Mandoob (Night Courier) film: Drama shows another side to Saudi August 29, 2024 The changing face of Saudi Arabia provides the setting for Ali Kalthami’s debut feature. Mandoob (Night Courier in English) is a thriller about Fahad (Mohammad Aldokhei), a man working in Riyadh who is struggling to make ends meet with an ailing father to support. Things get worse when he dramatically loses his job at a [...]
Definitely Not: Why I won’t be queuing for Oasis tickets on Saturday August 27, 2024 Appropriately for a column about a pair of Catholic lads, I am what you might call a lapsed Oasis fan. As a teenager I had a full collection of their singles, which came in those tiny little half-width jewel cases I haven’t seen out in the wild for at least two decades. My friends and [...]
Venice Film Festival: An insider’s guide to all the gossip, parties and deals August 27, 2024 The 81st Venice Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and it’s set to continue its legacy as a hotbed of dealmakers, party goers and luxury brand sponsorship. Our man on the inside gives the lowdown on what to expect this time around. “The Ghost with the Most is Back” proclaim the Venetian billboards for Tim Burton’s [...]
Sven film review: A graceful goodbye to the former England boss August 21, 2024 Amazon’s latest profile of a sporting hero should be a cause for nostalgia, coming 20 years after Sven-Göran Eriksson peak as England manager in Euro 2004. However, it’s tinged with sadness, as in January the Swedish football manager announced he has around a year to live having battled pancreatic cancer. This documentary, filmed both before [...]
Five stars: Kneecap film is among the best of the year August 21, 2024 Kneecap, the rap group that perform in the Irish language, tell their story in a riotous rise to fame comedy-drama. Liam Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin are listless members of ‘The Ceasefire Generation’ in West Belfast, living off dealing drugs and avoiding the police. One night, when Liam gets arrested, an Irish interpreter (JJ [...]
Zoe Kravitz unsettling Blink Twice is a chilling debut August 21, 2024 Zoe Kravitz, star of The Batman and Fantastic Beasts films, steps behind the camera for a startling debut that signals the beginning of a second stage in her career. Blink Twice stars Naomi Ackie as Frida, a cocktail waitress who by chance meets tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). The pair hit it off, with [...]
Notting Hill Carnival 2024 schedule: Where to go and what to see August 20, 2024 This weekend sees the return of one of London’s most hotly-anticipated events: the Notting Hill Carnival. A celebration of the city’s diversity and musical cultures, it’s attended by as many as three million people a year – and this one promises to be a belter. Here’s the lowdown on where to go and what to [...]
BSL Antony and Cleopatra at the Globe is radical but frustrating August 15, 2024 Blanche McIntrye’s bilingual staging of Antony and Cleopatra at The Globe is as frustrating as it is powerful. Antony’s Romans use English, Cleopatra’s Egyptians use British Sign Language (BSL), and the entire play is subtitled on a huge screen that centres the staging. The use of BSL allows for a new and radical reading of [...]
Canada Festival set to return this autumn with stellar line-up August 15, 2024 Canada Festival is set to return this autumn for the first time since 2015, bringing some of the world’s hottest classical, jazz and choral musicians to the Square Mile. The festival celebrates the unique architecture and environment of London’s most historic district through a series of innovative musical events. The newly rebranded [...]
A Chorus line at Sadler’s Wells: A wonderful celebration of dance August 15, 2024 A Chorus Line is a musical about the craft and hardship of dancing for Broadway musicals, and what it takes to get there. It’s also about bullying, domestic violence, plastic surgery, popping pills, having a sideline as a stripper or drag artist to make ends meet, and finding oneself only through dance. Yet, tune out [...]