Saturday 29 March 2014

Film review: Starred Up (18)

FILM_starred480.jpg

WHAT'S ON


Starred Up
(18) 106mins
★★★★✩

The process of de-humanising begins from the first frame. Eric (Jack O'Connell) is moved like a pawn, treated like a loon and reduced to a series of louse-ridden tick boxes.

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Dance review: Shadowland, Peacock Theatre

STAGE_shadowlands480.jpg
WHAT'S ON


DANCE
Shadowland
Peacock Theatre
★★★★✩

At the end of Shadowland, by way of an encore, the flexible folk of US-based Pilobolus said thanks - more accurately "cheers" - to the London crowd with a YouTube friendly silhouette romp depicting their journey across the pond.

Friday 14 March 2014

Film review: Need For Speed (12A)

FILM_needspeed480.jpg

WHAT'S ON


Need For Speed
(12A) 130mins
★★★✩✩

How long will it be, I wonder, before the star of this game-to-screen howler loses his prefix?

Saturday 8 March 2014

Film review: The Grand Budapest Hotel (15)

FILM_budapest.jpg

WHAT'S ON


The Grand Budapest Hotel
(15) 100mins
★★★★✩

Director Wes Anderson often creates films that inspire admiration rather than love. They are products of the intellect, not unruly effusions of the heart.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Spiral Notebook: The arrogance of now

SN_harriet.jpg
COMMENT
By Giles Broadbent

It is staggering to modern eyes that the Paedophile Information Exchange should have found any currency at all, let alone the championing voice of an authoritative body such as the National Council of Civil Liberties in the '70s.