Arsenal’s slump in form is making Unai Emery’s omission of Mesut Ozil harder to justify January 13, 2019 Nothing fortifies a manager’s decision-making like wins, and when you are on a long unbeaten run you can do much as you please. Change formations week to week? Sure. Leave it late to take the points? No problem; never in doubt. Freeze out the club’s top earner, indeed one of the best paid players in [...]
Colette review: Keira Knightley and Dominic West’s chemistry zings in this saucy biographical tale of French author January 11, 2019 To the unassuming trailer-watcher, Colette looks like a turn-of-the-century version of Big Eyes, Tim Burton’s 2014 film about Walter Keane, the American artist who claimed his wife’s paintings as his own. Colette is married to Henry Gauthier-Villars, a similar entrepreneurial fraud who passes off her novels as his own, but this film manages to be [...]
The Front Runner film review: A near-classic political true story about a more naive time January 11, 2019 Hugh Jackman stars in the true story of Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), charismatic favourite for the 1987 Democratic Presidential nomination. His squeaky clean demeanour is tarnished by accusations of an affair, prompting a national debate as to how much we need to know about our leaders. Shot in an almost documentary like fashion and making [...]
Andy Murray’s greatest hits: From ending Britain’s Wimbledon drought to championing equality and becoming a mentor January 11, 2019 As the lights on Sir Andy Murray's tennis career begin to flicker, the difficulty that Britain's next generation of tennis stars face to fill his shoes is more than apparent. It will surprise few who follow tennis that Murray has announced his intention to retire this year, but the press conference in which he declared [...]
The Upside film review: Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart battle a cliched and stereotype-heavy script in remake of The Intouchables January 11, 2019 The casting of Bryan Cranston as a quadriplegic billionaire has led to fierce debate about the portrayal of disabled people by able-bodied actors. This, however, feels like the least of The Upside’s problems, it being a deeply problematic story about a stuffy white billionaire teaching his young black protégée the wonders of opera and art, [...]
Pinter Five and Pinter Six review: Jamie Lloyd’s season of Pinter’s one act plays hits new heights January 11, 2019 The season of Harold Pinter’s short plays at his eponymous theatre continues its blistering run of form with another full day’s worth of mind-melting absurdism and savage social satire. Pinter Five kicks off with the playwright’s very first work, The Room, written in 1957. It’s a strange little piece, a working prototype for the menacing, [...]
Ollie Phillips: Scrapping relegation could help Premiership balance the books after CVC Capital Partners’ investment January 10, 2019 Debate about the possible scrapping of relegation from the Premiership is not new, but following the recent investment into the division it has been given new impetus. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners’ deal last month to inject £200m for around 27 per cent of Premiership Rugby is significant because it changes the league’s objectives. [...]
Stan & Ollie review: A heartfelt and hilarious tribute to comedy’s biggest legends January 10, 2019 Though it’s been more than half a century since they were last on stage, Laurel and Hardy remain history’s archetypal double act, the pair somehow still regarded by most as the funniest men ever to have dropped a piano down the stairs. Stan & Ollie, a cheerful biopic focused on the pair’s last tour around [...]
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces biggest test yet as Manchester United boss when his side visit Tottenham January 10, 2019 After a week in the sun, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be dropped back into the harsh, cold reality of the Premier League on Sunday, where he can expect to face his biggest managerial test yet. While Manchester United have been enjoying a warm weather training camp in Dubai, this weekend's opponents, Tottenham, continued their fine [...]
Concussion continues to cause concern as English rugby injury audit reveals rise in player absence January 9, 2019 It’s almost a year since the Rugby Football Union released an eight-point action plan to tackle the increasing severity of injuries in professional rugby, but the size of their task remains daunting. Injuries are an unfortunate side-effect of the sport, however, an annual report released on Wednesday by the RFU, Premiership Rugby and Rugby Players' [...]