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' [...]
Chris Tremlett: New England director of cricket Ashley Giles can hit the ground running ahead of exciting year January 9, 2019 Ashley Giles’s appointment as England’s new director of cricket comes at an exciting time. Changes of management in sport often come at a time of crisis, but England are in a stable position and looking forward to a World Cup and Ashes series on home soil this summer. While the circumstances of Andrew Strauss’s departure [...]
With the Australian Open set to begin, has the Big Four’s era of dominance already ended? January 9, 2019 As the first grand slam event on the tennis calendar, the Australian Open is traditionally a time of new beginnings, although this year there is an inescapable sense of something ending too. Should they all make it to the start line, there is a distinct possibility that this will be the last time the Big [...]
Guy Lavender interview: MCC chief executive on a big year for Lord’s, The Hundred and why he’s optimistic for the future of cricket January 8, 2019 The new year brings with it excitement for most, but not many people will be looking forward to what 2019 has to offer more than England cricket fans. If last year was dominated by the football World Cup, then the next 12 months could be all about a different sport, with the Cricket World Cup [...]
Trevor Steven: Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat is a blow but Jurgen Klopp is right to focus on the Premier League and Europe January 8, 2019 It’s been a difficult start to 2019 for Liverpool but their FA Cup defeat by Wolves on Monday was nothing more than unfortunate. They came into the match on the back of two high intensity games against Arsenal and Manchester City, even if they did thump the former 5-1. Jurgen Klopp had decisions to make [...]