Reviews

Heavy on cliches, 1917 war film is no one-shot wonder

Sam Mendes’s latest effort is impressive but it relies too much on its unique cinematographic approach rather than original storytelling, argues?Nick Clark

Field Music—Making a New World

Sunderland band Field Music, headed by brothers David and Peter Brewis, has made an album about the social impact of the First World War.

Haven't They Grown—A creepy tale of mystery, determination and cruelty

Haven’t They Grown begins with a very creepy and puzzling scenario. A woman who lost touch with a close friend years ago goes to snoop on her while taking her son to a football match.

Reviews round-up: A Christmas Carol and more

The BBC promises a “unique and original take” on Charles Dickens’ Christmas ghost story.

The Ocean at The End of The Lane—A bittersweet fairy tale of loss, magic and fantasy

The Ocean at The End of The Lane tells the story of Alex, a man who returns home for his father’s funeral and looks back on his childhood.

The Trial of Christine Keeler rights some historic wrongs

This new BBC drama looks back on the events of the Profumo Affair—and tells a story of wealth, power, sexism and abuse, says?Tomáš Tengely-Evans

Reviews round-up: Art from the front lines of protest

The art of protest

Senegalese movie Atlantics tells eerie tale of oppression

French actor Mati Diop’s directoral debut set in west Africa is a love story that carries a powerful message about our divided society, writes Charlie Kimber

Racist moral panic behind the Blue Story cinema ban

Vue cinema banned Blue Story— a powerful film against violence—last week. It exposed the establishment’s fear of young black people

Elizabeth Is Missing—a drama without cliches about dementia and loss

Elizabeth Is Missing, a new BBC drama, is brilliant.

William Hogarth shows up an ugly system

Reviews of paintings by William Hogarth almost universally remark that his themes of corruption, prostitution, alcohol abuse and urban chaos are instantly recognisable today

Motherless Brooklyn—a feast for film noir fans old and new

Edward Norton’s new film is an ode to past classics that also takes a fresh look at the inequality and corruption of today

The Irishman—an unsettling and melancholy film about age and regret

The Irishman has everything you’d want from a Scorsese gangster film, writes Simon Basketter, but there’s humour and sadness amid the violence

May Morris: Art & Life

This landmark exhibition explores the life and work of May Morris, one of the most significant artists of the British arts .

BBC’s War of the Worlds can hold its own among the best

This new steampunk adaptation of HG Wells’ classic is hardly a first—but it’s well-made, well-acted, exciting—and has a lot of potential, says Gabby Thorpe

Agent Running in the Field—a complex game in John Le Carre’s latest spy thriller

Nat is a not quite 50, not quite on the shelf officer of the Secret Intelligence Service.

Sesame Street—this page is brought to you this week by the number 50

As Sesame Street approaches its 50th anniversary, Simon Basketter looks back at a show that repeatedly broke the mould and upset right wingers

Magic of His Dark Materials is finally done well on screen

It’s the adaptation that lovers of Philip Pullman’s trilogy have been waiting for—and you don’t need to read the books to enjoy it, writes Gabby Thorpe