The Great Gatsby, Immersive London review – a warm and electric tribute to the book

★★★ THE GREAT GATSBY, IMMERSIVE LONDON Warm, electric tribute to the book

It's a true achievement to feel the chemistry of a cast whirring into action again

The Prohibition-era setting of The Great Gatsby brings an appropriately illicit feel to this bold decision to stage an immersive theatre event in the age of Covid.

Brave New World, Sky 1 review - Aldous Huxley's novel doesn't look very happy on TV

★★ BRAVE NEW WORLD, SKY 1 - Aldous Huxley's novel doesn't look very happy on TV

Lame adaptation enlivened by gratuitous slaughter

Famous dystopian novels are reliably popular with TV adapters, so it’s strange that this is the first time Aldous Huxley’s treatise on a society controlled by technology and psychological manipulation has been turned into a TV series. Of course, these days you need a pretty good fictional dystopia to surpass the one already running amok outside your window.

The Best Films Out Now

THE BEST FILMS OUT NOW theartsdesk recommends the top movies of the moment

theartsdesk recommends the top movies of the moment

There are films to meet every taste in theartsdesk's guide to the best movies currently on release. In our considered opinion, any of the titles below is well worth your attention.

Enola Holmes ★★★★ Millie Bobby Brown gives the patriarchy what-for in a new Sherlock-related franchise

Enola Holmes review – a new Sherlock-related franchise is afoot

★★★★ ENOLA HOLMES A new Sherlock-related franchise is afoot

Millie Bobby Brown gives the patriarchy what-for in a charming young adult adventure

Its no secret that Arthur Conan Doyles most famous creation lays claim to more appearances on screen than any other fictional character. Over the past several decades, weve seen Sherlock as a pugilist action-hero, a modern-day sleuth, and in a painfully unfunny slapstick guise.

The Devil All The Time review – a test of faith in a Southern Gothic tradition

★★★★ THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME  A test of faith in a Southern Gothic tradition

Anthony’s Campos’ blood-drenched period tale based on Donald Ray Pollak’s novel

Theres no denying the Faulknerian ambition to the construction of Anthony Camposlatest feature Devil All the Time. Its a brooding, blood-soaked Semi-Southern Gothic drama spanning two generations through a plot that wrestles with the nature of good and evil like Jacob at Penuel.

The Singapore Grip, ITV review - colonial clichés

★ THE SINGAPORE GRIP, ITV Christopher Hampton’s lacklustre JG Farrell adaptation

Christopher Hampton’s lacklustre adaptation of JG Farrell fails to develop characters beyond caricature

ITV’s Sunday evening costume drama slot is filled for the next six weeks with this lacklustre adaptation of JG Farrell’s satirical novel, The Singapore Grip. Set in 1942, it was written in 1978 as the final part of his trilogy about British colonialism in Ireland, India and the Far East.

'I loved being a dresser': Sir Ronald Harwood, Oscar-winning writer, dies at 85

SIR RONALD HARWOOD DIES AT 85 'I loved being a dresser'

A memorial interview with the playwright and scriptwriter who enjoyed a remarkable Indian summer

Ronald Harwood, who has died at the age of 85, was best known for his play about tending to the needs of the larger-than-life actor-manager Donald Wolfit. The Dresser, adapted by Harwood, went on to become a great film success starring Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney.

Mulan review - Niki Caro's live action take on the '98 classic underwhelms

★★★ MULAN Niki Caro's live action take on the '98 classic underwhelms

Disney's latest live-action classic works out some kinks but loses the magic

Whilst New Mutants slips surreptitiously into cinemas, Disney’s live-action spin on Mulan arrives with more fanfare on their streaming platform, even if it does come with a price-tag of nearly £20.

New Mutants review - superheroes and the supernatural collide

★★ NEW MUTANTS Superheroes and the supernatural collide in delayed X-Men spin-off

The much delayed X-Men spin-off from Josh Boone finally hits cinemas with lacklustre results

It hasn’t been an easy ride for Josh Boone’s New Mutants. Delayed production, reshoots, the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney, Covid-19, and accusations of whitewashing, have all contributed to it being dubbed a ‘cursed’ film.

Sleepless, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre review - love from afar in this amiable musical

★★★ SLEEPLESS, TROUBADOUR WEMBLEY PARK THEATRE Love from afar

A standard screen-to-stage transfer, but hugely welcome post-lockdown

Originally due to premiere back in March, Sleepless – a musical version of the winning 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle – now acts as a test case for the return of fully staged but socially distanced indoor theatre, AKA Stage 4 of the Government’s “roadmap”.