You have been ordering McDonald’s fries wrong your whole life March 21, 2023 Life is full of mysteries, such as how to reconcile quantum mechanics with the general theory of relativity, or how a person can attend a party and simultaneously be unaware that a party is taking place. These are, to quote Donald Rumsfeld, known unknowns. But there are other mysteries lurking in plain sight, strange phenomena [...]
New 32-storey building to tower over iconic Leadenhall Market and showcase City of London’s Roman past March 21, 2023 Plans to build a 32-storey tower over the City’s iconic Leadenhall Market have been given the green light by city planners. The City of London Corporation’s planning applications sub-committee approved plans this week for the new tower that will house 27,000 sq m of new office space and will look to boost the Square Mile’s [...]
Cork is the drinking-man’s city break a short hop from London March 21, 2023 There’s a video doing the rounds of Cillian Murphy being asked where’s the best city to go drinking. Without hesitating he replies ‘Cork’. Filled with rickety old pubs that seem to grow organically from the city’s architecture, like some alcoholic Hogwarts, it’s ideal for a weekend of enthusiastic bar-hopping. Getting there With Cork’s airport a [...]
Allelujah has a vital message, but the film’s plot gets tangled March 19, 2023 New British comedy-drama Allelujah is based on the 2018 play by Alan Bennett. Its focus on health care is interesting, given the amount that has changed since it debuted on stage. However, the subject is still pertinent. The film centres around the geriatric unit of a Yorkshire hospital. Overseen by a caring doctor (Bally Gill) [...]
Winners is a charming celebration of childhood enthusiasm March 19, 2023 In a wonderful bit of programming, Iranian comedy-drama Winners comes out in the afterglow of the Oscars. While set many miles from Los Angeles, this charming independent movie captures the mystique and awe so many of us witness when looking up at the big screen. Winners is about the Oscars, or more specifically an Oscar. [...]
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is another DC superhero dud March 19, 2023 The long in-development Shazam sequel (four years is an age for superhero films) arrives at a strange time. Audiences seem to be burned out on Marvel and DC, with many recent releases either bombing or being the subject of fan ire. With a new strategy planned for the DC Universe, can Zachary Levi’s superkid convince [...]
Actors on how to save Vault Festival: ‘Batman and DC Comics could cough up £150k’ March 17, 2023 Vault Festival, the UK’s second-biggest arts festival behind the Edinburgh Fringe, has lost its premises for 2024 and beyond as its landlords are favouring more commercial work. Here, two professional actors reflect on how Vault Festival shaped their careers – and how it’s vital for all new actors, writers and directors and must be saved. [...]
Free entry helps Natural History Museum retain crown of most visited indoor attraction as London dominates list March 17, 2023 The Natural History Museum was the most visited indoor attraction in the UK for a second consecutive year, research shows. The London museum had 4,654,608 visitors last year, more than three million above the previous year’s figure of 1,571,413, a report by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) found. However, the South Kensington museum’s [...]
Marjorie Prime, Menier Chocolate Factory, review: This AI play has astonishing scope March 16, 2023 Majorie Prime review and star rating: ★★★★ I wasn’t sure what to make of Jordan Harrison’s memory play, Marjorie Prime, at first. It’s almost oppressively sad, and at times, feels like it lacks a story. But it has lingered in my mind far longer than anything else I’ve seen this year. Everyone’s here to see [...]
Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey review: No pot of honey March 15, 2023 For characters in classic literature, there is nothing more frightening than the spectre of the Public Domain. After 95 years, admittedly a not unenviable lifetime, works of fiction are no longer protected by copyright, meaning it’s open season for whoever wants to publish, adapt, borrow from or utterly pervert a piece of fiction, no matter [...]