Blu-ray: De Niro & De Palma - The Early Films

★★★ DE NIRO & DE PALMA - THE EARLY YEARS Sometimes intriguing pre-fame work of two Hollywood giants

Sometimes intriguing pre-fame 1960s work of two Hollywood giants

If we think of Robert De Niro and Brian De Palma, we likely think of The Untouchables from 1987 with the great actor in his career pomp, chewing up the scenery in a memorable cameo as Al Capone. However, the pair had history.

Blu-ray: Daisies

★★★★ BLU-RAY: DAISIES Vera Chytilová’s surrealist gem from 1960s Czechoslovakia

Surrealist gem from 1960s Czechoslovakia

Věra Chytilová’s 1966 film Daisies almost defies description, though what initially seems like 75 minutes of plot-free silliness does coalesce into something bordering on the coherent. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, to quote Seinfeld. Daisies is what it is, and approaching it with open eyes is a whole lot of fun.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Whitechapel Gallery review – when is a door not a door ?

★★★★ ELMGREEN & DRAGSET, WHITECHAPEL GALLERY Reality games in real time and space

Reality games played by this artist duo in real time and space

A whiff of chlorine hits you as you open the door of the Whitechapel Gallery. Its the smell of public baths, and inside is a derelict swimming pool with nothing in it but dead leaves and piles of brick dust. Damp walls, peeling paint and cracked tiles make this a sorry sight. The door to the changing rooms has been sealed shut and some joker has sawn through the wall bars. 

Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, V&A review - appearances aren't everything

★★★ FRIDA KAHLO, V&A Sumptuous exhibition prioritises image over artist

Sumptuous exhibition prioritises image over artist

When in 2004 Frida Kahlo’s bedroom  sealed on the command of her husband Diego Rivera for 50 years from her death  was opened, a trove of clothes and personal items was discovered.

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Brighton Festival review - a dynamic dedication to an artist's muse

★★★★ THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK, BRIGHTON FESTIVAL Kaleidoscope of colour, sound

and the perfect love story

They say that behind every successful man is a strong woman. The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is as much – if not more so – the championing of the unsung hero in this story of the famous early modernist artist, Marc Chagall. His wife, Bella – early muse, sharer of world views and buckets of milk and mother of their daughter Ida, is paid tribute to, for her devotion and dedication to her husband's art.

DVD: Every Picture Tells a Story

★★★★ DVD: EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY The art films of James Scott: a very mixed anthology, dating from 1966 to 1983

The art films of James Scott: a very mixed anthology, dating from 1966 to 1983

James Scott’s filmography is wide-ranging, including the 1982 short film A Shocking Accident, based on the Graham Greene story, which won an Academy Award the following year, and other works on social questions.