Culture (Page 103)

There is a haves vs. have-nots mood in TinseltownContinue Reading

Sir Joshua Reynolds “dominated the artistic life of England in his age”, said Melanie McDonagh in the Evening Standard. As the co-founder and first president of the Royal Academy, Reynolds (1723-1792) held immense power over the country’s art establishment, and was generally “revered” by his fellow painters. Constable, for one,Continue Reading

The singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56, prompting a flurry of tributes for both her music and her confrontational style. She was a “passionate and highly engaged musician” with an “unswerving commitment to activism and truth-telling”, said The Guardian, while The Times said she was “someoneContinue Reading

An actor with dwarfism has said that people with the condition feel they “are being pushed out” of the film industry and criticised the casting of Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa in the upcoming movie “Wonka”. George Coppen, whose film credits include “The School for Good and Evil” and “Willow”,Continue Reading

A “masterpiece of forensic fury”, said Mark Lawson in The Guardian, this “verbatim” play is based on writer Gillian Slovo’s interviews with survivors of the 2017 Grenfell fire and the relatives of some of the 72 people who died in the tower block, excerpts from the public inquiry transcripts, andContinue Reading

“For 45 years, it has menaced our children, bringing unbridled horror and trauma into countless young lives,” said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph. “But at last, good sense has prevailed” – and “Watership Down” has been regraded from a U to a PG. In its latest annual report, theContinue Reading

Pre-release expectations were already “stratospheric”, but the unlikely pairing of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” around the world has “helped fuel the biggest collective weekend at the box office since the pandemic”, said Rebecca Rubin in Variety – music to the ears of their respective film studios, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal,Continue Reading

“What a drag it is, getting old,” sang a fresh-faced Mick Jagger in 1966. Today, the icon, rebel, knight and ultimate rock and roll reprobate turns 80, with celebrations that will reportedly feature 300 of his closest friends, including bandmates Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards, at a lavish party inContinue Reading

Recommended reads for the school summer holidaysContinue Reading

Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film “Barbie” has brought the legacy of the popular yet controversial doll back into the limelight.  With the release of the film, Gerwig has made history: “Barbie” took $377 million (£294 million) at the box office on its opening weekend around the world, making it the biggest debutContinue Reading