Tar review: Cate Blanchett shines as a predatory composer January 12, 2023 ★★★★★ Cate Blanchett is a maestro playing a maestro in Tar, putting in a devastating performance in which she conducts the audience just as her character conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. From the first time we see her, Lydia Tar – a fictional character with some pointed similarities to real-life luminaries of the classical music [...]
M3gan review: A Black Mirror-esque take on the classic murder puppet January 11, 2023 ★★★★☆ There is a proud cinematic tradition of haunted doll movies. You can trace the lineage back from Annabelle (first appearing in The Conjuring in 2013), through to Chucky (Child’s Play, 1988), all the way back to Hugo the ventriloquist’s dummy from 1945 horror anthology Dead of Night. Glossy new sci-fi horror M3gan picks up [...]
Golden Globes audience shocked by Tom Cruise Scientology joke January 11, 2023 The Golden Globes took place last night in Los Angeles, the second biggest awards show night in Hollywood, and in many ways the annual pre-cursor to the Oscars. Ricky Gervais is no longer on hosting duties, but he may as well have been given how shocking things got. At one point, host Jerrod Carmichael did [...]
Microsoft considering £8bn investment in Chat GPT owner, says Semafor January 10, 2023 Microsoft is in talks to invest $10bn (£8.2bn) into ChatGPT-owner Open AI, according to reports by Semafor earlier today, citing people familiar with the matter. According to the report, Microsoft’s investment would take OpenAI’s valuation up to $29bn. The deal would initially be based on a revenue share, which will see Microsoft take 75 per [...]
“Elevated horror” movies ranked, from M3gan to Midsommar January 10, 2023 With new “elevated horror” movie M3gan coming out this week, I thought I’d round up some of the top films in this nebulous genre. While the label – largely disparaged by the film community – can be retrospectively applied to films from The Exorcist to The Shining, its use is a recent phenomenon, often used [...]
Avatar: The Way of Water was crap – here’s why I’m glad it exists January 10, 2023 A few weeks ago, you might have read my review of Avatar: The Way of Water in this paper. It’s safe to say I wasn’t a fan – I found the story dull, the dialogue inane, and the high frame rate 3D uncomfortable. Thirteen years ago, I wedged myself into a packed screening room in [...]
The M3gan dance – what is it and does it live up to the hype? January 10, 2023 New horror-comedy M3gan is out this week, and while it’s an excellent cautionary tale in its own right about the dangers of technology, the thing that has driven the internet into meltdown is a five second dance routine by the film’s robotic psychopath M3gan. The titular robot is an AI housed in the body of [...]
The Apprentice review: A recap of the new series of Lord Sugar’s show January 5, 2023 There is something unbearably heavy about the prospect of a new series of The Apprentice. Tuning in to see this nightmare unfold yet again is like watching a battered old walrus drag itself back up the same beach year after year, ungraceful, wheezing, a shadow of its former self, the light in its eyes dimming [...]
Odeon sees Christmas boom as Avatar 2 lures Brits back to the big screen January 5, 2023 Odeon, the UK’s largest cinema chain, welcomed over a million viewers during Christmas thanks to the much anticipated Avatar sequel. Cinemas in the UK have started 2023 on a high note after two rough years, according to new numbers released by Odeon. The return of viewers to the big screen was credited to the release [...]
Confirmed: Channel 4 privatisation cancelled as broadcaster to stay in public ownership January 5, 2023 Channel 4 will remain in public ownership after a planned privatisation – championed by Boris Johnson’s government – was binned today. The Culture Department confirmed the move today, confirming reports based on a leaked letter yesterday. The Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan had written to Rishi Sunak calling for the government to drop the plans to [...]