Astoundingly good production of Arthur Miller’s play about emasculation, identity, and unspoken fears set in late 1930s Brooklyn. Antony Sher is so good as Phillip Gellburg that you can’t imagine anyone else playing the role. 10/10
Fantastic moody drama from Gary “The Shield” Lennon. Sexual tension between all the characters, great punk soundtrack, barely suppressed violence and snappy banter. Excellent cast, especially Natalie Dormer as Pat, the central character. Don’t mess about, this play’s only on until November 27th. Go and see it. Now. 8/10 (you can also read a longer… Read More
100 Years of Iconic London Transport Posters
Claire Dobbin, senior curator at the London Transport Museum rattled through a century of posters in 45 minutes, doing a fantastic job of covering both the design philosophies, the artists and the social messages of each period. 8/10
Excellent film by Jason Chadwick based on a true story about a former Mau Mau fighter who wants to learn but has much to teach. Great acting and cinematography, with brief moments of intense violence. Contrasts rural and urban modern Kenya very well. 8/10
Ben Affleck gives us an improbable car chase and a lot more action than this story needed. Interesting idea, with some nice touches, but leaves the big stuff unexplored. 5/10
As powerful 30 years later as it was at the time. Many scenes are part of cinema folklore now, but even if you’ve seen the clips, the intensity of De Niro throughout reminds those who only know him from Meet the Parents onwards that he was the defining film star of the 70s, 80s and… Read More
This isn’t really a travel book, but Newby’s standing as a travel writer is enough to justify its inclusion here. The author describes his amazing experiences during the Second World War after he escaped the clutches of his Italian guards in a PoW hospital and – aided by some brave locals – headed for the… Read More
Excellent and surprising Korean film about a mother who will stop at nothing for her son. Hye-ja Kim is mesmerising as the Mother. 9/10
Baffling but cooly brilliant. Suspend belief and just go with it. 8/10
Quite simply one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. Less style over substance and more concept over coherence. And the concept isn’t that great either. Also possibly worse in 3D. 1/10
Beautiful understated performance from Colin Firth in a film that gathers momentum. 8/10
Joyful movie but watch out for that tear-jerker of an opening. 8/10
Intelligent, disturbing, and highly unusual sci-fi with more than a tip of the hat to 2001. Excellent. 10/10
Silly, but funny. Nice cameo from the man himself.
Really one for the film nuts. Its importance in the world of cinema was a bit lost on me, though it is “a classic”. 5/10
Yawn. Next. Overrated from the much fêted Charlie Kaufman, who drifts into the self-indulgent here despite a cast to die for. If you want to see Michelle Williams in something good – check out Wendy & Lucy that I saw the day before. 4/10
Michelle Williams proving how versatile she is in this low-budget touching film that feels very close to a true story. 9/10
Interesting, but not engaging enough and too languid. 6/10
Fantastical and amazing in Imax format (even if I was sitting a bit too close to the front). Feels too much like an adaptation rather than a film in its own right. 7/10
Powerful documentary about Hurricane Katrina