Critical Week: It's an emergency!

Well, I'm back in London after a couple of weeks visiting friends and family in Southern California. Of course, I also caught a few films out there. There were press screenings for two movies that open this week: Stop! That! Train! is a silly disaster movie satire with RuPaul Charles and a bevy of drag queens (including Ginger Minj and Jujubee, above) on a runaway train through a stormagaza. It's profoundly ridiculous, and fairly hilarious. Steven Spielberg is back in the alien business with Disclosure Day, a riveting thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo. It's expertly assembled in a way that's hugely entertaining, and also thought-provoking.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Disclosure Day
Pink Narcissus
ALL REVIEWS >

There was also a screening of The Invite, a pungent, play-like drama featuring just four characters superbly well-played by Olivia Wilde (who also directs), Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. And Boorman and the Devil is a fascinating multi-layered documentary exploring John Boorman's biggest bomb, Exorcist II The Heretic (1977). Back in London, there was the fiercely original Mexican stop-motion animated fantasy I Am Frankelda, the slickly made Norwegian underwater monster movie Kraken, and the uneven but provocative indie dramatic horror thriller Red Lights. 

While in California, I took my parents to see Project Hail Mary on the big screen, as I wanted to see it again, and loved it just as much as the first time. We also caught up with Rob Reiner's And So It Goes (2014). a scrappy and warmly likeable romcom starring Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas, and The Union (2024), a dopey but likeable action comedy with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg. It was a special treat to attend a retro British concert at the Hollywood Bowl featuring 1980s icons The Human League, Soft Cell and Alison Moyet (see below). On the flight back to London, I finally watched last year's amusingly nutty reboot of Anaconda, starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton and some big cameos, as well as the expansive two-part doc Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, which I enjoyed a lot.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Pixar's Toy Story 5, Joan Collins in A Murder Between Friends, British comedy Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, British drama Ish, US drama Blue Film and global doc Super Nature. And the 34th Raindance Film Fest kicks off on Wednesday.

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Stage: Cheeky deities

Return of the Godz
by Head First Acrobats
performers Callan Harris, Liam Dummer, Thomas Gorham, AJ Saltalamacchia, Mat Piva
costumes Chelsea Angell, Bryn Meredith
Peacock Theatre, London • 10-20.Jun.26 ★★★★

Australia's Head First Acrobats brings an updated version of their audience-favourite show back to Peacock. And the five performers are having so much fun that they infect the audience with their cheeky charm. These men are seriously gifted at feats of strength and balance, but they're also relentlessly silly, sexy and a lot of fun.

A loose story establishes them as the family of Zeus, who in voiceover insists that they behave. But they enjoy playing far too much, led by the charismatic Hercules (Callan Harris) and egged on by Cupid (Liam Dummer), Apollo (Thomas Gorham), Dionysus (AJ Saltalamacchia) and Hermes (Mat Piva). They kick things off with a series of remarkably slow, controlled movements with impressive hand and head stands that are peppered with amusing moments.

Indeed, witty touches are everywhere, including continual asides to the audience in the form of poses and grins. Their personalities spark on-stage, creating strong characters that add a kick to their physical prowess. There's ladder balancing, flaming batons, knife throwing, a tower of chairs, flips and tumbles, extreme aerial work and some outrageous juggling. In between is plenty of goofy schtick, including a bit of audience participation and some flashy choreography. 

Just after the interval, they get up to a series of outrageous manoeuvres completely naked. The challenge is to protect their dignity while striking Greek statue poses, with plenty of distractions from their colleagues. So while the narrative spirals wildly out of control, there's a nonstop series of entertaining acrobatics that often take the breath away with sheer skill and audacity.

Thankfully, the stag remains relatively simple, with accompanying snappy pop tunes from Need You Tonight to Filthy Gorgeous. The resulting atmosphere echoes a freewheeling circus, offering moments that feel improvised as these guys continually poke fun at each other. This also allows the focus to remain balanced between their impressive physicality and their sparky flirtation. 

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Beck Stone, Jacinta Oaten • 10.Jun.26

Screen: June TV Roundup

There have been some outstanding television programmes over the past couple of months, including a few that are likely to dominate the awards discussion over the next year. Yes, they were amid my nominations for this year's Dorian Awards (Golden Globes voting uses a different calendar). in this roundup, I'll start here with three new shows, then three final seasons and finally four returnees...

Half Man
From Baby Reindeer writer Richard Gadd, this is a staggeringly bold drama about the push and pull between two stepbrothers from Glasgow. Niall and Ruben are expertly played by Jamie Bell and Gadd himself, with star-making turns by Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell as teens. But it's the unflinching nature of the writing that makes this show essential, taking a riveting look through at connection, masculinity and identity with mind-bogglingly layered situations. It's violent and harsh, but there's a real sense of affection woven into the badly strained nastiness. And this is a rare case in which editing the story out of sequence actually adds a proper kick, forcing us to pay attention. (BBC)

Big Mistakes
Created by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, this bonkers crime comedy centres around Levy's Pastor Nicky and his agent-of-chaos sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), who gets them entangled with a mobster (Mark Ivanir). As things escalate, the plot feels increasingly silly, but it remains watchable simply because the cast is so strong. The ace card here is Laurie Metcalf as the siblings' mother, so self-absorbed with running for mayor that she hasn't a clue what's going on with them. The story has a freewheeling structure that easily carries us along through eight half-hour episodes. And these people are just about the right kind of ridiculous to make us want to see more of them. (Netflix)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Bold and full of intensely outrageous moments, this comedy centres around a family that has serious impulse control issues, but the deep and very messy love they have for each other is riveting to watch. Powerhouse performances bring these people to life, including Elle Fanning in the title role as a single mother who finds an inventive way to make ends meet, Michelle Pfeiffer as her spiky mother and Nick Offerman as her ex-wrestler, ex-addict dad. Plus extraordinary turns from Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano and especially Nicole Kidman. There's nothing simple about this show, but it's funny and bracingly honest about things most television programmes are terrified to touch. (Apple)

T H I S   I S   T H E   E N D

Hacks: series 5
With a steady stream of starry cameos, this comedy charges confidently through to its big finale with another series of episodes that mix snappy humour, entitled attitudes and warm emotion. Of course the entire show has been about the relationship between jaded veteran standup comic Deborah (the great Jean Smart) and her cynical young writing partner Ava (Hannah Einbinder), so it's nice that the storylines honed in on their interaction. Meanwhile, there was plenty of nuttiness from their agents (Paul Downs and Megan Stalter) and a flurry of side characters from throughout the seasons. It's so much fun we don't mind too much that the various plotlines all feel rather undercooked. (HBO)

Euphoria: series 3
Jumping ahead a few years, this season shifts from a teens-messing-around-with-drugs drama into intense crime thriller with young people trying to survive against very steep odds. Anchored around the seriously gifted Zendaya, who gives Rue a wonderfully textured soul, the show feels like it is pinging from one tragedy to the next, and it becomes clear that no one is going to escape writer-director Sam Levinson unscathed. Plot turns are astonishingly harsh, the violence is darkly haunting and the seediness is sometimes overpowering. But the actors are all on fire, especially Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Colman Domingo, Maude Apatow, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Alexa Demie (HBO) 

The Boys: series 5
Barging into its full-on final season, this raucously violent show sets up that long-anticipated final confrontation between Karl Urban's scabrous antihero Billy and Antony Star's supervillain Homelander. The true protagonist Hughie (Jack Quaid) also gets a personal arc with conflicted goodie Starlight (Erin Moriarty). And side characters have their own kicks, including favourites Frenchie and Kimiko (Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara), plus Jensen Ackles and Cameron Crovetti as Homelander's father and son, respectively. It's all as deliberately ugly and abrasive as always. Even with various requisite over-grisly endings, this is an astute, timely look at the true nature of power and heroism. (Prime)

B A C K   F O R   M O R E

The Four Seasons: series 2
Breezing through another eight episodes, this outrageously watchable show catches up with three couples over another year of joint holidays. This is pure joy distilled into a TV series. The dynamics both within and between the couples have shifted, largely due to Ginny's (Erika Henningsen) impending motherhood and Anne's (Kerri Kenney) lingering bitterness. And both Kate/Jack (Tina Fey/Will Forte) and Danny/Claude (Colman Domingo/Marco Calvani) have their own relationship issues. The first-rate cast excels at this engaging, fresh mix of comedy and drama. Notable flourishes include a flashback episode with Steve Carell, plus a trip to Italy that beautifully redefines Claude. (Netflix)

The Comeback: series 3
Lisa Kudrow's inventive comedy returns, following on from its 2005 and 2015 runs. It's also tackling another bracingly current industry issue, while catching up on the next chapter in the life of Kudrow's astonishingly nuanced alter-ego Valerie Cherish. This time, her manager (Dan Bucatinsky) lands her the lead role in a sitcom that's written by AI, creating mixed emotions: the cast and crew have jobs, but writers don't. Using dry humour, the topical discussion is cleverly woven into the fabric of the show, so it's more provocative and less flashy than, say, The Studio. And the ensemble is simply wonderful, in both new and returning roles. Andrew Scott is particularly strong as a slippery studio head. (HBO)

Scrubs: series 10
The hospital sitcom is back, after its nine-season run from 2001 to 2010, with its distinctive mix of fast-talking wit and heartwarming sentiment. Returning cast members Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison and Judy Reyes are joined by Joel Kim Booster as a nemesis doctor and most enjoyably Vanessa Bayer as a hapless HR officer. And it works well because it shifts the leading characters from rookies into the veterans, now in charge of a new group of ridiculous but of course brilliant interns. What makes this entertaining is the lively writing, with rapid-fire banter, extended sight gags and rather a lot of very silly jokes that poke fun at things like masculinity and political correctness. (ABC)

Alpha Males [Machos Alfa]: series 5
Increasingly tangled in knots, this Spanish comedy continues to put its characters through the wringer as they attempt to grapple with the interplay between gender and society. At this point, the four men are on their own, planning a patriarchal commune away from women. But of course they are quietly breaking their own rules. Meanwhile, their exes are having their own journey, trying to build strong female lives while also continually blurring the lines. The actors are a bit more grounded this time around, which makes the rapid-fire storytelling feel marginally less inane. But the way it pings around between the various story threads is still rather exhausting. (Netflix)

GUILTY PLEASURES: Britain's Got Talent, The Traitors US, Race Across the World, Drag Race (UK vs the World 3, All Stars 11).

NOW WATCHING: Spider-Noir, Good Omens 3, Man on Fire, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Widow's Bay.

COMING SOON: The Bear 5, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4, Sugar 2, The Vampire Lestat, Zorro, Heartstopper Forever.

Previous roundup: APRIL 2026 > 

On the Road: Take a ride

I'm out in Southern California once again, catching up with friends and family for a couple of weeks, so my film-watching schedule will be greatly reduced. I hope to see a few things while I'm out here, both press screenings and regular cinema outings, but I also want to enjoy the sunny weather, beachy Orange County vibes and of course fish tacos. Before leaving London I managed to see the new Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu twice - first at a crew screening with a friend who works in special effects, and then at an Imax press screening. It's a lot of fun, but feels oddly slight for the franchise, especially the undercooked dialog. 

On the flight, I only watched one movie, the hilariously ridiculous Downton spoof Fackham Hall, which I had missed when it came out in cinemas. Perfectly mindless airplane entertainment. Then I found the latest series of The Traitors US, and watched three and a half episodes from London to Denver and then one and a half from Denver to Orange County. Need to find the rest of the season now.

While I'm here there are a few films opening that I hope to catch, including Brendan Fraser in Pressure. And I wouldn't mind seeing the new Scary Movie and Masters of the Universe. I have one press screening in the diary, for Olivia Wilde's The Invite with Seth Rogen and Penelope Cruz. And I'm chasing press screenings for both the new Spielberg film Disclosure Day and the drag action comedy Stop! That! Train! Whatever I see, I'll update things here...

Dance: Rage against the machine

Remachine
choreography Jefta van Dinther
creators/performers Brittanie Brown, Gyung Moo Kim, Leah Marojeviç, Manon Parent, Roger Sala Reyner, Sarah Stanley
music David Kiers with Anna von Hausswolff
lighting Jonatan Winbo • costumes Cristina Nyffeler
dramaturgy Gabriel Smeets, Maja Zimmermann
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 14-16.May.26 ★★★

For Remachine, Berlin-based Swedish-Dutch dancer and choreographer Jefta van Dinther takes on the issue of how humans interact with an increasingly mechanised environment. It's a very big topic, but this 65-minute show is packed with dazzling moments that capture a proper sense of determination and tension, impressively performed by a cast of six dancers who also sing the gorgeous harmonies. Repetition makes the piece sometimes feel slow, and the thematic approach is a little on-the-nose. But its visceral power is thrilling.

The stage is filled with an enormous disc, with six performers sitting on the edge as it rotates. They sing about feeling restless and old, enjoying simple pleasures as they face life's challenges. And they begin to move, resisting the stage's movement, making connections with each other or seeking stability on the ever-turning floor. Lyrical songs and choreography provide imagery that echoes work, rituals and camaraderie, as well as individuality, rebellion and tenacity. 

Without a standout character, each dancer creates a specific personality that feeds into their interaction. The performers must continually contend with this spinning floor, sometimes working skilfully to maintain their position and at other times letting it drag them in circles. This physicality is seriously demanding, not least in the way all of the movements are made in focussed slow motion, even in moments when the group becomes synchronised. And their vocalisations are also challenging, soaring through the haunting songs.

Lighting is subtle, inventively glowing in specific spaces. In one striking sequence, the only illumination comes from under the rim of the turning disc. And the rotation is variable, speeding up or slowing down, but always inescapable. At one point, the disc briefly comes to a halt when all of the performers are standing on the stage behind it, and they are of course tempted to get back on board. Costumes are eye-catching, post-apocalyptic chic with loose-fitting textures and oversized trainers. 

As we watch, ideas about how we grapple with our always-spinning world worm their way into our subconscious, evoking thoughts and feelings about what it means to be human amongst so much technology. Yes, some of the imagery is a bit obvious, and many segments continue long after the concept has been clearly conveyed. But even this resonates in a steely way, leading to a yearning closing refrain that reverberates through the room after the lights fade: "Will we fall where we fall? Will we fall?"

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Jubal Battisti • 14.May.26

Critical Week: Take the call

Once again, I am avoiding the chaos of the Cannes Film Festival and enjoying the much lighter screening schedule in London these days. I know I'll catch up with the best from Cannes over the coming months. And I'm abandoning London myself next week until early June. Back to the movies, we had a lively themed screening of rising-star filmmaker Curry Barker's horror thriller Obsession. It's an unusually engaging scary movie, funny and moving. And hugely unnerving too.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Orphan • Diamonds • Obsession
High Tide • The Christophers
The Wizard of the Kremlin
ALL REVIEWS >

There were also several starrier movies to watch. The comedy-drama Miss You Love You is essentially an extended conversation between Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells. But they are so good that it's riveting, beautifully written and directed by Jim Rash. Sally Field and Lewis Pullman make a terrific duo in Remarkably Bright Creatures, a heartwarming tale about being open to the world around you, centring around an octopus. Scoot McNairy and Emilia Jones are excellent as a father and daughter in the sensitive memoir Fairyland, which skilfully captures the subculture of 1970s-80s San Francisco. And from Hong Kong, We're Nothing at All is an extraordinary blend of personal drama and riveting procedural thriller, circling around a bomb explosion on a bus. I also watched a live performance of Remachine at Sadler's Wells East.

Coming up this next week, I only have one press screening due to the Cannes slump, but it's the first Star Wars movie in seven years, The Mandalorian and Grogu. I may see it twice. And of course it's the 70th Eurovision Song Contest live from Vienna on Saturday night. Another reason for so few screening is that I'm flying to California next week to visit family. I'll be sure to report back on my in-flight viewing and whatever else I get up to over there. 

Dance: The dark side of masculinity

Bullyache
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
direction & choreography Courtney Deyn & Jacob Samuel
performers Courtney Deyn, Sam Dilkes, Oscar Jinghu Li, Giacomo Luci, Pierre Morrillon, Frank Yang
musicians Asher Allen, Jacob Samuel
music Bullyache, Franz Schubert, Dmitri Shostakovich
art direction Sinisia • costumes La Maskarade
lighting Bianca Peruzzi
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 7-9.May.26 ★★★

With its inventive choreography and challenging storytelling, Bullyache takes a bold look at a grim aspect of masculinity, namely the point where ambition and camaraderie result in humiliation and cruelty. Inspired by business culture in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, this intensely powerful show is an often frightening display of aggression, mockery and destruction. So even if the storytelling feels somewhat indulgent, including sequences that are unnecessarily silent or flashy, it leaves us with a lot to think about.

It opens almost painfully slowly, as we eventually spot a naked man worming himself across the floor, collecting items of clothing until he's wearing a suit, like another man who has been taunting him. Others arrive, performing choreography that feels both yearning and menacing with eerily pliable motion and spinning, vibrant lifts. The men on stage clearly have an uneasy relationship with their clothing and with each other, intriguingly working both together and at odds. This requires considerable physical control from the dancers, with moments of breathtaking balance and breakout sections as their unison is shattered by skilful improvisation.

Complete silence becomes an engulfing soundscape that steadily grows louder, shaking the theatre with deep rhythms while also stirring in snippets of songs. But the most memorable sound is of feet and bodies thumping against either the floor or the enormous central conference table. There's also a cleaner who mops up various fluids (including a bodily one) before taking to the microphone to sing a few numbers. Of course, he is also bullied into wearing a sexier outfit, returning later with a tiara and glittery makeup. And the loose narrative resolves into a grisly camera-ready tragedy.

The athletic choreography is fascinating, as these men strut and torment each other, revealing vulnerabilities in moments of weakness. Religious imagery emerges in their poses, as do blurry layers of machismo and confused sexuality. Demanding athletic movement includes jumps and falls, floating moments and jaggedly shifting pace, all of which combine with changes in light and sound to create a dreamlike haze. This climaxes in a messy and jostling competition to name the one good man in the bunch, then continues to evolve after the winner is crowned.

Rather grim and overly pointed, the story dissects how young men play games with each other, empowered by financial success but stunted by immaturity. Yes, this is an urgent topic, but some eye-catching ideas lack nuance (an on-stage fire?), and momentum flags in extended stretches of dead time. Still, the mix of brutality and tenderness is dazzling, creating an unusually immersive ambience that's surreal and emotionally intriguing. It certainly highlights a big issue. Whether it provokes thought about it is another question.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Andrea Avezzù • 7.May.26