Room review: a woman and her son are held captive by her psychotic abuser January 14, 2016 Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | ★★★★☆ Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, Room is a screenplay adaptation of the gut-wrenchingly bleak story of Joy (Brie Larson), a young woman kidnapped and imprisoned by her psychotic abuser. She shares the tiny, soundproofed space with her spirited and oblivious five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whose severely limited understanding of [...]
The Revenant film review: Inarritu’s masterpiece about the resilience of the human spirit January 14, 2016 Dir. Alejandro G. Inarritu | ★★★★★ Cast your minds back to this time last year, and Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman was only a few weeks away from winning the Best Picture Oscar. A claustrophobic, wordy film that charted the breakdown of a washed-up actor, the action largely took place inside, the camera winding its way around [...]
Champagne Life review: Our verdict on the Saatchi Gallery’s first all-female art exhibition January 14, 2016 Saatchi Gallery | ★★★☆☆ Taking its name from one of the pieces on display, Champagne Life at Saatchi Gallery presents the work of 14 emerging female artists from a diverse set of backgrounds. It’s the first all-woman exhibition in the gallery’s 30-year history, somewhat surprisingly, but rather than attempt to offer an ambitious and all-encompassing commentary [...]
Creed film review: This Rocky sequel has just the right amount of nostalgia January 14, 2016 Dir. Ryan Coogler | ★★★★☆ Forty years on, Sylvester Stallone’s ultimate underdog is back. Creed follows Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, as he battles the shadow of a father he never knew and the weight of expectation to embark on a boxing career, trained by his father’s most famous opponent, Rocky Balboa. [...]
Capturing the City preview: Unseen photography on show at the Bank of England Museum January 14, 2016 Free | Bank of England Museum City workers that have to navigate their way along the labyrinthine corridors off Bank junction to get to the office every morning can be forgiven for rushing past this historical trading site, eager to escape the congested mayhem. Luckily, the Bank of England Museum – an often-overlooked gem – [...]
The Hateful Eight film review: Tarantino has made a maverick masterpiece January 8, 2016 ★★★★★ Dir. Quentin Tarantino Once you look past the numerous news headlines surrounding its release, Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film is one of the filmmaker’s most ambitious to date. Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Samuel L Jackson star in the story of eight strangers in post-Civil War America forced into the same cabin by a [...]
Les Liaisons Dangereuses theatre review: A lightweight interpretation that won’t worry Malkovich January 8, 2016 Donmar Warehouse | ★★★☆☆ John Malkovich's career-defining turn as the Vicomte de Valmont in the film adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses created an archetype for the sexually-charged villain. The film was based on a play by Christopher Hampton (he also wrote the screenplay), and cemented the role as one of the more complex and coveted [...]
Guys & Dolls theatre review: A charming revival of a bona fide classic January 8, 2016 Savoy Theatre | ★★★★☆ The last play to grace the stage of The Savoy was Gypsy, where Imelda Staunton gave a rip-roaring, throat-shredding performance that’s likely to go down in theatre legend. It was always going to be a tough act to follow, but with the Chichester Festival’s revival of Guys and Dolls, we’re safely cosseted [...]
A War film review: An ambiguous, but triumphant, Danish drama January 8, 2016 15 | Dir. Tobias Lindholm ★★★★☆ The many grey areas of modern warfare are examined in this Danish drama, shortlisted for Best Foreign Language film at this year’s Oscars. We follow Commander Claus Pedersen, stationed in Helmand Province, as well as his wife and children carrying on with life back in Denmark. The future of [...]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens review: The best film in the series since The Empire Strikes Back December 18, 2015 12A | Dir. JJ Abrams ★★★★★ Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens opens with the now familiar golden expository text scrolling into an infinity of stars. The Empire has fallen, only to be replaced by Darth Jar Jar and his Ewok army, who ruthlessly enforce a trade blockade against the ice planet Hoth… just [...]