Ben Affleck goes back to basics in cop thriller Hypnotic May 26, 2023 Before he suits up as Batman for The Flash, Ben Affleck plays a cop on the trail of a killer in Hypnotic. His character, Danny Rourke, is tormented by the kidnapping of his daughter. His determination to continue with his job puts him on the trail of “Hypnotic” Dellrayne (William Fichtner), a person who uses [...]
Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader returns with Master Gardener May 26, 2023 Paul Schrader, the writer of Martin Scorsese classics Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, has had a spotty history as a director. For every American Gigolo or Affliction there have been several The Canyons or Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcists. This seemed to be behind him following the success of 2017’s nail-biting First Reformed and 2021’s [...]
Once on this Island, London musical review: Gorgeous but problematic May 25, 2023 Once on this Island review and star rating: ★★★ There’s nothing that signals the start of summer so brightly as the Regent’s Park Open AirTheatre, which has kicked off its 2023 season with an adaptation of the musical Once on this Island. It’s a beautiful production, with some brilliantly catchy songs, but it’s hard to [...]
Sisu is a Finnish take on Rambo and it’s bloody brilliant May 25, 2023 A big success on its premiere at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, indie war movie Sisu arrives in cinemas with a lot of hype. Set in Finnish Lapland (with dialogue in English), the film is set towards the end of World War 2. A company of retreating Nazi soldiers cross paths with an unassuming old [...]
Make your own Chelsea Flower Show winner on a London balcony May 25, 2023 The arrival of the Chelsea Flower Show has coincided with the first sustained spell of nice weather in a hitherto miserable 2023. Now Londoners can finally open their garden sheds and channel their inner Alan Titchmarsh, attempting to turn their outdoor spaces into something bright and spectacular. The Chelsea Flower Show this year is themed [...]
Sara Cox interview: ‘When I lost my dog, I threw myself into work’ May 25, 2023 Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox on putting her naughty dog on probation, why she’s supporting the Dog’s Trust, and how you can too, by Adam Bloodworth Her popular Radio 2 show is just one facet of Sara Cox: she’s also mad about animals and making life better for them here in the UK. The former [...]
City Pages: The five new books on our radar this month May 25, 2023 From hacking bears to scandal in Westminster, here's what we've been reading at City A.M. this month.
Book review: Fancy Bear Goes Phishing by Scott Shapiro – a tour de force of hacking and the information age May 25, 2023 From Russian hackers to Paris Hilton, Scott Shapiro's new book Fancy Bear Goes Phishing is a tour de force of the information age told in five hacks.
Asteroid City: Why Wes Anderson’s new film with Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie is going to be huge May 24, 2023 It’s been two years since everyone’s favourite maker of loveably odd movies, Wes Anderson, last dropped a film, which was 2021’s The French Dispatch, and let’s be honest, it was no-one’s favourite Wes Anderson film. But the good news is two years on and he’s got another film, his 11th, out next week. Asteroid City [...]
A-List celebrities planned to ‘ambush’ Phillip Schofield live on This Morning, report claims May 23, 2023 At least four A-List actors and well-known TV faces had planned to “ambush” Phillip Schofield live on This Morning with allegations about his behaviour, a new report claims. It has not been made clear exactly what happened between Schofield and Holly Willoughby to put their relationship on the rocks, although reports claim Willoughby was “deeply [...]