Cannes 2019: Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood review - sun-soaked black comedy

★★★★★ CANNES 2019: ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD Sun-soaked black comedy

25 years after Pulp Fiction's Cannes premiere, Tarantino wrestles with one of Hollywood's most notorious moments

Moments before Quentin Tarantino’s blistering, outrageous work screened at Cannes, a message was delivered on behalf of the director, asking reviewers to avoid spoilers. It’s easy to see why. There’s a lot of pleasure in the film’s initial shock value, So yes, let’s avoid spoilers. But the surprises aren’t what make this film so good. Tarantino has form when it comes to handling ensemble pieces, but not since Pulp Fiction has it been so richly rendered.

ANNA, National Theatre review - great thriller, shame about the tone

★★★ ANNA, NATIONAL THEATRE Great thriller, shame about the tone

Intriguing Cold War thriller is thoroughly immersive, but lacks a convincing sense of history

Stasiland is a fascinating mental space. As a historical location, the former East Germany, or GDR, is the archetypal surveillance state, in which each citizen spies on each other citizen, even if they are intellectual dissidents. The Communist state acts like Big Brother, keeping tabs on everyone. This was memorably invoked by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in his 2006 film debut, The Lives of Others.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Manfred Mann, The Searchers, The Yardbirds

REISSUE CDS WEEKLY Manfred Mann, The Searchers, The Yardbirds

Three of Britain’s greatest Sixties bands are overhauled - yet again

Repackaging and resuscitating the catalogues of endlessly reissued bands is fraught. By their nature, completists already have everything and the casually interested are not fussed by alternate versions of obscure tracks or disinterred lo-fi live recordings. It’s challenging to freshen up or put new spins on predominantly familiar material by endlessly reissued bands. Preaching to the converted is frequently the best which can be hoped for.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Bill Evans - Evans in England

Fan-friendly collection of previously unissued 1969 live recordings

The Bill Evans Trio played London’s Ronnie Scott’s from 1 to 27 December 1969 as a co-billing with Blossom Dearie. The season would have remained less than a footnote if it were not for a French fan identified only as ”Jo” in Evans in England’s booklet. He took an Uher reel-to-reel tape recorder into the club and placed it under the stage-side table he and a friend occupied.

Blu-ray: Ikarie XB 1

★★★★★ BLU-RAY: IKARIE XB 1 1960s Czech space opera impressively restored

Impressive restoration of a cerebral 1960s Czech space opera

This Blu-ray reissue brings sci-fi masterpiece Ikarie XB 1 back to its original visual glory, with the 1963 film presented here in the 4K restoration first shown at the Cannes festival in 2016 (distributor Second Run had previously released an earlier restoration on DVD in 2013).

Sweet Charity, Donmar Warehouse review - Sixties style over substance

★★★ SWEET CHARITY, DONMAR WAREHOUSE Design dominates in Josie Rourke's farewell production

Design dominates in Josie Rourke's farewell production

For her swansong, departing Donmar Artistic Director Josie Rourke goes Swinging Sixties in this stylish but flawed revival of the Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields and Neil Simon musical.

Terry Riley & Gyan Riley, The Old Market, Hove review - gently pleasing evening of improvisation

Familial pairing slowly move from avant-jazz to somewhere further out

“I don’t know if I’m going to recognise any of it,” I say to my accomplice as we drain a couple of light ales amid the sea of grey beards in The Old Market’s bar. “I don’t think they’ll play the hits,” he replies, deadpan, “but don’t worry, there should be some onstage banter that’ll give you a couple of the titles.”

Mary Quant, Victoria & Albert Museum review - quantities of Quant

★★★ MARY QUANT, V&A The triumph of commerce over snobbery

The triumph of commerce over snobbery

Mary Quant first made her name in 1955 with the wildly fashionable King’s Road boutique Bazaar. Initially selling a “bouillabaisse” of stock it was not until a pair of pyjamas she made was bought by an American who said he’d copy and mass produce them that Quant began dedicating herself to her own designs. Fittingly then, the V&A’s exhibition is not so much about the clothes as the attitude  commerce topped Quant’s priorities, fashion was the means.