London Film Festival 2022: Seven titles not to miss, from The Whale to Empire of Light October 3, 2022 The BFI’s London Film Festival (LFF) is just around the corner, with the Southbank Centre playing host to the great and the good of the movie business from 5-16 October. This year it will showcase 164 feature films — 22 of which are world premieres — across nine London venues. There is something for everyone in [...]
Don’t Worry Darling review: Not as bad as you’ve probably heard October 3, 2022 Olivia Wilde’s follow up to Booksmart should have been a highlight of 2022. Yet, when Don’t Worry Darling took its bow at Venice, the whole project had fallen into farce. There was tabloid scandal surrounding Wilde’s relationship with star Harry Styles; a rumoured rift with lead Florence Pugh; and a video that appeared to show [...]
Premiership rugby: Quintuple of home victories as Sale show up October 3, 2022 It was a quintuple of home victories in the Premiership this weekend, with Harlequins, Saracens and Sale in particular showing what they are capable of. Here are four themes from round four of the action. Quins the kings It’s exciting, it’s thrilling and it always goes down to the wire; that’s the description that tends [...]
England series is great preparation for World Cup but tour meant more October 2, 2022 England’s highest-ranked batter Dawid Malan hit 78 not out as Moeen Ali’s Twenty20 side won the final match of their tour to Pakistan and claimed a highly competitive seven-game series 4-3 last night. With the series on a knife-edge following three matches in Karachi and three in Lahore, everything came down to this match at [...]
Manchester City 6, Manchester United 3: Haaland and Foden hit hat-tricks in rout October 2, 2022 Manchester City may not have the title wrapped up – they may not even be top of the Premier League yet – but on the evidence of this rout of Manchester United it’s a fait accompli. That is not to diminish leaders Arsenal’s impressive start to the season, continued in a deserved win over Tottenham [...]
London Marathon: Yehualaw and Kipruto win in the capital October 2, 2022 Both the men’s and women’s London Marathon races were won by maiden victors today as Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw claimed inaugural titles on the Mall this afternoon. In one of the biggest marathons on the circuit – which has seen 42,000 mass participants – the African duo managed to break away in [...]
Where to eat, drink and sleep in Birmingham for Tory Party Conference October 2, 2022 On 2 october, Tory Party Conference kicks off in Birmingham. It remains to be seen whether the city famous for its Bull Ring will witness any blood sport following the fallout from the chancellor’s mini-budget. But whether it’s toasting the new PM or ruefully navel-gazing over Keir Starmer’s poll lead, the city’s hotels, restaurants, bars [...]
Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the ROH is a mixed bag of a production October 2, 2022 Mozart’s Don Giovanni is famously difficult to stage, what with its intricate combination of comedy, tragedy, and a Don Juan who is so completely grotesque that he makes Daemon Targaryen look like a saint. If you are thinking that no review that starts like this can signal a five-star show, you’re right. This revival of [...]
Blonde review: Marilyn Monroe biopic is exploitative and dull October 2, 2022 Another year, another lengthy Netflix Oscar hopeful. Blonde has been in development since 2010 with Naomi Watts and Jessica Chastain attached to star at various points. Can one of Hollywood’s hottest newcomers do justice to its eternal icon? Brought to the screen by director Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James), the film is an [...]
Aida at the ROH is a thrilling opera set against a bleak backdrop October 2, 2022 Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida is an opera usually characterised by unabashed spectacle. When the original production opened in Cairo in 1871, the stage was adorned with all manner of ancient Egyptian finery. Many contemporary productions follow this original formula, more or less, but director Robert Carson swerves away from it in this brand-new Royal Opera House [...]