What to do in London this weekend: Art, theatre and more in the capital August 3, 2023 We may be elbow-deep in the wettest summer in recent memory but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have some weekend fun. Here are some ideas to spice up your weekend, from art in Bermondsey to a day-trip to Margate. Anselm Kiefer – Finnegans Wake at White Cube BermondseyThis exhibition, made up of paintings, sculptures [...]
Paris Memories is a stark meditation on tragedy August 3, 2023 Moving on from unimaginable terror is the subject of French drama Paris Memories, a fictional mystery grounded in real events. Virginie Efira plays Mia, a woman who takes shelter from the rain in a Paris restaurant. By tragic coincidence, it becomes one of the targets of the 2015 Paris shootings. The event leaves Mia traumatised [...]
Joy Ride is an Asian American take on The Hangover August 3, 2023 There have been a slew of films recently that have found success with stories centring on the Asian-American experience. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was a massive hit that brought a different perspective to Hollywood filmmaking, while films such as The Farewell, and Disney animation Raya and The Last Dragon continue to make audiences laugh, cry, [...]
The X-Phile: What does the Twitter transformation say about Elon Musk? August 2, 2023 Where to even begin? Over the last week Elon Musk changed the name of his $44bn toy from Twitter to, simply, “X”. In doing so he unleashed yet another torrent of confusion and indignation, something the eccentric billionaire must surely be somehow feeding upon, vampire-like, such is the frequency with which he invites it. But [...]
The Crown Jewels play, review: Even Al Murray’s Pub Landlord can’t save this mess July 28, 2023 The Crown Jewels review and star rating: ★★ Al Murray made a career out of playing a working class pub landlord, but it turns out he’s funnier, and certainly more natural, playing a Hooray Henry. In The Crown Jewels Murray is King Charles II, and he’s royally good at it, gesticulating about the place and [...]
Ukrainian film Mavka: The Forest Song is a surprisingly poignant movie about overcoming oppression – review July 27, 2023 Drawing on mythology, this Ukrainian animated fairytale is a surprising and poignant story for today’s audiences. Mavka: The Forest Song centres on the character of Mavka, (voiced by Laurie Hymes), a kind forest spirit who signals the coming of spring. She is told to stay away from humans due to a generational feud between man [...]
The Beanie Bubble is a seriously flawed biopic about Beanie Babies July 27, 2023 Movies about products are hot right now. Air, Tetris, and Barbie all found success analysing the myth of a popular icon; Apple TV+ now brings us the story of the Beanie Baby. The Beanie Bubble is the story of Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis), the smiling, eccentric face that struck gold in the 1990s with the [...]
Talk to Me is the creepy horror film you need to see now July 27, 2023 Australia has produced some impressive horror movies in recent years, most notably the iconic Babadook, which tapped into our deepest fears through deceptively simple techniques. Hoping to repeat that success is Talk To Me, the first feature from short film makers and popular Youtubers Danny and Michael Philippou (collectively known as RackaRacka). Like so many [...]
How Secret Garden Party outshines all other UK music festivals, including Glastonbury July 27, 2023 Die-hard festival fans pretend rain doesn’t ruin their fun – they pretend that they enjoy sliding around in mud – but when the cameras stop filming, we all know they retreat to huddle in embryonic balls in their tents like the rest of us miserable British campers. On Saturday, for a few hours, the incessant [...]
Sinead O’Connor dead: Irish legend dies after long mental health battle July 26, 2023 The Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died after a long battle with her mental health. O’Connor was 56 and will be remembered most fondly for her 1990 cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. She retired from the music industry in 2021, having released 10 studio albums, with one more to come posthumously, called No [...]