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.

Alice, A Virtual Theme Park review – down the technological rabbit hole

★★★ ALICE, A VIRTUAL THEME PARK Bonkers Zoom production is ideal for kids

Bonkers Zoom production is ideal for kids, but leaves adults wanting more

I have a confession to make: I don’t like Alice in Wonderland. I know, I know, a lot of people disagree. I do appreciate its place in the cultural pantheon – I just find all the caterpillars and tea parties and pointless riddles really, really dull. So it’s hard to be sure if it was the subject matter of Alice, A Virtual Theme Park that left me a little chilly, or its form.

Come As You Are review - a road trip with a difference

★★★★ COME AS YOU ARE Comedy about sex and disability is full of heart and laughs

Comedy about sex and disability is full of heart and laughs

At a point in the early noughties, every third film was a teen comedy about a road trip to lose one's virginity. It’s a genre most were glad to see the back of. What a pleasant surprise Come As You Are is then, which brings much needed heart and relevancy to this tired trope.

Blueprint Medea, Finborough Theatre online review – well-meaning but clunky update

★★★ BLUE PRINT MEDEA, FINBOROUGH THEATRE Well-meaning but clunky

Updated Greek tragedy has some good ideas but doesn't fully deliver

Medea is the original crazy ex-girlfriend: the wronged woman who takes perfectly understandable revenge on the man who made her life hell. In Blueprint Medea, a new adaptation premiered at the Finborough Theatre in May 2019 and available on YouTube until 2nd August, writer-director Julia Pascal gives us a 21st-century reworking of Euripides’ tragedy.