Macbeth at the National Theatre: Rufus Norris’ stars fail to shine in this cautious production March 9, 2018 Rufus Norris, the artistic director at the National Theatre, isn’t having a great time right now. While his predecessor Nicholas Hytner is having a ball at the helm of the new Bridge Theatre down the riverbank, Norris has suffered a string of flops in the Olivier, from a sand-blasted Salome to the bafflingly coarse Common. [...]
Summer and Smoke at the Almeida: Tennessee Williams’ complex play is brought to heart-rending life in this fantastic production March 9, 2018 Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke is about opposing forces: the microscopic and the infinite, the physical and the spiritual, anarchy and order, sanity and madness, and the thankless task we humans have trying to work out where exactly we fit into all this. It tackles these swooping metaphysical questions through the prism of unrequited [...]
Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy at the Tate Modern: Exhibition focusing on a single year in the life of the great artist shows the sheer audacity of genius March 9, 2018 By the age of 50, Picasso’s days as a starving artist were long behind him. His paintings sold for fortunes despite the gathering economic gloom; he and his former-ballerina wife were courted by politicians and socialites; he was preparing to be celebrated by a major Paris retrospective, a rarity then for a living artist. [...]
Agadir review: Yto Barrada’s exhibition at the Barbican leaves out the hopeful part of the story February 8, 2018 The Barbican is the perfect location for this exhibition by Morrocan artist Yto Barrada. The utopian housing estate, built after the trauma of WWII, has much in common with it subject, Agadir, a modernist city that was rebuilt in a similar Brutalist style following an earthquake in 1960. It’s a shame then, that we only [...]
The 15:17 to Paris review: Casting real world heroes as themselves is the weirdest thing Clint Eastwood’s done since shouting at an empty chair February 8, 2018 How on earth did this film get made? The 15:17 to Paris is a retelling of the time three American men, two of them off-duty soldiers, beat a would-be terrorist senseless on a train to Paris. Directed by actor, filmmaker and renowned heckler of empty chairs Clint Eastwood, the film is notable for starring [...]
Phantom Thread review: Daniel Day-Lewis bows out with fantastically creepy period drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson February 2, 2018 There are few more enticing prospects than Paul Thomas Anderson, one of our greatest living filmmakers, directing Daniel Day-Lewis, one of our finest actors. Throw into the mix the frisson of extra excitement that comes with Day-Lewis’ claim that this will be his final acting role, and you have the ingredients for something unmissable. [...]
Roman J Israel Esq review: Denzel Washington shines but can’t quite save this messy law drama February 2, 2018 Roman J Israel Esq lines up its ducks – a star actor on blistering form, a timely dissection of racial bias in the US legal system, a distinctive visual style – yet manages to come home empty handed. It’s the second feature from Dan Gilroy, following 2014’s chillingly nihilistic Nightcrawler. And while that was [...]
Ocean Liners: Speed and Style review: A new V&A exhibition is showcasing the glamour days of cruise liner lifestyle February 1, 2018 For about a hundred years ocean liners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel. First they ferried immigrants across the Atlantic in their huddled masses, then became vital troop transport during the First World War, before finally evolving into the luxurious art deco hotels on waves we recognise from our favourite period nautical dramas [...]
Early Man film review: Aardman Animations returns to its roots with this prehistoric football fable January 29, 2018 Aardman Animations, creator of beloved duo Wallace & Gromit, rarely puts a plasticine foot wrong. Its stop-motion shorts featuring a northern inventor and his indefatigable hound are classics for the ages, destined to be repeated every Christmas from now until the fiery end of days, passed from adoring parent to amazed child. Then came [...]
12 Strong review: The true story of America’s 9/11 counter-attack is boiled down to a bland horseback war drama January 25, 2018 In the weeks following 9/11, the US sent a covert team into Afghanistan to liberate (and bomb the absolute bejesus out of) a handful of Taliban-occupied towns. The squad joined forces with a local Afghan warlord, and together they traversed the mountainous region on horseback, calling in airstrikes, gunning down Taliban troops and kickstarting [...]