Groundhog Day gets a killer twist in Happy Death Day. In this clever teen horror film pays tribute to the slasher films of the 80s, a college student is brutally murdered, but gets to relive that day repeatedly until she can uncover the identity of her killer. Tree Gelman (played by Jessica Rothe) is a…
In the original published text of Dinner – which differs from what we see in this production – Paige (Caroline Brazier), a famous gourmet hostess, invites a group of middle class intellectuals (not aristocrats, as suggested in the program) to a, supposedly, celebratory dinner. The event is to celebrate the successful publication of her husband’s,…
Calendar Girls was a real hoot when it came out as a movie featuring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters in 2003. I wish I could say the same about the play I saw at the Athenaeum Theatre – but in all good conscience I can’t. Tim Firth adapted the script from his hit film, which…
The animated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is the first feature film based on the popular series of children’s’ books. Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey, the series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide. It centres around George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch). They’re best friends and overly…
Slapstick humour abounds in MTC’s revival of Noel Coward’s outrageous comedy Hay Fever. Set in an English country house in the 1920s, the play deals with the four eccentric members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behaviour. Each invites a guest to spend the weekend, without initially telling the others. Sorel (Imogen Sage) and…
A little over a year ago, the Victorian government was presented with the idea of building a full-scale working replica of Shakespeare’s theatre, the second Globe, to be filled with a festival of the Bard’s masterworks. The concept from founder and artistic director Dr Miles Gregory and executive director Tobias Grant originated a year before…
It is cheeky, irreverent, elegant, stylish and a sequel that begs you to have seen the original. That is Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Co-writer and director Matthew Vaughan – along with his collaborator Jane Goldman – introduced us to the Kingsmen, an independent self-funded British spy organisation, in 2015. Dedicated to keeping the world safe,…
A ninja story with young Lego block heroes, The Lego Ninjago Movie is the third in the franchise of Lego films, which started with The Lego Movie in 2014 and earlier this year offered up The Lego Batman Movie. Lloyd, the Green Ninja (the voice of Dave Franco), and his friends – Kai, the Fire…
Talk about high-concept. An unlikely pair of Swedes try to make a go of it as semi-skilled (but totally unlicensed) private detectives in Stan’s Swedish Dicks. The outcome is a kind of Get Shorty meets Scandi-crime. It’s fair to say this Swedish-US collaboration doesn’t aim very high. The producers aren’t looking to make another Fargo here. Swedish Dicks plays…
A ponderous ode to sad sacks the world over, The Lovers really doesn’t start to resonate at all until nearly four-fifths of it is done and dusted. By that stage you are utterly convinced that watching grass grow is a whole lot more interesting. The Lovers concerns a middle-aged husband and wife, each embroiled in…
