Broken Bird review – creepily brilliant psych-horror of control-freak funeral-parlour attendant | Movies
circleThere's something about Sybil (Rebecca Calder) that's too conventional, with her neat demeanor, midcentury chic and 180-degree ramparts of fringe. But her politeness helps her land a job at Mr. Thomas' (James Fleet) funeral parlor. Like Amelie Poulain's twisted sister, Sybil is prone to fantasies, including an affair with museum curator Mark (Jay Taylor) whom […]
Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me review – an exceedingly raw real-time battle | Television
and othersLast year, Amy Dowden felt a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon. She knew right away. Her body instinctively knows when something’s not right, and it was a moment she couldn’t ignore. “I felt a bit sick,” the Strictly Come Dancing regular, now 34, tells the camera. “So I went to […]
Philharmonia/Soddy review – Strauss’s Nazi-tainted last opera ends Edinburgh international festival | Classical music
TThe 2024 Edinburgh International Festival, and the Philharmonia Orchestra’s residency with the event, concluded with a concert of Richard Strauss’s final opera, Capriccio, a work that premiered in Munich in 1942 and is forever tainted by its approval by the Third Reich. The programme had been created by the festival’s former head of music, Andrew […]
REVIEW: ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Is Streaming Now. Should You Watch Kevin Costner’s First Epic?
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Horizon: An American Saga. Kevin Costner’s film passion project “Horizon: An American Saga” was pulled from HBO on Friday after abysmal performance at the box office, and it’s clear why the first film in the series wasn’t a hit in theaters, but it’s probably not for the reason you […]
Rally festival review – thrilling blend of cult DJs and indie darlings | Music festivals
RRally Festival, held for the first time in 2023, has been cancelled in a sense. Torrential rain lashed attendees in South London’s Southwark Park, with headliners Obongjayar and Princess Nokia cancelling at the last minute, leaving the crowds to finally look up at sunny skies and post-punk group Squid to liven things up with a […]
Sherwood series two review – even more spellbinding than the original masterpiece | Drama
TCoal is the thing. James Graham’s first series of Sherwood was based on his experience growing up in a mining village in Nottinghamshire, where people and culture were shaped first by their shared experience of working the coalfields, and then, in the 1980s, by strikes against (or not) mine closures and the end of industry. […]
Spirit of the Beehive: You’ll Have to Lose Something review – like an arthouse horror movie in sound | Music
TThe Philadelphia/Portugal-based trio’s fifth album kicks off with the aptly named “The Disruption.” The band is known for its disorienting atmospheres, alternating between different genres and moods within its songs. The album alternates between wailing guitars, lo-fi breakbeats, brooding electro-indie, pumped rap-rock, and gritty screams. Beehive Mentality: Something has to be lost. With their 2021 […]
Love Beyond review – powerful story of dementia plays out like a thriller | Edinburgh festival 2024
TThis is the story of an elderly, hearing-impaired man suffering from dementia who comes to live out his final days in a hospice. On the surface, nothing in particular happens. Ramesh Meiyappan’s astonishing play derives its power from the drama of this man’s inner turmoil, where memories collide with reality and hallucinations invade his everyday […]
Maida Grill House, Salford: ‘Serving profound care and nourishment’ – restaurant review | Food
Maida Grillhouse, 38 Liverpool Street, Salford M5 4LT (0161 312 9772, maidagrillhousesalford.co.ukStarters £2-8, other dishes £5-8.50. Unlicensed. Even in this age of rapid digital proliferation, Britain still has its own distinctive regional dishes. I would call them delicacies, but they are rarely called delicacies. Middlesbrough parmo, a deep-fried schnitzel the size of a pizza box […]
One Man Musical by Flo & Joan review – Andrew Lloyd Webber gets ‘a show about me!’ | Edinburgh festival 2024
‘I“Is this show a legal minefield? Yes, but let’s carry on.” So begins musical comedy duo Flo & Joan’s one-man musical, a more heretical adventure that places Andrew Lloyd Webber at the centre of his own autobiographical show. Is mingling with the communists and hippies of Edinburgh a sign that Lord Lloyd Webber is desperate […]