Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes July 17, 2014 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sees the latest franchise edge closer to the dystopian world envisioned in the 1968 original. Humanity is all but extinct after a pandemic of simian flu, which had the double-whammy effect of killing all but one in 500 people and making apes super-intelligent. Sometimes you just can’t catch [...]
The World Cup is over… here’s how to fill the gaping void July 15, 2014 The fat lady has finally sung, and the England squad has had plenty of time to settle back to reality. Here are some ways to keep yourself busy without Messi and co to entertain you: The Honourable WomanBBC2, Thursdays, 9pmThe Honourable Woman is the BBC’s big summer blockbuster, starring none other than Hollywood megastar Maggie [...]
Review: The Crucible at the Old Vic July 10, 2014 ★★★★★ South African director Yael Farber’s thrilling production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible begins with a moment of hushed alchemy – a spell, a game, a dance. Or perhaps it’s just soup in that steaming bowl? In fact, it probably is just soup. But these deeply religious, isolated communities make fertile ground for superstition. Three [...]
Review: Richard III at Trafalgar Studios July 10, 2014 ★★★★☆ In Jamie Lloyd’s Richard III, now is, quite literally, the Winter of Discontent. It’s set directly after the political turmoil of 1978-9, in a world where the military seem to have taken charge. It’s a neat one liner, but somewhat confusing in terms of plotting. For instance, it isn’t immediately clear why a bolshie [...]
London’s top lidos: Make a splash in an outdoor pool July 8, 2014 Wherever you are in London, there are outdoor pools perfect for cooling down during the coming heatwave. Here are some of our favourite places to take our kit off in public: Brockwell Lido, SE24: Located in Brockwell park, this is as much of a Brixton landmark as Electric Avenue and Atlantic Road. The [...]
Seth MacFarlane: wanted dead or alive for making dreadful Western spoof May 29, 2014 FILM A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST Cert 15 | One Star THERE are a million ways to die in Hollywood, but being one of the worst ever hosts of the Academy Awards apparently isn’t one of them. Seth MacFarlane survived his Oscars nightmare with enough star quality intact to attract a number [...]
Theatre review: A Human Being Died that Night May 29, 2014 Among the secret service personnel working for the apartheid government, no one used the word “kill”. Instead people were “dealt with” or “taken for a drive”. Such linguistic sleights of hand are steadfastly avoided in A Human Being Died That Night, a taut, brilliantly acted play that looks with a scientific eye at the politics [...]
Should have stayed in bed: Sleeping Beauty update is luke-warm May 29, 2014 FILM MALEFICENT Cert PG | Two Stars DISNEY’S live action remake of Sleeping Beauty is an inversion of the fairytale told from the perspective of Maleficent. The cackling horned villain, who spends most of the animated version glowing green and plotting with a raven, is reimagined as a vengeful fairy who curses princess Aurora to [...]
Just the right balance of brains and silliness May 29, 2014 FILM EDGE OF TOMORROW Cert 12a | Four Stars IRON MAN, Saving Private Ryan and Groundhog Day complement each other surprisingly well as inspiration for the latest Tom Cruise blockbusting sci-fi epic, Edge of Tomorrow, in which Hollywood’s smallest titan fights and dies and fights and dies over and over again. Humans are locked in [...]
Where to drink May 27, 2014 London shows no sign of the summer slump as we head towards June, with a variety of bars and clubs launching in all corners of the capital. Jason Atherton’s rise to the top continues quite literally with his new bar at City Social. Situated on the 24th floor of Tower 42 on Broad Street, it [...]