Film review: Trash is Richard Curtis’ best work since Blackadder Goes Forth January 30, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ Trash is a noir-ish political thriller that draws attention to the deep social and economic problems of the developing world without sacrificing on plot. It’s a welcome surprise from the director of Billy Elliot and the writer of Love Actually about children living and working in a Brazilian dump. Pursued by [...]
Film review: Kingsman recalls the days when spy movies were fun January 30, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★★ Kingsman is the best Bond film Roger Moore never made. Gentlemen spies in immaculately tailored suits battling flamboyant villains bent on global destruction; the plot is pure Moonraker, albeit with an origin story, class warfare, better jokes and flashier production values. The team behind Kick Ass have created a pop-culturally literate, [...]
Theatre review: The Ruling Class at Trafalgar Studios January 30, 2015 Trafalgar Studios | ★★☆☆☆ Britain’s poshness obsession reaches new heights in The Ruling Class, a 1968 Peter Barnes play that shows its age in every scoffing caricature and fusty, laboured punchline. Aristocratic power may be super-relevant in today’s poshocracy, but the fact that it’s topical doesn’t mean this play has anything profound to say. Somewhere [...]
Film review: Inherent Vice star Joaquin Phoenix rises to the challenge January 29, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ The trailer for Inherent Vice achieves a rare thing: it perfectly conveys the tenor of the film without giving anything away. In two minutes, we’re introduced to the woozy Californian setting and the entire colourful cast of characters. But as to what actually happens in the film, we’re left guessing. [...]
Something for the weekend January 29, 2015 DRINK MEDCALF TRAITEUR Medcalf Traiteur is the latest foodie destination to open in Islington’s Clerkenwell. The delicatessen specialising in European produce also has an informal chef’s table so you can sample edible goodies in-store. Visit medcalfbar.co.uk BOWL THE BIG LEBOWSKI PARTY Head down to Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes tonight for an evening celebrating the Coen brothers’ [...]
Art review: Rubens and his Legacy at the Royal Academy January 23, 2015 Royal Academy | ★★★☆☆ How do you celebrate an artist when you only have access to a meagre handful of his best works? You curate an exhibition dedicated to his “legacy” and fill it with the works of every great, good and terrible artist ever to have had a passing thought about said artist. [...]
Film review: Beyond Clueless explores a golden age of teen movies January 23, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ Fairuza Balk’s sultry croak guides us on a hypnotic journey through the teen movie genre in Charlie Lyne’s debut feature Beyond Clueless. Lyne skilfully marries heartfelt affection and academic distance in his cine-essay comprised of hundreds of clips taken from films released during one of the great golden ages of the [...]
Theatre review: Bull at the Young Vic January 23, 2015 Young Vic | ★★★☆☆ Mike Bartlett’s one act play, Bull, gives us a Hobbesian view of office-life with backstabbing and conniving aplenty. And at a scant 55 minutes, it’s “nasty, brutish and short”. Tony, Isobel, and Thomas, are a trio of grasping would-be Apprentice-types, awaiting the arrival of their boss, Carter, who will decide [...]
Film review: Ex Machina is a psychological techno-thriller tour de force January 23, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★★ With everyone from Stephen Hawking to Elon Musk warning we’re about to be slaughtered by artificial super-intelligences, Ex Machina is a timely reflection on consciousness, creativity, hubris, and the possibilities that await us just around the corner. Author-turned-screenwriter Alex Garland’s directorial debut is a psychological techno-thriller tour de force. Caleb [...]
Film review: A Most Violent Year is a most intelligent movie January 22, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ In an early scene in JC Chandor’s A Most Violent Year, budding oil entrepreneur Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) stares his employees in the eyes and says, “You will never do anything as hard as staring someone in the eye and telling the truth.” This rings especially true in their world, where [...]