Written by Barry Took & Marty Feldman Directed by Tim Astley ★★★★ And now it’s time for Round The Horne. Recrafted for the stage by director Tim Astley, the revived production follows the original programme of Barry Took & Marty Feldman, a loving recreation of the inspirational and revolutionary satirical radio show. Provisionally a two-act structure, … Continue reading Round the Horne – King’s Theatre
https://youtu.be/AaDxGcmIc64 Written & Directed by Franka Potente Germany/2020/100mins ★★★★ Revenge and reconciliation. Forgiveness takes more than accepting an apology – and to truly repent, it takes more than showing a brave face at the local Church. An eye for an eye may seem the viable option for some, but the agony and dredging of emotion … Continue reading Home – Review
Written by Fraser Boyle & Ken Alexander Directed by Ken Alexander ★★★★ In Panto land, the realm of fairytale collides with vaudeville storytelling and glee – often taking shape as a classic Grimm tale or nursery rhyme. But where creative liberty is free, magic follows, and as part of The Gaiety's return to in-person performance, … Continue reading Jamie & The Unicorn: A Legend of a Panto! – The Gaiety
Based on the original novel by Bram Stoker Written and Directed by Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks ★★★★★ Conceptually, an alternate reality in which histories vilest, most callous monsters were stopped before their atrocities were committed isn’t a rarity – but seldom is it performed well, or with a degree of regard and understanding of … Continue reading Dracula: The Untold Story – Imitating the Dog
https://youtu.be/togmdDHG3Pw Written by Charise Castro Smith & Jared Bush Directed by Jared Bush & Byron Howard USA/ 2021/ 102 mins ★★★★★ The sixtieth animated feature to reveal itself from the Walt Disney Vault, Encanto continues the companies’ ongoing exploration of cultures outside of traditional Western fables or European folklore. Turning their eye towards the dense, emerald forests of Columbia, … Continue reading Encanto – Review
Books, Music & Lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe Directed by Andy Fickman ★★★★ Dear Diary; This evening, a glorification of suicide, loss, slut-shaming and high-notes were woven into a musical extravaganza – capitalising on the peak interest of nostalgia, and every second of it was mean-spirited, snappy, and sheer perfection. Heathers, the cinematic classic, … Continue reading Heathers The Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse
https://youtu.be/Lagauhb5GyY Directed by Pablo Larraín Written by Steven Knight Germany,Chile,UK/117mins/2021 ★★★★★ Dance instructor, cleaner, patron, heir apparent and mother; Diana, Princess of Wales, was a woman under the scrutiny of multiple angles and facades. And quite often, it is seemingly forgotten that she was human. A figure of public fascination and an international icon, Diana’s … Continue reading Spencer – Review
https://youtu.be/2UzyQ8QdpAM Written by Jake Johnson & Trent O'Donnell Directed by Trent O'Donnell USA/2021/88mins ★★★ It’s never too late to change or re-affirm a lost connection – even if one of them is recently deceased. Leif never had much of a relationship with his mother, Honey, the two drifting as she sought out her way in … Continue reading Ride the Eagle – Review
https://youtu.be/r6SRiVrUlic Written by Alejandro Amenábar Directed by Alejandro Amenábar & Alejandro Hernández Spain/2019/107mins ★★★★ “Drain the swamp”. “Taking back control”. Or, in the case of Alejandro Amenábar's 2019 release While At War: “Long Live Death”. Amenábar searingly paints a sobering and sturdy (true) story of the tactics utilised at the onset of the Spanish Civil War to quash … Continue reading While At War – Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival
https://youtu.be/FPP_304khFo Written & Directed by Yoav Paz & Doron Paz Germany & Israel/2021/109mins ★★ s millions celebrated the end of World War II, there’s a habit of conjuring this immediate image of the defeat of Hitler as a drawn curtain. In reality, for thousands of survivors of the Holocaust, returning Jewish communities found that, despite … Continue reading Plan A – Review
