nightmare of Michael Bay, the Transformers franchise has finally come good January 7, 2019 It’s difficult to think of a franchise with a more wretched legacy than Transformers. Despite five films filled with puerile humour, sexism and disinterested performances, the robots in disguise have been a hit with audiences, grossing over $4bn in box office, providing all the motivation needed for continuation. So, we come to Bumblebee, a prequel/soft [...]
Mary Poppins Returns review: Disney hits gold with this unlikely crowd-pleasing sequel January 7, 2019 Disney’s raid on its own back catalogue continues with this sequel to 1964’s Mary Poppins. Emily Blunt steps into the blue overcoat as Mary, who appears from the clouds to come to the aid of the now grown Banks children Michael and Jane (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer) to care for Michael’s own offspring following [...]