Reviews on The Review

The strapline for Jessica Hausner’s wonderful Lourdes is ‘Nothing tests faith more than a miracle’.  The other issue that’s central to the film is the deeply human ‘Why me?’.
 

Lourdes is set among a tour party to the shrine organised by the Order of Malta. It centres on Christine who suffers from multiple schlerosis;  her hands [...]

Foul deeds will arise ere the earth o’erhelm them to men’s eyes.
 
The perspective in Hamlet seems unlikely to be shared by the main protagonist of DeLillos’s new novel, a ‘desert in the woods’ academic policy wonk grinding out the linguistic and idea upholstery to the neocon ideologues of the former Bush administration. Enhanced interrogation, rendition; [...]

In Mamet’s coiled spring of a play, four real-estate agents are locked in a battle for survival. Each month as they compete to sell plots of undesirable land, the man with the biggest sales wins a Cadillac and the man with the smallest gets the sack.
 

This month’s man on top is Ricky Roma (Richard Dormer). Slick and cocksure [...]

Ian McEwan is widely considered to be a ‘national treasure’. He is a literary heavyweight whose meticulous research and plot designs deliver novels that capture the zeitgeist of an age and also entertain. His latest offering, ‘Solar’ published by Jonathan Cape, is no exception. It is a reflection on the latest calamity plaguing mankind - [...]

Shutter Island is a rather odd film. The script is sometimes very good; its abrupt transitions and elliptical style ensure a good if not great performance from the film’s main star, Leonardo Dicaprio. But elsewhere the script feels stagey and mannered, resulting in rather forced performances from the European players who play the supporting characters, [...]

Are Midlake adult-oriented? A few minutes into their set and I’m still at the bar, still wearing my jacket and scarf, as M. and I are late arriving for the sold-out show. The bartenders have never heard of Midlake, and the youngish one serving us is surprised they’re so popular yet unknown to her. ‘I’ve [...]

Having counted George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four among my favourite books since the age of 13, I was concerned that over-familiarity might mar my enjoyment of Matthew Dunster’s new stage adaptation.  After three hours’ immersion in this powerful and affecting show, however, I was overwhelmed by empathetic exhaustion, sadness and resignation, alongside deep admiration for the [...]