iPad Air 2022 review: A worthy follow-up to the best tablet in years March 23, 2022 While the launch of a new Apple device is usually pretty difficult to miss, you could be forgiven for overlooking the iPad that hit UK shelves in March 2020, in the week leading up to the first lockdown. That would have been a shame, however, because the iPad Air 2020 (“Air” being Apple’s mid-range iPad, [...]
Phantom of the Open review: Mark Rylance scores hole-in-one with hilarious underdog tale March 22, 2022 This Mark Rylance comedy-drama is perhaps the most twee film you’ll see this decade, but it’s genuinely heart-warming too, with endless hits of proper comedy. It’s not the year’s first joyous tale of a working class British underdog. The Duke, starring Jim Broadbent as an elderly campaigner against BBC television licensing, was in a similar [...]
Fresh review – a delightfully disturbing thriller March 22, 2022 Loveable Marvel star Sebastian Stan has been trying some darker roles recently, playing shady characters in The Devil All The Time and The 355, as well as raucous rocker Tommy Lee in Disney+ series Pam & Tommy. However, nothing the actor has done so far will touch the grizzly insanity of his new role, horror-thriller [...]
Deep Water review is this Sad Affleck’s disasterpiece? March 22, 2022 Poor Ben Affleck. Last year he was laughed out of cinemas for his part in The Last Duel, and his solid performance in The Tender Bar was largely ignored by awards voters. This year saw The Batman, a film he was originally meant to direct and star in, become a huge success with someone else [...]
The Phantom of the Open sees Mark Rylance on fine comic form March 22, 2022 British cinema loves a quirky amateur. Whether it’s steel workers doing The Full Monty, W.I. members becoming Calendar Girls, or a largely fictional biopic of Eddie The Eagle, comedies about giving it a go have become a regular at the box office. The latest in that line is this golf-themed comedy, loosely based on the [...]
Seville is the sweet spot for rooftop relaxation and city centre cycling March 22, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Seville is the ideal long weekend destination. The flight is less than three hours, it hardly ever rains, and the locals start reaching for their jumpers and moaning about the cold if the temperature drops below 25 degrees. We left grey London on Friday afternoon and spent most of the weekend sunbathing, looking [...]
Complete immersion in Belize March 22, 2022 There is a human skull half-submerged in the mud at my feet. Through the damp gloom, I can just make out other bones, scattered across the floor. Luckily, I haven’t stumbled upon a gruesome murder scene, but the truth is almost as chilling. This is an ancient Mayan ceremonial cave, buried deep within the jungle [...]
An adventure through glorious, neglected Cuba March 22, 2022 Despite only a brief appearance, the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland was a significant character. Between puffs he took the time to answer questions and offer advice to someone quite confused by her environs. In Havana, Cuba, I’ve met a man of a similar disposition. Amid chat, plumes of cigar smoke that were custard [...]
Cock review: Bridgerton’s new leading man has a sexy existential crisis March 17, 2022 This stylish new version of 2009’s queer breakthrough play Cock asks why we define ourselves by the people we have sex with. The high-budget production is a million miles away from the play’s humble roots Upstairs at the Royal Court, where it premiered to 80 people, and director Marianne Elliott takes full advantage of the [...]
Doctor Foster and Cock writer Mike Bartlett: ‘Solve problems in the theatre, not online’ March 17, 2022 You might not know his name but Mike Bartlett’s one of the most successful storytellers in Britain. His hit TV show Doctor Foster drew in almost 10 million viewers an episode in 2017, an unprecedented number given last year’s most-watched Christmas Day show attracted 7.4 million. He’s also prolific: since the millennium he’s penned 24 [...]
