Critical Week: Let's make a plan

I'm late with most things this week, including this post, for two reasons: firstly I'm organising the 44th London Critics' Circle Film Awards, a seriously complicated event that's coming up in just a week and involves a myriad of variables to sort out. And secondly, I am migrating everything to a new computer, My vintage iMac has been slowing down after 15 years of faithful service, so I finally took the plunge. This new one is another world entirely, outrageously nimble and I can open websites again! But I have to learn how to do pretty much everything in a new way.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Totem • Samsara
All of Us Strangers
PERHAPS AVOID:
Padre Pio
ALL REVIEWS >

I've also of course been watching films, although not as many as I should have. I caught up with Snoop Dogg's comedy The Underdoggs, which takes a true story and bends it into the usual formula involving the foul-mouthed coach of a scrappy team. Watchable but not very funny. Ian McShane plays a bored hitman in American Star, gorgeously shot in the Canary Islands. It's very snow and meandering, but full of intrigue. The offbeat British drama-documentary hybrid This Blessed Plot traces the witty journey of a filmmaker who can talk to ghosts. And there were two rather elusive South American films: from Chile, The Settlers is a bold, gorgeous trek across the continent with historic repercussions, while the Argentinian odyssey Eureka is even more ambitious, opening in the Wild West (with Viggo Mortensen) and ending in the Amazon, with a North Dakota police chapter in between. Perplexing but fascinating exploration of indigenous cultures.

This coming week I'll be watching Henry Cavill in the spy romp Argylle, animated adventure Migration, black comedy Club Zero, Australian drama Shayda, musician documentary Dalton's Dream and the dark drama Pornomelancholia.

Stage: Blissfully out of control

Stamptown
host Zach Zucker
with Natalie Palamides, Martin Urbano, Kemah Bob, Furiozo, Marshall Arkley, Cleopantha, Rowen K, Steffen Hanes, Erin Farrington, Dylan Woodley
sound Jonny Woolley • lighting Lily Woodford-Lewis
Soho Theatre, London • 17-27.Jan.24 ★★★★★

Marshall Arkley

Even before this show starts, boisterous chaos has already filled the theatre. Then master of ceremonies Jack Tucker (aka Zach Zucker) takes the mic and everything spirals even more blissfully out of control. This is a remarkable collision of standup, burlesque and clownery, unfolding with an expert sense of improvisational energy that often seems to catch the performers themselves off guard. It's so relentlessly entertaining and unpredictable, that audience members will want to come back and see what might happen next time.

At the centre of a wildly full-on variety show, the charming Zucker skilfully holds things together, teetering on the edge of anarchy. His corny jokes elicit applause and groans as he peppers us with a continuous series of snappy visual and verbal gags. When he can, he introduces the next act. The show includes three burlesque numbers, with Cleopantha sparking sassy attitude in a eye-popping traditional routine, Rowen K displaying impressive acrobatic handstands and muscle man Marshall Arkley adding whip-cracking, fire-breathing antics along with, well, it needs to be seen to be believed.

Furiozo

Stage manager Erin offers trigger warnings for the edgier elements in the show, but arrives far too late. The beefy Furiozo inventively mimes an entire crime saga with game assistance from an audience member. Kemah Bob delivers a surreally hilarious standup set about the innate absurdity of seasalt. A vampire (Hanes) stalks the show waiting for his chance to add something spooky. And comic Martin Urbano plays a critic who reads from his appalling notes throughout the show. 

There's a lot more going on, and nothing that happens seems to go quite as planned. But because it's so genuinely amusing, the audience can't help but get swept into the swirling energy. Each of these performers, including the people running the sound and lighting, is a the very best at what they do. Their timing, quick thinking and ability to riff off each other is flat-out genius, blending smart punchlines with sublimely silly buffoonery. And because the show plays out with such a gleefully freeform structure, it will always be fresh and new, unexpected and jaw-dropping. And definitely not for the faint of heart.

For information, STAMPTOWN >

photos are from previous productions • 18.Jan.24

Stage: Impossible decisions

The Mother of Kamal
by Dina Ibrahim
dir Stephen Freeman
with Dina Ibrahim, Mirdrit Zhinipotoku, Jojo Rosales, Nalân Burgess, Manav Chaudhuri
music Jon Kudlick • lighting George Petty
costumes Alice McNicholas • sound Aidan Good
The Gatehouse, Highgate • 19-28.Jan.24 ★★★

Actor-writer Dina Ibrahim has adapted the autobiographical novel Um-Kamal, written by her father Fawzi Ibrahim, and she is essentially playing her grandmother on-stage. The first-hand nature of the narrative gives the play an often startling attention to detail, capturing small moments with an emotional sensibility. Conversely, this also means that there is too much going on for the audience to completely engage in the story. The central narrative is compelling, but it is recounted with too many characters and diversions. And the lack of an accessible perspective is a problem.

With a bit of time jumping, the story starts in 1948 Baghdad as the working class Jewish Ibrahim family tries to navigate a tricky religious and political landscape. With Nazi anti-semitism in the air, officials are particularly paranoid about communists. Suddenly, teen son Kamal (Zhinipotoku) and younger brother Sasson (Rosales) are arrested as subversives. Their mother (Ibrahim) is distraught, and when she tries to get them released is horrified to be forced to make an impossible choice. Meanwhile in prison, Kamal and Sasson take very different approaches to their predicament. The decisions they make propel the family through the next few decades, leading ultimately to a reckoning with their past.

There's real power in the central narrative, especially as it weaves in refreshingly complex ideas about fate. So this mother and sons feel like their actions have had momentous repercussions, when the situation was far more nuanced than they knew. The script almost misses this idea in its effort to pack in so many encounters, some of which take place on-stage alongside each other as the five cast members switch between a bewildering array of characters. Many of these people appear in just one intensely emotional scene, so it's impossible to work out who they are or what they mean in the greater scheme of things.

Because this is such a wrenching story, the actors play the roles with a heightened intensity, conveying their feelings to the back of the theatre. These over-sized performances are especially notable due to the offbeat casting, in which actors play a range of ages and ethnicities against type. Zhinipotoku and Rosales are able to create vivid characters, and Ibrahim plays her emotions to the hilt, but other connections are unclear over a decades-long timeline. And several well-played roles are lost in the shuffle, most notably the boys' father (Chaudhuri).  

This is an ambitious production, using bursts of loud music, bright lights and smoke to add to the atmosphere, plus several surreal sequences involving choreographed movement. The stage itself is effective and simple, nicely isolating each scene. So if the script and direction were more focussed, telling the story with a singular point of view that allows the audience to identify with a character and lean into the situations, the vitality and importance of the material would hit with much more force.

For details, UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE > 

photos by Gary Manhine • 19.Jan.24

Critical Week: Hey, bruv

I've been busy this week organising the forthcoming London Critics' Circle Awards, and also voting in both Online Film Critics Society awards and the Dorian Awards. And we also had the Bafta Film Awards nominations today, which is the biggest awards alongside the Oscars. Those nominations come next week. So there's been plenty to do along with watching a few movies... 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The End We Start From
The Holdovers • The Kitchen
ALL REVIEWS >

The British drama Gassed Up won the audience award at the London Film Festival, and is a stylish and impressively made film until it's taken over by a standard crime thriller. The cast is packed with rising stars, led by Stephen Odubola. Another British thriller was also very slickly made: Jackdaw stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a motocross rider who gets entangled with a crime boss who happens to be his estranged father. Strong performances make it enjoyable, including a tough Jenna Coleman and a scene-chewing Thomas Turgoose. 

More highbrow, the Swedish drama Opponent stars the always excellent Peyman Maadi as an Iranian refugee grappling with his inner demons. The charming Italian romance Fireworks gets very dark indeed as it explores prejudice in a 1980s small-town. And the offbeat comedy The Civil Dead playfully subverts the ghost story genre with its likeably sad sack characters

This coming week is also a bit slower than usual at the cinema, but I have a lot to do. I'll be watching three British films: Ian McShane in American Star, Diana Quick in Forever Young, and the offbeat drama-documentary hybrid This Blessed Plot. And I have two stage shows to cover as well.

Critical Week: Pretty in pink

Screenings are back in full swing now, alongside continuing awards-season events, so there's plenty to watch out there these days. As a voter, it was nice to have a link to watch the Golden Globes live on Sunday, even if it finished at 4am London time. I enjoyed seeing the results of the all-new voting base, journalists scattered across some 75 countries who don't follow the usual Hollywood script. And the feed I was watching kept running during the ad breaks, so it was cool to watch the astonishing array of stars schmoozing and playing around before being called back to their seats. Now I have three weeks to finalise plans for the London critics awards, where we hope to have plenty of big names in the room to celebrate.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Soul • Poor Things
ALL REVIEWS >

As for the movies, the big screening this week was for the musical remake of Mean Girls, which is essentially the same movie with added music video-style songs and references to social media. Some of this works nicely, but it feels a little uneven. Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia is a rather dry tale of rivalry between German and Italian car companies, livened up by a solid cast and a bit of racing action. The 90s-set New York drama You Can't Stay Here makes up for its low budget with some big underlying ideas and cool cinematic references. The British arthouse drama Silver Haze is relentlessly miserable, but shows some visual style. And the documentary Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer is fascinating for both fans and potential fans, but surprisingly straightforward.

This coming week I'll be watching Viggo Mortensen in Eureka, British thriller Jackdaw, award-winning British drama Gassed Up, Swedish refugee drama Opponent, Italian romance Fireworks and offbeat comedy The Civil Dead.

Screen: January TV Roundup

Extra television was required this autumn to prepare for casting my TV ballots in the 81st Golden Globes. But it's just impossible to catch everything. Still, I'd seen most nominees in each category before I cast my final-round votes, then cheered The Bear, Succession and Beef to victory on Sunday night. Here's what I've been watching over the past four months, starting with nine new series. Or in the first case, new-ish...

Frasier
Kelsey Grammer slips effortlessly back into his iconic role for a third time, still seeming like a man living in the wrong place and time, and loving it despite the constant annoyances. This reworking is more of a standard sitcom than the 1993-2004 iteration, with the usual collection of offbeat characters and predictable tensions. So that Niles-Frasier dynamic feels sorely lacking. That said, these people definitely grow on us. And it's the funniest new comedy in years, a rare show that can make us laugh out loud. (Paramount) 

Fellow Travelers
Lavishly and boldly assembled, this drama traces several decades in American politics through the prism of homophobia and fear, most notably in the 1950s McCarthy hearings. An epic romance is recounted in fragmented snippets that prevent the viewer from properly engaging with the narrative's emotional momentum, but individual scenes are gorgeously written and played, and various story arcs carry strong emotional wallops. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey have wonderfully prickly chemistry in the central roles. (HBO)

Lessons in Chemistry
First-rate production values and excellent performances add both weight and depth to this 1950s drama, which takes a specific look at the often cruel suppression of women in American society. The story centres on ace scientist Elizabeth (a superb Brie Larson), a survivor of abuse who finds herself increasingly marginalised despite her brilliant mind. Strong performances from Lewis Pullman (as her colleague and romantic foil) and Aja Naomi King (as an intrepid neighbour) add terrific textures. (Apple)

The Brothers Sun
Michelle Yeoh storms the small screen as the mother of siblings (Justin Chien and Sam Song Li) who haven't seen each other in decades. One stayed in Taipei with their Triad boss dad (Johnny Kou) and became a killer, while the other moved with mum to Los Angeles and became "soft". The spiralling interaction within this family, plus a range of terrific side roles, makes this show worth a look, while the violence that surrounds them erupts in fiercely well-staged action sequences. It's a lot of fun, and keeps us on our toes. (Netflix)

Gen V
This spin-off from The Boys has a sparky young cast and a driving sense of momentum, plus the same intensely hyper-violent touches and gimmicky sexual shenanigans. The fresh-faced cast is likeable, even as their super-powered university student characters rocket through a series of outrageous situations while uncovering and trying to expose a massive conspiracy involving a shady cabal that is exploiting all of them. Ultimately, it's a bit of nasty nonsense that folds itself back into The Boys. (Prime)

Blue Eye Samurai
Beautiful manga-style animation brings this epic-legend series to life, with hour-long episodes that feel rather ambitious, but also textured and satisfying. Set in 17th century Japan, when being foreign was illegal, the story sends a young samurai who is half-European (thus the blue eyes) on a very personal quest. Secrets abound throughout the narrative, which unfolds with a wonderful series of unexpected adventures and relationships and lots of underlying secrets. And the characters have complexity and charm. (Netflix)

Still Up 
This sitcom is about an insomniac and her agoraphobic male pal who are never in the same room. Both are insufferable, difficult to like as they communicate by video chat. Thankfully, Lisa and Danny are brightly well-played by Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts. But their misadventures feel contrived, as does how the story pushes them together. Along the way, they constantly poke fun at Lisa's partner (Blake Harrison), the show's most engaging character who's ridiculed for his humanity and sense of responsibility. Hmmm. (Apple)

Tore 
From Sweden, this is a pitch-black comedy that isn't afraid to get very grim indeed, as the young title character (William Spetz) grapples with both his sexuality and his grief. This makes it often tough to watch, as Tore isn't particularly likeable, because he acts without thinking about anyone, even himself. But it's fascinating to watch as his experiences push and pull him in various directions, shifting his perspective and trajectory. And Spetz delivers an astonishingly brave performance in a wonderfully messy role. (Netflix)

Escort Boys
Corny title aside, this French series has an intriguing premise that could serve as a fascinating exploration of masculinity. Alas, the story is told through a resolutely male gaze, with characters who are unflinchingly macho. It's about a teen girl who, to save the family farm, creates a stable of escorts with her brother and friends. The setting, in a part of France that looks like the Australian Outback, is gorgeous. While the obvious female themes are here, issues of sexuality only timidly emerge in the final two episodes. (Prime)

A   F I N A L   B O W

The Crown: series 6 
This final season's first half builds to the death of Princess Diana (the fantastic Elizabeth Debicki) and her seismic influence on the royal family and the world. Then the show returns to the Queen (Imelda Staunton), Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce), Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville), Prince Charles (Dominic West) and his sons., tying up loose narrative loose ends. As always, this is impeccably produced, with first-rate acting in complex roles. And as it inventively blends fact with fiction, it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. (Netflix)

A N O T H E R   H E L P I N G

The Morning Show: series 3 
Far soapier than previous seasons, this show slows its momentum while diffusing the plot among various improbable character threads. Topicality remains strong enough to hold the interest, especially with powerhouse actors like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Greta Lee and Julianna Margulies. It may not be as brisk, bold and nimble as the first season, but it's a rare show that takes on big issues relating to show business. And Jon Hamm has some nasty fun a the Musk-like tech baron on a mission. (Apple)

The Tourist:
series 2
Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald continue the adventures of the amnesiac Irishman, leaving the Australian Outback for Ireland and a new barrage of kidnappings, attacks and mayhem. It turns out that Elliot is actually scion of the Cassidy mob, and he reignites the feud with the rival McDonnell family. The twists and turns are fun, violent but gleefully played with tongue in cheek. While some of the random sideroads feel a bit annoying, the great Olwen Fouere is fabulously formidable as Elliot's no-nonsense mother. (BBC)

Upload: series 3
This show's plottiness increases once again, and the exhausting convolutions distract from the more entertaining relationships and sci-fi nuttiness. As the central premise splinters to follow other characters, Robbie Amell's Nathan is doubled as well, creating two main storylines while further beefing up supporting roles for leading ladies Andy Allo and Allegra Edwards, as well as Owen Daniel (as the entire afterlife hotel staff). This is a guilty pleasure, offering fun while never grappling with deeper ideas in the premise. (Prime)

Our Flag Means Death: series 2 
Adding some terrific new characters and spiralling adventure chaos, this pirate ship comedy charges confidently into its second season. It's hilarious to watch events continually rocket off in new directions, as the characters struggle to make sense of each new situation. This season starts off sparky and silly, then get a bit murky with lots of flashback-induced soul-searching. So the final few episodes feel a little meandering and corny. But the way the show continually punctures masculinity is fiendishly clever. (Max)

Elite: series 7
Madrid's party/murder school is back in session, with traumatised ex-student Omar (Omar Ayuso) now on staff while his new boyfriend (Fernando Lindez) is a student, improbably funded by last year's multiple-tragedy victim Ivan (Andre Lamoglia) then launching into an awkward love triangle. There's a feeling like the stakes have been raised, most notably with the aggressive police, who are seen illegally wiretapping teens and violently evicting homeless kids from a shelter. But several vanished characters are sorely missed. (Netflix)

I   G I V E   U P

Loki: series 2 
Rocketing back into its time-travelling, parallel universe mayhem, this show is far too pleased with its own impenetrable mythology to allow the viewer in. Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson have terrific chemistry, plus the great Ke Huy Quan, but it's swamped by overwrought production values and badly overwritten dialog. I tried to just sit back and have some fun with this, but lost the will to live by episode 3. (Disney) 

NOW WATCHING: Fargo (5), The Traitors (2), Invincible (2), Open To It.

COMING SOON: Expats, Feud: Capote vs the Swans, Mr & Mrs Smith, Sexy Beast, The Woman in the Wall, The New Look, Players, Abbott Elementary (3), True Detective: Night Country (4), The Conners (6), Queer Eye (8).

Previous roundup: OCTOBER 2023 > 

Stage: Let's talk about sex

The Sex Lives of Puppets
by Mark Down & Ben Keaton
performers Mark Down, Isobel Griffiths, Simon Scardifeld, Dale Wylde
directors Mark Down & Ben Keaton
puppets Russell Dean and Blind Summit
lights James Mackenzie
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 4-13.Jan.24 ★★★★

Working on a complex series of layers, this inventive adults-only show combines puppetry with verbatim theatre to explore issues relating to sexuality from a gleefully British perspective. A world premiere, the show is based on real interviews with people about their sex lives, which are then performed by the Blind Summit team with witty touches, big personalities and creative visual trickery.

Puppets take their place in the spotlight on a table either alone or in pairs. And it's remarkable how each figure blossoms with sparky energy, as performers take turns providing voices and movements. Couples bounce off each other in hilariously intimate ways as they speak about how they express themselves sexually. So each interview overflows with humour and pointed honesty, offering continual resonance. Some of these figures are so engagingly lifelike that we'd happily watch them share their stories for the full 90 minutes.

Puppets represent a wide range of ages, ethnicities, sexualities, social status and accents, plus of course varying levels of embarrassment about the topic at hand. Realistically, most warm up once they start talking, giggling about their interests, fetishes and feelings. So the chatter quickly traverses the emotional spectrum alongside the flirtation and nudge-nudge innuendo. Before the interval, the show climaxes in a beautifully surreal moment of eye-catching visual theatre, followed by an outrageous bit of shadow puppetry. Then for the finale, performers screen their faces for an amusing pile-on that's played for comedy rather than smuttiness.

Augmented by an effectively simple stage set, sound and lighting, the performers are dressed in black, never trying to be invisible. So they express their puppets' feelings on their own faces, offering a second play outside the play. This adds knowing, underlying echoes of fetishism and manipulation. Since the show is frank and honest about sex, some audience members might be taken aback. But it's never rude or shocking. And even though it's very funny, the truthfulness makes it feel eerily like watching a documentary. Indeed, many scenes offer genuine insight, such two elderly men talking about their lively sex lives in a retirement home. And it's here that one finally finds the courage to admit that that he's gay.

Because this is based on interviews, there is no further exploration of these bigger themes. But the point is that we rarely, if ever, speak about these things. And we need to be reminded that sex is different for everyone. So each anecdote will spark thought and discussion. And in the mean time, we can enjoy the artistry of these performers and puppet-makers,. 

For details, BLIND SUMMIT >

photos by Nigel Bewley • 5.Jan.24

Critical Week: Campfire stories

The new year has kicked off in London with rather a lot of wind and rain, which makes me want to shelter indoors rather than going out to see any movies. But screenings are starting up again this week, so I'm venturing out into the cold and damp. Meanwhile, movie awards season is cranking up another gear with more voting deadlines and the completely revamped Golden Globes coming on Sunday night. I voted in them again this year, so will be curious to see who wins, although I'll have to wait to read about it on Monday as no one broadcasts the ceremony in the UK.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Memory • Scala!!!
ALL REVIEWS >

Filmwise, I watched the timely near-future thriller The End We Start From with Jodie Comer (pictured above with Benedict Cumberbatch) as a new mother in a flooded Britain - the perfect movie to watch on a very rainy day! The odyssey plays cleverly through emotions and perspectives rather than action or plotting. Bricklayer is a preposterous action thriller set in Greece with Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev, directed by explosion-master Renny Harlin. The loose-limbed thriller He Went That Way follows two men on a 1960s road trip. It's a bit awkward but nicely played by Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinty. And I also watched the five intriguing shorts nominated for the London Critics' Circle Film Awards.

This coming week I'll be watching the new adaptation of the stage show Mean Girls: The Musical, the thriller You Can't Stay Here, London-set drama Silver Haze,  Chilean drama The Settlers and the documentaries Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer and The Disappearance of Shere Hite.