23rd Apr2023

Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie (Theatre)

by timbaros
Lucy May Barker, Verna Vyas, Laura Dos Santos in Vardy v Rooney The Wagatha Christie Trial - Pamela RaithIn one corner we have Rebecca Vardy, who has been accused by the woman in the opposite corner – Coleen Rooney – of leaking personal information about her to the press, so Vardy sues Rooney for defamation, all of this cleverly put together in the play ‘Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial’.

 
We all remember the tribulations, the gossip, and the salacious details that were revealed in the case which was called by the press as the trial of the century. Vardy (Lucy May Barker) and Rooney (Laura Dos Santos) slugged it out in court and we all know that Vardy was not able to prove her case (last year), that Rooney libelled her by blaming her for the leaks from her private Instagram account. Rooney was the victor, according to the judge (the actual ruling, by Judge Mrs Justice Steyn, saw Vardy’s claims as inconsistent and unfounded. There were large parts of evidence that simply did not hold up in court, or were deemed too far-fetched or implausible.’)

 
In the show, which plays out like a football match as a battle between two very famous WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends), two pundits (Halema Hussain and Nathan McMullen) give us the play by play – commentary on what is happening, what has happened, and what is about to happen – it adds quite a clever and fun twist to the trial and not allowing the show to succumb to just another play about a trial (this is definitely not ‘Witness for the Prosecution!)’
 
Writer (adaptor) Liv Hennessy has taken bit parts of the actual trial testimony and turned this into the crux of what this show is all about, the amazing, exciting and unbelievable testimony that these two women gave to the judge on the witness stand. Some of it is hard to believe (a lost phone, deletion of all messages, and Davy Jones), while one of the women keeps digging herself into a large whole, with her credibility sinking fast. But taken as satire, this show gives you food for thought on social media, celebrity and privacy, and when you combine all three, you get a situation like this. It’s the modern age of social media, and as we now know, anything is possible.

To book, please visit:

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23rd Apr2023

Ain’t Too Proud (Theatre)

by timbaros

AINT TOO PROUD, BOOK BY DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU, MUSIC AND LYRICS FROM THE LEGENDARY MOTOWN CATALOG, BASED ON THE BOOK ENTITLED THE TEMPTATIONS BY OTIS WILLIAMS WITH PATRICIA ROMANOWSKI, MUSIC BY ARRANGEMENT WITH SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING,DIRECTED BY DES MCANUFF, CHOREOGRAPHED BY SERGIO TRUJILLO, SCENIC DESIGN ROBERT BRILL, COSTUME DESIGN PAUL TAZEWELL, LIGHTING DESIGN HOWELL BINKLEY, SOUND DESIGN STEVE CANYON KENNEDY, PRODUCTION DESIGN PETER NIGRINI, PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE, 2023, Credit Johan Persson/

The story of one of the biggest selling groups of all time is now a West End show billed as ‘Ain’t Too Proud’

It’s the story of The Temptations, the group behind very memorable songs such as ‘My Girl,’ ‘Pappa was a rolling stone,’ ‘The way you do the things you do,’ and of course ‘Ain’t too proud to beg.’
The show is seen through the eyes of founding member Otis Williams, now 80 years old, and brilliantly played by Sifiso Mazibuko. ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ tells of the ups and downs of the group. From their beginnings in Detroit in 1962, where five young men with soulful voices came together, through to being signed by Motown right after David Ruffin joined the group (a brilliant Tosh Wanogho-Maud) where they were guided by legend Smokey Robinson and managed by Shelly Berger (Dylan Turner). From then their rise to fame continued, through thick and thin. They then became one of the first African American artists to crossover into the mainstream. They were even bigger then The Supremes (told in the mega hit show ‘Dreamgirls’).
But eventually the path to fame would be a rocky one. Ruffin never adhered to the groups rules, was kicked out and would eventually die of a drug overdose at 50. Original member Melvin Franklin would also die at a young age – 52. And Williams was also no stranger to tragedy, his only son would die at the young age of 23.
But ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ isn’t all about tragedy. It’s a musical with beautiful music, with sings that are not sung to the very end that make you begging for more, and when you get more it’s just not enough. The men who play all the Temptations in this show are perfectly cast, and all with incredible voices (with a lot of sweating involved). Excellent Choreography by Sergio Trujillo and superb direction by Des McAnuff makes this show a winner. ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ is the best thing to happen to the West End in years, and expect it to snatch lots of prizes at next years Olivier Awards.
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05th Mar2023

Close (Film)

by timbaros

Close - Grand Prix winnerIn ‘Close’ two 13-year old boys have formed a very strong, and close friendship, perhaps too close as they start getting teased and bullied at school. It gets to be too much for one of them so he decides it’s time to start hanging out with other boys, but the consequence changes their lives as well as the lives of their parents and all involved.  Gustav de Waele and Eden Dambrine give superb, and devastating, performances, and Dhont’s script (he co-wrote with Angelo Tijssens) will leave you in tears. There was not a dry eye in the house at the premiere where the film deservedly received a 20 minute standing ovation. In his speech once the clapping came to a stop, Dhont said that he had always wanted to do this film for all the friends he lost when he was younger, friends who could not be who they were. He also praised his two leading young stars, de Waele and Dambrine, for their magnificent performances. He could not be so right, they both were superb.

And ‘Close’ deservedly won (with ’Stars at Noon’) the Grand Prix Award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

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25th Feb2023

Joyland (Film)

by timbaros

Haidar Biba v2Alina Khan in Joyland‘Joyland’ was such a joy to watch. 

It’s the first Pakistani feature film (in 75 years) to be shown at Cannes, and what a film it is. It took director Saim Sadiq seven years to bring this film to the big screen. A married man (excellently played by Ali Junejo) falls for a trans-woman (Alina Khan – a real find) who hires him to be a backup dancer in her erotic show. Meanwhile he’s got an expectant wife at home who suspects her husband is not the man he says he is. Controversial subject matter for a Pakistani film where homosexuality is still illegal. Kudos to the cast and crew for pulling this superb film off. Shot in Lahore, Pakistan, the filming was done in secret due to the subject matter, and believe it or not it was shot in October 2021 and was ready in time for Cannes. The shooting took 40 days, and lead actor Junejo was working 39 of those days. The film asks a real important question for all of us, who are we?

Director Sadiq said at the premiere in Cannes that the film no longer belongs to him, now it belongs to all of you.

‘Joyland’ film is the feature debut of writer and director Sadiq, whose previous short film “Darling” won the Orizzonti Best Short Film award at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. 

‘Joyland’ won the Un Certain Regard prize at the festival, along with the Queer Palm Award.

The film also stars Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada and Sania Saeed.

 

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14th Jan2023

43rd London Film Critics Awards Nomination

by timbaros
CC23-bansheesHomegrown talent led the field as the UK’s leading film critics unveiled the nominations for the 43rd annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, with British-Irish director Martin McDonagh’s dark tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin coming out on top with nine nominations. McDonagh, who triumphed in the Circle’s 2018 awards with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is eyeing another hefty London haul. Close behind, with eight nominations, was Scottish debut filmmaker Charlotte Wells’ powerful coming-of-age story Aftersun.

Both films scored nominations for Film of the Year, Director of the Year and Screenwriter of the Year, as did two favourites from across the pond: Todd Field’s provocative culture-war drama Tár and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s fantastical family portrait Everything Everywhere All at Once, both of which scored six nominations. These nomination leaders also landed multiple acting nominations, with Banshees notablyscoring nods for all four of its principal stars, including Colin Farrell for Actor of the Year, while Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan received supporting recognition.

Also among the ten nominees for Film of the Year are a documentary, Laura Poitras’ penetrating Nan Goldin study All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and two non-English-language titles: Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s twisty romantic noir Decision to Leave, which also landed him a Director of the Year nod, and French director Alice Diop’s socially conscious courtroom drama Saint Omer. Rounding out this highly varied category are Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans, Oliver Hermanus’ lyrical Kurosawa remake Living and the year’s highest-grossing blockbuster, Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Though it missed out in the top category, Sebastian Lelio’s richly questioning faith drama The Wonder nabbed an impressive six nominations, including one for British/Irish Film of the Year, where it joins Banshees, Aftersun, Living and the Irish indie phenomenon The Quiet Girl. Colm Bairéad’s heart-tugger also landed in the Foreign-Language Film of the Year field, alongside Decision to Leave, Saint Omer, EO and the Tollywood sensation RRR.

Joining Farrell in Actor of the Year are fellow Irishman Paul Mescal for Aftersun, Bill Nighy for Living, Brendan Fraser in The Whale and Austin Butler for his uncanny inhabitation of Elvis Presley in Elvis. It was a good morning for actors ambitiously taking on icons: Ana de Armas’ vivid Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and Vicky Krieps’ mischievous Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Corsage made the cut for Actress of the Year, alongside Tár’s Cate Blanchett, Everything Everywhere’s Michelle Yeoh and The Wonder’s Florence Pugh.

“As always, our nominees stand out from others because our members actually see all of the films that are released each year,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section. “So these nominations represent a cross-section of the very best of the movies we watched in 2022. And each year it’s great that we can highlight films, filmmakers and performances that deserve attention.”

This year’s winners in all categories will be announced at London’s May Fair Hotel on 5th February 2023 — with the Circle returning to an in-person gathering after two years of virtual awards ceremonies due to pandemic precautions. Last year’s ceremony saw Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog take four awards, including Film, Director and Actor of the Year.

The awards are given by the 200-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the UK’s longest-standing and most prestigious critics’ organisation. The May Fair Hotel, part of Edwardian Hotels London, is the main sponsor of the event. New sponsors this year include The House of Koko, the new private members club which is part of the iconic London music venue; leading film, television and online media school MetFilm; and creative industry accountants Nyman Libson Paul.

The full list of nominations:
FILM OF THE YEAR
Aftersun
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
The Banshees of Inisherin
Decision to Leave
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Living
Saint Omer
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Decision to Leave
EO
The Quiet Girl
RRR
Saint Omer
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
Moonage Daydream
The Attenborough Award:
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Aftersun
The Banshees of Inisherin
Living
The Quiet Girl
The Wonder
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Todd Field – Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Park Chan-wook – Decision to Leave
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Todd Field – Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner – The Fabelmans
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Nyman Libson Paul
Cate Blanchett – Tár
Ana de Armas – Blonde
Vicky Krieps – Corsage
Florence Pugh – The Wonder
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
Dolly De Leon – Triangle of Sadness
Nina Hoss – Tár
Guslagie Malanda – Saint Omer
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Burke – The Wonder
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR for body of work
Jessie Buckley – Men, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, Women Talking
Olivia Colman – Empire of Light, Joyride, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Florence Pugh – Don’t Worry Darling, The Wonder
Emma Thompson – Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Letitia Wright – Aisha, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Silent Twins
BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR for body of work
Harris Dickinson – See How They Run, Triangle of Sadness, Where the Crawdads Sing
Colin Farrell – After Yang, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Batman, Thirteen Lives
Ralph Fiennes – The Forgiven, The Menu
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
The Philip French Award:
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER sponsored by MetFilm
Katy Brand – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Colm Bairéad – The Quiet Girl
Frances O’Connor – Emily
Georgia Oakley – Blue Jean
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Kila Lord Cassidy – The Wonder
Catherine Clinch – The Quiet Girl
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Bella Ramsey – Catherine Called Birdy
Alisha Weir – Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
A Fox in the Night – dir Keeran Anwar Blessie
Groom – dir Leyla Coll-O’Reilly
Honesty – dir Roxy Rezvany
A Letter to Black Men – dir Kiosa Sukami
Scale – dir Joseph Pierce
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Athena – Matias Boucard, cinematography
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth E Carter, costumes
Blonde – Leslie Shatz, sound design
Decision to Leave – Kim Ji-yong, cinematography
Elvis – Catherine Martin, costumes
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers, film editing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Brian Leif Hansen, animation
RRR – Nick Powell, stunts
Tár – Stephen Griffiths, sound design
The Wonder – Nina Gold, casting
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28th Jan2020

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Announces its 2019 DORIAN AWARDS for Film and TV

by timbaros

image001-1-2GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, comprised of 260 mainly U.S. journalists covering film and television, has named its final-round choics for 2019’s finest movies, performances and more across a host of mainstream and LGBTQ-focused categories.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite gobbled up five wins, including Film of the Year, Director and Screenplay. Renée Zellweger took Performance of the Year—Actress for Judy), with Antonio Banderas the top choice in the Actor race. The Society’s Rising Star of the year: Florence Pugh (Little Women).

“GALECA members strive to determine the best cinematic experiences through the distinct LGBTQ lens, and this year was particularly rich in options,” said GALECA President Diane Anderson-Minshall, Editorial Director of The Advocate. “Yet when director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite practically swept our awards roster with five wins, I was not surprised. The dynamic, darkly comic drama about a poor family conniving to live the good life speaks to the times we live in, with vivid commentary on class, inequity and even climate change. Parasite is a perfect film for the Trump era.”

Among the professional LGBTQ journalists group’s trademark categories, Booksmart scored as Unsung Film of the Year, while Cats took the group’s semi-dubious, if affectionate, Campy Flick of the Year category.

With the Society’s recent move to spin off its television categories with a separate ceremony starting this August, the Dorians’ TV categories came with a somewhat truncated eligibility window of January 1 through November 1.

FX’s Pose again won TV Drama of the Year and LGBTQ TV Drama for the second year—and its star Billy Porter took another Dorian win as well—while Comedy Central’s The Other Two was named best Unsung TV Show. Amazon’s Fleabag was anointed TV Comedy of the Year, with star-creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge reigning as TV Performance of the Year—Actress and Wilde Wit of the Year.

Lady Gaga wowed GALECA’s members in a special vote as Wilde Artist of the Decade. Gaga’s duet with Bradley Cooper on “Shallow” at last year’s Oscars also counted with the group as the TV Musical Performance of the Year.

As previously announced, Olivia Wildethe first-time director of Booksmart, will be receiving a special honor at the group’s Dorian Awards Winners Toast, which will be held brunchtime Sunday, February 2, in Los Angeles, before football fever kicks in. The invitation-only event will include a raise of the glass to Wilde, named GALECA’s Wilde Artist of the Year.

GALECA, formed in 2009, aims to generate camaraderie and solidarity in an unsettling media environment, champion constructive film and television criticism and elevate the craft of entertainment journalism. Via panels, screenings and our annual Dorian Awards, GALECA also strives to remind at-risk youth, bullies and bigots that the world looks to the Q eye for leads on great, unique movies and TV. And how would the world fare without knowing what’s campy?

GALECA is a proud core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media.  

FULL LIST OF 11TH DORIAN AWARD WINNERS (noted in bold and with an asterisk)

Film of the Year

Hustlers 
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood
Pain and Glory
*Parasite 
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Director of the Year 

Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory 
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
*Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Celine Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Film Performance of the Year — Actress 

Awkwafina, The Farewell
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
*Renée Zellweger, Judy

Film Performance of the Year — Actor

*Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Taron Egerton, Rocketman

Film Performance of the Year — Supporting Actress 

Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Florence Pugh, Little Women
*Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

Film Performance of the Year — Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino, The Irishman 
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood
*Song Kang-ho, Parasite

LGBTQ Film of the Year 

Booksmart 
End of the Century 
Pain and Glory
*Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rocketman

Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Atlantics 
Pain and Glory 
*Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Farewell

Screenplay of the Year

Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
*Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won, Parasite
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rian Johnson, Knives Out

Documentary of the Year 

American Factory
Apollo 11
For Sama
*Honeyland
One Child Nation

LGBTQ Documentary of the Year 

Circus of Books 
Gay Chorus Deep South
The Gospel of Eureka
5B
*Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

Visually Striking Film of the Year ** TIE

Midsommar
1917
The Lighthouse
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Unsung Film of the Year

*Booksmart
Her Smell
Gloria Bell
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Waves

Campy Flick of the Year 

*Cats
Greta
Knives Out
Ma
Serenity

TV Drama of the Year

Chernobyl
Euphoria
*Pose
Succession
Unbelievable

TV Comedy of the Year

*Fleabag
The Other Two 
PEN15
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek

TV Performance of the Year — Actor 

Bill Hader, Barry
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
*Billy Porter, Pose 
Jeremy Strong, Succession

TV Performance of the Year — Actress 

Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Mj Rodriguez, Pose
*Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

LGBTQ TV Show of the Year 

Euphoria
The Other Two
*Pose
Schitt’s Creek
Tales of the City 

Unsung TV Show of the Year

Gentleman Jack
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
*The Other Two
PEN15
Years and Years

TV Current Affairs Show of the Year

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee 
The Rachel Maddow Show
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
*Leaving Neverland  

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24th Sep2019

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Theatre)

by timbaros

Hunchback-Of-Notre-DameCovent Garden is now Paris in 1831. Well, it is for 150 minutes when St. Paul’s Church in the heart of Covent Garden plays, to great effect, Notre Dame cathedral in an excellent outdoor production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Victor Hugo’s classic tale of survival, injustice, and love is played out in the grounds of the church by the actors from Iris Theatre. They are an award-winning theatre company created in 2007 to produce site-specific work centred around it’s Covent Garden home, St. Paul’s Church.

A priest and a hunchback both fall for the mysterious and beautiful Esmerelda who solely longs to find her long-lost mother. When the unhappy pair try to take matters into their own hands they set off a chain of events that no one can control.

Revolution then sweeps over the city of Paris and the mob breaks against the walls of the cathedral. Will the hunchback find true love? Will the priest save his soul? And will it take the people of Paris to save Esmerelda?

Benjamin Polya’s adaptation is superb as the scenes move around the church courtyard and then brilliantly the most dramatic scenes of the play take place inside the church, perfect timing as the outdoors gets a bit chilly and the darkeness and smoke in the church adds great dramatic effect to the finale of the play.

This very affordable production is for the entire family.

The Hunchback Of Notre plays at the Iris Theatre until 1st September 2019, www.iristheatre.com

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16th Jun2019

A Private War (DVD)

by timbaros

Rosamund Pike as journalist Marie Colvin in 'A Private War' copyRosamund Pike is perfect as war journalist Marie Colvin in the new film ‘A Private War.’

Pike is just so good in this film, bringing Colvin to life on the big screen, that it’s quite a shock that she has not been nominated for any of the major acting awards for this film. Sure, Olivia Colman was very good as Anne, Queen of Britian in ‘The Favourite’ while Glenn Close was memorable in ‘The Wife,’ but Pike, in my opinion, had more of a challenging role playing a woman in a man’s industry. Colvin, who was an American war journalist, worked as a foreign affairs correspondent for the British newspaper The Sunday Times. She was always determined to get the story, whether her work took her to Syria, Iraq, or Libya (where she famously interviewed Muammar Gaddafi). Even after she lost her left eye in a blast in Sri Lanka she never gave up, and the black eye patch she wore distinguished her from all of the other war journalists.
First time feature film director Matthew Heineman brilliantly brings her story to the big screen, and Pike really nails it. Along with her photographer Paul Conroy (played by British heartthrob Jamie Dornan), we see Colvin trying to get the story, while leaving the safe confines of her homely Hammersmith terrace house for the dirty and dangerous battlegrounds and war fields of the middle east. We follow her, and Conroy, avoiding bullets and missiles, putting their lives at risk.
Based on the Vanity Fair article “Marie Colvin’s Private War,” this biographical film follows Colvin to her final assignment in Homs, Syria, where she was killed during a siege, at the age of 56. Pike is just simply amazing as Colvin. 
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23rd Apr2019

Queereteria (Theatre)

by timbaros

Andy Bell_Queereteria TV_ Credit PBGSTUDIOSAndy Bell, the man we all know from Erasure, has just released his third solo album called Queereteria, and in conjunction, and is in a new play of the same name at the Above the Stag Theatre.

Both the album and the play has Bell performing as his alter ego Torsten, who is a gender-fluid, semi-immortal who, having loved and lost many men during his unnatural long life, is left haunted by the memories of these men. This is the third album, and first time stage show, where Bell is Torsten. And luckily for us, the show incorporates songs from the album.
The album is structured around four acts, while the show has a first and second act, it’s a bit more experimental and at it’s focus is also another long lifer Lady Domina Bizarre (a wonderful, fun and campy Matthew Baldwin) where both of them, while obviously not really liking each other, trade barbs back and forth while they lament still alive not really knowing anyone around them. It’s a post armageddon television show where Torsten and Lady Domina are the world’s last surviving celebrities.
The album, and show, is also very reflective (perhaps matching Bell’s state of mind) where an older Torsten thinks about leaving his partying years behind (we are all getting old).

Queereteria TV is on from Wednesday 10 April at Above The Stag Theatre, Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, SE1. Tickets from abovethestag.com

Queereteria the album is out on Friday 12 April.

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09th Apr2018

Olivier Awards (Theatre)

by timbaros
IMG_5115The Olivier Award winners (London theatre) were announced tonight in a glittering ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton won seven Olivier Award wins, with Giles Terera picking up Best Actor in a Musical and Michael Jibson winning Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance as King George. Other awards were for Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, Best New Musical, Best Choreography and Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Laura Donnelly won for Best Actress in a musical for her performance as Caitlin Carney in The Ferryman at the Royal Court and in the West End, while the Best Supporting Actress award went to Denise Gough for Angels in America, which recently opened on Broadway and originally ran at the National Theatre.
Bryan Cranston won the award for Best Actor in the National Theatre’s production of Network. Best Supporting Actor was won by Bertie Carvel, who starred in James Graham’s Ink, which transferred into the West End after opening at the Almeida. Graham also won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for political play Labour of Love.
Jez Butterworth’s play The Ferryman picked up three awards, winning Best New Play and Best Director for Sam Mendes on top of Donnelly’s win for Best Actress.
Shirley Henderson and Sheila Atim both won awards for their performances in the new musical Girl from the North Country, which opened at the Old Vic last year before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre.
The National Theatre won five awards for its productions in total. On top of wins for Gough and Cranston, Vicki Mortimer won Best Costume Design for work on Follies, which also won Best Musical Revival, while Angels in America won Best Play Revival.
Tonight’s show host was Catherine Tate, and special guest presenters included Patti Lupone, Chita Rivera and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Here is the full list of Olivier Award winners

BEST NEW PLAY
The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST NEW COMEDY
Labour Of Love at Noël Coward Theatre
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite for The Royal Ballet at Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Francesca Velicu for her performance in English National Ballet’s production of Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre Du Printemps at Sadler’s Wells
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Dick Whittington at London Palladium
BEST COSTUME DESIGN 
Vicki Mortimer for Follies at National Theatre, Olivier
BEST SOUND DESIGN 
Nevin Steinberg for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Bertie Carvel for Ink at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Denise Gough for Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Killology at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, a co-production with Sherman Theatre Cardiff
BEST SET DESIGN 
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions for An American In Paris at Dominion Theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Howell Binkley for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTOR 
Bryan Cranston for Network at National Theatre – Lyttelton
BEST ACTRESS 
Laura Donnelly for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST DIRECTOR
Sam Mendes for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION 
Semiramide at Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona for their performances in Semiramide at Royal Opera House
BEST REVIVAL
Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC
Hamilton – composer-lyricist: Lin-Manuel Miranda; orchestrator: Alex Lacamoire at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER 
Andy Blankenbuehler for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Follies at National Theatre – Olivier
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Michael Jibson for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL 
Sheila Atim for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Shirley Henderson for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 
Giles Terera for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST NEW MUSICAL 
Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
IMG_5125.JPG
SPECIAL AWARD
David Lan
Photos by Oliver Popa and Tim Baros
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12th Feb2017

BAFTA Award Winners (Film)

by timbaros

la-la-land-2016-002-ryan-gosling-emma-stone-crossing-los-angeles-bridge‘La La Land’ sweeps up four prizes, while Ken Loach’s ‘I, Daniel Blake’ is named best British film.

Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’ was the big winner at the 2017 BAFTAs, scooping four awards, including best picture and best director. First screening to UK audiences at the BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express®, Chazelle’s exuberant musical also won best actress for Emma Stone and best original music.

Ken Loach’s powerful welfare state drama ‘I, Daniel Blake’, backed by the BFI Film Fund, was named the year’s outstanding British film, while Babak Anvari’s horror film ‘Under the Shadow’ won best British debut.

Other BAFTA-winning films that screened at the BFI London Film Festival include Best Actor for Casey Affleck for ‘Manchester by the Sea’, Dev Patel as Best Supporting Actor in ‘Lion,’ ’13th,’ ‘Son of Saul’ and ‘Arrival.’

Complete list of winners:

Best film

Winner: La La Land – Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc Platt

Arrival – Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron Ryder
I, Daniel Blake – Rebecca O’Brien
Manchester by the Sea – Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. Walsh
Moonlight – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

Director

Winner: La La Land – Damien Chazelle

Arrival – Denis Villeneuve
I, Daniel Blake – Ken Loach
Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
Nocturnal Animals – Tom Ford

Leading actress

Winner: Emma Stone – La La Land

Amy Adams – Arrival
Emily Blunt – The Girl on the Train
Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
Natalie Portman – Jackie

Leading actor

Winner: Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea

Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nocturnal Animals
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic

Supporting actor

Winner: Dev Patel – Lion

Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Nocturnal Animals
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Supporting actress

Winner: Viola Davis – Fences

Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Nicole Kidman – Lion

Outstanding British film

Winner: I, Daniel Blake – Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty

American Honey – Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van Hoy
Denial – Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, David Hare
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – David Yates, J.K. Rowling, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram
Notes on Blindness – Peter Middleton, James Spinney, Mike Brett, Jo-Jo Ellison, Steve Jamison
Under the Shadow – Babak Anvari, Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

Winner: Under the Shadow – Babak Anvari (Writer/Director), Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh (Producers)

The Girl with All the Gifts – Mike Carey (Writer), Camille Gatin (Producer)
The Hard Stop – George Amponsah (Writer/Director/Producer), Dionne Walker (Writer/Producer)
Notes on Blindness – Peter Middleton (Writer/Director/Producer), James Spinney (Writer/Director), Jo-Jo Ellison (Producer)
The Pass – John Donnelly (Writer), Ben A. Williams (Director)
Under the Shadow: the films that influenced this creepy Iranian horror
Original screenplay

Winner: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
I, Daniel Blake – Paul Laverty
La La Land – Damien Chazelle
Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Adapted screenplay

Winner: Lion – Luke Davies

Arrival – Eric Heisserer
Hacksaw Ridge – Robert Schenkkan, Andrew Knight
Hidden Figures – Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder
Nocturnal Animals – Tom Ford

Film not in the English language

Winner: Son of Saul – László Nemes, Gábor Sipos

Dheepan – Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
Julieta – Pedro Almodóvar
Mustang – Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Charles Gillibert
Toni Erdmann – Maren Ade, Janine Jackowski
Documentary

Winner: 13th – Ava Duvernay

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years – Ron Howard
The Eagle Huntress – Otto Bell, Stacey Reiss
Notes on Blindness – Peter Middleton, James Spinney
Weiner – Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg
Animated film

Winner: Kubo and the Two Strings – Travis Knight

Finding Dory – Andrew Stanton
Moana – Ron Clements, John Musker
Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Original music

Winner: La La Land – Justin Hurwitz

Arrival – Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jackie – Mica Levi
Lion – Dustin O’halloran, Hauschka
Nocturnal Animals – Abel Korzeniowski

Cinematography

Winner: La La Land – Linus Sandgren

Arrival – Bradford Young
Hell or High Water – Giles Nuttgens
Lion – Greig Fraser
Nocturnal Animals – Seamus Mcgarvey

Editing

Winner: Hacksaw Ridge – John Gilbert

Arrival – Joe Walker
La La Land – Tom Cross
Manchester by the Sea – Jennifer Lame
Nocturnal Animals – Joan Sobel

Production design

Winner: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock

Doctor Strange – John Bush, Charles Wood
Hail, Caesar! – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
La La Land – Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, David Wasco
Nocturnal Animals – Shane Valentino, Meg Everist

Costume design

Winner: Jackie – Madeline Fontaine

Allied – Joanna Johnston
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Colleen Atwood
Florence Foster Jenkins – Consolata Boyle
La La Land – Mary Zophres

 

Makeup & hair

Winner: Florence Foster Jenkins – J. Roy Helland, Daniel Phillips

Doctor Strange – Jeremy Woodhead
Hacksaw Ridge – Shane Thomas
Nocturnal Animals – Donald Mowat, Yolanda Toussieng
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Nominees TBC

Sound

Winner: Arrival – Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Sylvain Bellemare

Deepwater Horizon – Mike Prestwood Smith, Dror Mohar, Wylie Stateman, David Wyman
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Niv Adiri, Glenn Freemantle, Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Ian Tapp
Hacksaw Ridge – Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright
La La Land – Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Ai-Ling Lee, Steve A. Morrow, Andy Nelson
Special visual effects

Winner: The Jungle Book – Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez

Arrival – Louis Morin
Doctor Strange – Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, David Watkins
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, Mohen Leo, John Knoll, Nigel Sumner

British short animation

Winner: A Love Story – Khaled Gad, Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara, Elena Ruscombe-King

The Alan Dimension – Jac Clinch, Jonathan Harbottle, Millie Marsh
Tough – Jennifer Zheng

British short film

Winner: Home – Shpat Deda, Afolabi Kuti, Daniel Mulloy, Scott O’Donnell

Consumed – Richard John Seymour
Mouth of Hell – Bart Gavigan, Samir Mehanovic, Ailie Smith, Michael Wilson
The Party – Farah Abushwesha, Emmet Fleming, Andrea Harkin, Conor Macneill
Standby – Charlotte Regan, Jack Hannon

EE Rising Star Award (Voted for by the public)

Winner: Tom Holland

Anya Taylor-Joy
Laia Costa
Lucas Hedges
Ruth Negga

Outstanding contribution to British film

Curzon

BAFTA Fellowship

Mel Brooks

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21st Apr2016

The Entertainment Website Readers Choice Best in Film

by timbaros

Better late than never, the winners of The Entertainment Website Readers Choice Best in Film 2015 have been revealed and it’s no surprise that some of the winners were also winners at the Oscars, BAFTA’s and Golden Globes.
images-424The Revenant was your Best Film of last year. It ecked out a win in this category, with Carol, Tangerine and 45 years not far behind. Shockingly, The Revenant lost out the Best Picture Oscar to Spotlight.

Leonardo DiCaprio was the overwhelming choice for Best Actor – taking 40% of the vote in this category – for his performance in The Revenant (which won him every acting award!). Tom Hanks for Bridge of Spies and Michael Fassbender for his performance as Steve Jobs were second and third, respectively.

images-425Brie Larson was chosen as your favorite performance by an Actress. The Room star, who also won the Oscar, barely won this category.  Cate Blanchett for Carol, Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years and Carey Mulligan for Suffragette were not too far behind.

 

Sylvester Stallone was your overwhelming favorite for  best performance by a Supporting Actor for his comeback role in Creed. Tom Hardy for the Revenant and Benicio Del Toro for Sicario were far behind in the voting.

Charlize Theron won Supporting Actress by the largest lead of all the acting categories – 60%. She won for her role in Mad Max: Fury Road. Alicia Vikander for Ex Machina and Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs were far behind.

Your choice for Best Director was Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu for The Revenant. He won with 100% of the vote, no other director received a vote.

There was a three-way tie for Best Animated Film – Inside Out, Maya the Bee and Raise the Flag. It’s a write-in category so each one received the same number of write-in votes.

Thanks to you, the readers, for taking the time to vote. We can’t wait to see your choices for next year!

 

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07th Mar2016

The Entertainment Website Readers Choice Best in Film Awards

by timbaros

Orange British Academy Film Awards 2010 - Red Carpet ArrivalsIt’s time to have your say in what you think were the best film and best film performances of 2015. The Entertainment Website has compiled it’s nominations list and ‘Bridge of Spies’ and ‘The Revenant’ are tied with 5 nominations each. There are 14 films up for the Favorite Film Award including the low budget transexual film ‘Tangerine’ and the beautifully filmed ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Son of Saul.’ ‘Spotlight,’ the film that just last week won Best Picture at the Oscars, is not among the 14 films nominated for Best Picture as we feel it’s not one of the best films from last year!

Tom Hardy has received three acting nominations! One for Best Actor for ‘Legend’ and he’s competing with himself for Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Revenant’ and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’ Michael Fassbender is competing with himself for Best Actor for ‘Steve Jobs’ and ‘Macbeth.’ Jacob Tremblay, who was strangely overlooked by the other film awards, has received a Best Actor nomination for his role in the highly dramatic ‘Room.’

The two lead actresses from ‘Tangerine,’ – Kitani Kiki Rodriquez and Mya Taylor – both received a Best Actress nomination, along with 11 other actresses, including Lily Tomlin for ‘Grandma.’ Alicia Vikander is nominated in both the Best Actress (‘The Danish Girl’) and Best Supporting Actress (‘Ex Machina’) categories.

Other surprises? ‘The Lobster’ and ‘Suffragette,’ both overlooked by the other film awards, received nominations. And Will Smith received a Best Actor nomination for ‘Concussion.’

Voting in The Entertainment Website Readers Choice Best in Film Awards ends on Sunday April 3rd. So please vote now and tell all your film-goer friends to vote as well! Thanks!

Vote here:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Y3K7ZZH

 

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07th Dec2015

The Blues Brothers Christmas Special (Theatre)

by timbaros

Blues Brothers Arts TheatreThe blues are back in town in the form of ‘The Blues Brothers Christmas Special’ at the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden.

It’s a night of rowdy and eclectic music as David Christopher-Brown and Joshua Mumby star as The Blue Brothers. Brown is electric and all over the stage as ‘Joliet’ Jake Blues – he’s practically a dead ringer for a role that was made famous by the late and great John Belushi, and he nails it when he sings the Randy Newman-penned ‘Guilty.’ But he’s really on fire when dressed as a bee for ‘I’m a King Bee.’ Mumby’s time to shine, in the role of Dan Aykroyd, is when he sings the tune ‘Rubber Biscuit.’ It’s a mesmerizing tune done with skill needed to sing a relentless strings of words with a deep voice in one big mush up, and Mumby does it brilliantly. Google the song on You Tube and you will see how hard it is to pull off. And together, as The Blue Brothers, Brown and Mumby plow their way through classic songs such as ‘Gimme Some Lovin,’ ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ and the song The Blues Brothers are most identified with – ‘Soul Man.’

But it’s not just The Blues Brothers who are part of the show. We are treated to the energetic Simon Ray-Harvey in his triplet role as Ray Charles, James Brown and Cab Colloway, singing ‘Minnie the Moocher.’ His performances are nicely intertwined with The Brothers performances. If that was not enough, T’Shan Williams brings the requisite female vocals in her dual roles as part of the backing up Stax Sisters (which also includes Hannah Kee and Sasi Strallen) and in her solo performance as Aretha Franklin singing ‘Respect.’ She’s got the lungs and the voice to overpower everyone in show, including her fellow Sisters, who can’t quite match her in the singing department but are able enough.

The Blues Brothers Show was created back in 2009 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with Brown and Mumby as it’s leads since then. It’s a show that has been approved by Judy Belushi (John’s wife) and Dan Aykroyd, and according to the press notes, none of the productions are the same as the previous ones. New songs, choreography, direction, and design are constantly changed with each production to keep the spirit alive and fresh. In this reincarnation, directed by Mumby, it’s a show full of energy and music. And without an interval, we are treated to 90 minutes of songs that doesn’t for a moment get dull. There’s so much energy on stage in these 90 minutes that it might leave you exhausted by the end. The show doesn’t have a story to tell, just like similar successful jukebox musicals (Let it Be, Sunny Afternoon and We Will Rock You), but it’s success lies in the musical performances of the leads in recreating the sounds and look of the singers they are performing as. It’s a show that, while it won’t be winning any prizes, will lift your spirits up and get you dancing in the aisles, at the insistence of The Brothers themselves.

To book tickets for The Blues Brothers Christmas Special, which is playing until Sunday, January 10th, please click here:
https://artstheatrewestend.co.uk

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