The Revenant and Birdman director returns with an inscrutable journey into his own past December 16, 2022 Six years after The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu returns for an esoteric dive into his own past in the semi-autobiographical Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. Daniel Giménez Cacho plays Silverio Gama, an experimental filmmaker who has recently won a prestigious American award (can you see the connect yet?). Travelling to his home [...]
Shakespeare comes to @shohplace with this all-singing, all-signing As You Like It December 16, 2022 For a new theatre like @sohoplace, the first handful of productions are foundational. They form an idea in the mind of audiences about what kind of place this is, and who it’s for. Last month’s Marvellous, a low-fi biopic of Staffordshire clown Neil “Nello” Baldwin, seemed a little leftfield but was a shrewd choice, having [...]
Avatar: The Way of Water is a dull sequel to the most forgettable success story in cinema history December 16, 2022 The sequel to the most successful film of all time comes out this week, but despite very little competition at the multiplex, the hype has been muted. For years, Avatar has gained a reputation as an anomaly: the most successful film no one remembers, it’s rarely in any best-of lists, or even talked about when [...]
World Cup final is Argentina v France, Messi v Mbappe and past v future December 16, 2022 More than decade of Qatar’s multi-billion-pound investment in football will reach a crescendo on Sunday afternoon when two stars of Paris Saint-Germain, the club owned by the Gulf state’s investment arm, face off at the Lusail Stadium in the World Cup final. But while it is seen as an ideal outcome for Qatar’s rulers, a [...]
Quins postpone showpiece Big Game over rail strike chaos December 16, 2022 Premiership rugby club Harlequins’ cash cow showpiece event of the season – Big Game – has been cancelled due to the fall out from South Western Rail’s strikes over the Christmas Period, as reported first by City A.M. yesterday. The game – which regularly attracts over 70,000 fans to Twickenham Stadium across the winter festive [...]
Ollie Phillips: European rugby, McGuigan and Laporte December 16, 2022 The opening round of European Champions Cup action left me slightly confused; there were some cracking matches but also some really disappointing results. The SA Sharks’ win over Harlequins down in South Africa was proper entertainment, as was Lyon’s loss to the Bulls on the African continent. But Leinster’s demolition of Racing 92 was disappointing [...]
It’s all change at the Rugby Players Association come the new year December 15, 2022 It’s due to be all change at the Rugby Players Association come the new year with a raft of new non-executive directors and a new general secretary of the union coming in. Having dealt with the impact of the pandemic on its members, the RPA has recently had to spring into action following the downfall [...]
Piazza at the Royal Opera House is perfect for festive fun December 15, 2022 London is beautiful at Christmas and one of the most festive corners of our city is Covent Garden. Opening to the general public for the first time, Piazza is the fifth floor restaurant in the iconic Royal Opera House, boasting a huge terrace with panoramic views over Covent Garden’s holiday wonderland. The dining room is [...]
Pinot Noir: Why this classy grape should be your christmas wine December 15, 2022 There is something special about Pinot Noir. Beloved the world over, it has been referred to as “the heart break grape” due to its exacting demands on those growing it. It was immortalised in the film Sideways by the lead character’s impassioned speech: “Pinot needs constant care and attention, you know? And in fact, it [...]
Kerry Jackson, National Theatre, review: This show would instil empathy in the most hardened sociopaths December 15, 2022 Amid the deafening noise of the culture wars, when everyone’s trying to shout the loudest to get their point across, we need shows like Kerry Jackson. A new piece by April De Angelis, it employs an almost perplexingly simple set up to show how easily we forget to look for the empathy in one another. [...]