Wimbledon 2019: Men’s tennis still finding its titanic trio Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hard to replace June 30, 2019 Year after year it seems to be the same question: can anyone truly compete with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic at the grand slam events? As they continue to advance into their thirties it becomes increasingly likely that their reign of supremacy will end and their unrelenting grip on the major tournaments wane. [...]
My Sporting Life: Merrick Haydon on breaking into the industry, making the British eventing team and his hopes for disability sport June 30, 2019 Merrick Haydon, managing director of agency rEvolution, recalls rubbing shoulders with Will Carling, representing Great Britain in equestrian eventing and running sub-four hour marathons, and makes the case for more coverage of disability sports. What is your sporting passion? Rugby union has been a big part of my life since going to a boarding school [...]
Arctic film review: A grim but powerful slog through the frozen wilds June 28, 2019 A minimalist tale of man-versus-nature, Joe Penna’s debut feature immerses us in the daily routine of Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen), the survivor of a cargo-plane crash in the Arctic (actually, Iceland). How long he has been stranded in the frozen wastes is uncertain, as we join his story in media res, but his missing toes suggest [...]
The Damned at Barbican review: More of the same good stuff from Ivo Van Hove June 28, 2019 The Damned continues Dutch theatre director Ivo van Hove’s obsession with adaptations, with his oeuvre now including four Bergman screenplays, versions of Oscar-winning films Network and All About Eve, and now four works from Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. And while this French-language play occasionally veers close to a van Hove ‘greatest hits’ compilation, it’s excellently performed by [...]
Yesterday review: A chilling account of the harrowing symptoms of one man’s brain injury June 28, 2019 The phrase “feel-good comedy of the summer” should cause no small amount of bile to rise in your throat, but Yesterday is inescapably just that. A movie that seems algorithmically laser-targeted for success, it arrives just as ravenous audiences are lifting their faces from the dessicated carcass of last summer’s Mamma Mia 2, and are [...]
Toy Story 4 review: A visually stunning nostalgia fest that lives up to the franchise legacy June 28, 2019 The question on my lips when Toy Story 4 was announced was: why? Toy Story 3 seemed like the perfect finish to a trilogy that never made a misstep. As the film ended, the sight of Woody, Buzz Lightyear et al with their new owner, Bonnie, as their original one, Andy, drove off to college, [...]
The Hunt at the Almeida review: A powerful but uncomfortable film adaptation June 28, 2019 The Hunt, a tale of a man’s world crumbling around him in the wake of false accusations of paedophilia, is so utterly harrowing it barely qualifies as entertainment. It’s two hours of nauseating tension, each escalation arriving like a physical blow. It’s a nightmare given solid form, and its transition from screen to stage only amplifies the [...]
Never Look Away review: New film from The Lives of Others director is a bloated, pretentious mishmash June 28, 2019 Fifteen years after his masterful The Lives of Others, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has returned to his native Germany with a bungled, overwrought epic set across the three defining political epochs of the 20th century. Over 188 minutes, we follow Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling), who experiences the Third Reich as a child, communist East [...]
Norway 0-3 England: Lucy Bronze stars as Lionesses reach World Cup semi-finals in style June 27, 2019 News of England’s injury problems may have been greatly exaggerated. If the build-up to the Lionesses’ World Cup quarter-final against Norway was dominated by discussion over the potential absentees, then the event itself could hardly have been more different. All those said to be struggling played – and played their part in what felt like [...]
Chris Tremlett: England should take Jason Roy gamble to turn around their World Cup against India June 26, 2019 Last week I defended the World Cup format in anticipation of the dead rubbers many believed would soon be on the horizon. A week on and there’s no such debate, with England’s defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia and Pakistan’s win over New Zealand today ensuring there’s plenty left to play for. England are feeling [...]