Scrapper film review: Touching London film with great cast August 24, 2023 High rise council estates have provided the setting for many independent British gems, like Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank or Joe Cornish’s Sci-fi Attack The Block. Scrapper does not scale those heights, but it brings fresh ideas to the formula. It’s the story of Georgie (Lola Campbell), a 12 year old recently orphaned and managing to [...]
Mob Land film review: John Travolta crime thriller lacks originality August 24, 2023 John Travolta’s streak of ropey cinematic output continues with Mob Land, a crime thriller set in America’s South. Down on his luck in a crumbling small town, family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) is talked into robbing a pharmacy by his brother (Kevin Dillon). The seemingly straight forward job goes awry, and soon Shelby finds himself [...]
Theatre Camp film review: Theatre fans will adore this big-hearted comedy August 24, 2023 The Show Must Go On is the mantra of this Disney-made comedy, which has The Bear actor Molly Gordon as its writer, co-director, and star. She plays Rebecca-Dianne, an acting coach and former student of a surreal New York theatre camp. When their founder Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, it’s up to her [...]
Next to Normal, Donmar Warehouse, review: Nostalgic musical still feels relevant August 24, 2023 Brian Yorkey’s Pulitzerwinning Next to Normal (it sits alongside Hamilton and A Strange Loop as the only musicals to be awarded the accolade in the 21st century) returns to the stage 14 years after its Broadway debut – but its message about the weight of coping with mental illness has barely aged a day. It [...]
Edinburgh Fringe’s best jokes of 2023 have been revealed August 22, 2023 There are thousands of performers at the Edinburgh Fringe all trying out new material with the aim of making you laugh. But only one joke could with the best joke of the Edinburgh Fringe, as voted for by comedy TV channel, Dave. And it was a gag by the comedian Lorna Rose Treen who has [...]
Fyre Festival founder reveals festival’s return and sells tickets despite no location or event date August 22, 2023 Uh oh, Fyre Festival is returning at the end of 2024. But it’s somewhat of an overstatement to say the festival is ‘returning,’ given the inaugural Fyre Festival basically didn’t happen. As documented by the viral Netflix documentary, Fyre Festival was a disaster on a mass scale. Hundreds of ticketholders were left stranded on a [...]
Barbie smashes into Spotify top ten soundtracks of all time August 18, 2023 We all know the Barbie movie has been breaking box office records – but now it’s also breaking music records too. The Margot Robbie movie has now broken into the top 10 most streamed soundtracks on Spotify, despite only having been releaswed months ago. It enters a list of classic soundtracks including Hamilton, Pulp Fiction [...]
Sir Michael Parkinson was a proper interviewer – British TV desperately needs another like him August 18, 2023 Parkinson was an early podcaster, really, wasn’t he? Parkinson, the long-running chat show hosted by Michael Parkinson, who has died aged 88, was the simplest of ideas. A few chairs, a couple of guests, and an in-depth conversation. The last part of this sweet formula Spotify and Apple have cashed in on over the past [...]
5 things we love about Houghton festival August 18, 2023 Houghton Festival has wrapped for another year, drawing a close to four days of electronic music in a gorgeous woodland setting. It wasn’t just incredible sets and beautiful scenery, though. Hilariously, Kate Middleton was on site on Saturday after visiting a friend who lives in the Houghton Hall where the festival is set. If you [...]
Strays movie review: Is Will Ferrell’s dog movie any good? August 18, 2023 The R-Rated comedy gets a canine twist in Strays, a crude shaggy dog story. Will Ferrell voices Reggie, an optimistic dog that adores his owner Doug (Will Forte). In reality, Doug is a selfish loser who wants Reggie gone after a breakup, and dumps him in the city with no way home. There, Reggie meets [...]