Critical Week: Isolation blues

It's becoming clear that this extended third lockdown is making Londoners a bit loopy, especially as it has no end in sight. Although we keep hoping that as the pandemic numbers improve slightly, relief is on the horizon. But being able to get back into a cinema seems like a distant hope! I've been rather swamped with preparations for the London Critics' Circle Film Awards on Sunday night, which has involved lots of email communication with Los Angeles - something an eight-hour time shift makes rather tricky. As a result, I only watched four movies this past week.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Falling • Another Round
Two of Us • Malcolm & Marie 
ALL REVIEWS >

By far the biggest film I saw was the Russo brothers' Cherry, starring Tom Holland (above) as an Army veteran who becomes a junkie to deal with his post-traumatic stress. It's 2 hours 20 minutes long, and feels like an operatic epic. It would look amazing on a big cinema screen. Ambitiously taking on the same theme in a very different way, Mike Cahill's Bliss stars Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek in a fantasy-style thriller about a parallel reality. It's provocative and engaging. The Australian remake of the Icelandic gem Rams stars the superb Sam Neill, Michael Caton and Miranda Richardson, and finds earthy humour in a dark situation. And the pitch-black Argentine thriller 4x4 traps lead actor Peter Lanzani inside an SUV, becoming a seriously harrowing ordeal.

Coming up this week, I need to catch up on quite a few films, including the true thriller Murderous Trance, the British comedy Running Naked, the Argentine romcom A Skeleton in the Closet, the Chinese drama Twilight's Kiss and the short film collection Desire in the Dark.

And if you want to watch the 41st London Critics' Circle Film Awards, our virtual ceremony goes live at 7pm Sunday night 7th Feb and will also be rewatchable on the CRITICS' CIRCLE YOUTUBE CHANNEL >

Shadows on the Stage: Tap Dogs at the Peacock

Tap Dogs
The Peacock, London • 23 October to 10 November
dir Dein Perry; with Anthony Russo, Nathaniel Hancock, Richard Miller, Chaise Rossiello, Justin Myles, Reid Perry

Sadler's Wells brings the Australian sensation back to London for a few weeks, and it's worth catching them if you have the chance. Tap Dogs first premiered in Sydney in 1995 and was immortalised in the film Bootmen in 2000. It's a raw, loud display of masculinity and physicality in an industrial setting as six men launch into a series of elaborate tap-dancing routines. These dancers are powerful and skilled as they work together and interact with a set that's constantly shifting like a building site.

There are elements of the staging that feel somewhat overwrought and perhaps underused, such as when the stage is raised in segments (above). But it's the earthier numbers that impress the most, especially when combined, for example, with some jaw-dropping basketball dribbling skills. There's also some nice humour injected into the performance, as the guys play various roles: the beardy leader, the young kid, the disco diva, the cheeky chap, and so on. And this comes to life most notably in a sequence involving a considerable amount of splashing water.

Some of the set changes feel a bit laboured, but the synchronised, fast-tapping numbers are thoroughly enjoyable. And while the story is a little unclear, there are high points all the way through (including a brief bit in which one guy dances on the ceiling), most notably in the terrific character moments. It's very loud, with lots of stomping, clanging and drumming, plus added sparks and flashing lights and two energetic women (somewhat unnecessarily) on drums. It's also a brisk 80 minutes without an interval, culminating in an encore performed on steel girders. Yes, for adept dancers with seriously happy feet, these guys seem intent on reminding us just how manly they are.