entertainment
Films
Movie of the Month
by tom b r ow n e a n d l au r a d e a n - osgo o d
A strange friendship: Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams
■■drama: the falling With British
cinema in love with Downton-style period dramas, it’s rare to find a film that takes its cue from art-house flicks such as Don’t Look Now and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Set in an all-girls school in the 1960s, the film centres around Lydia (Maisie Williams), a troubled and neglected child who forges a friendship with the sexually precocious Abbie (Florence Pugh). But things take an odd turn when Lydia starts suffering from fainting spells, which quickly spread to the other pupils. Those looking for clear resolutions may find The Falling frustrating, but its dreamy atmosphere proves irresistible if you’re prepared to go with it, and there are some fine performances at its surreal core.
© metrodome di stributi on / entertain men t one
■■historical: the water diviner
Russell Crowe’s directorial debut revisits a familiar topic in Australian history: the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. The film, unusually, tells the story from both the Australian and Turkish perspectives, although mainly through the eyes of Joshua Connor (Crowe), who travels to Turkey to reclaim the bodies of his three sons. The subject is affecting, but too many cliched scenes attest to Crowe’s inexperience behind the camera.
■■thriller: Child 44
This muchanticipated movie adaptation of Tom Rob Smith’s gripping novel is yet another chance for British actor Tom Hardy to show off his excellent accent skills. Set in Soviet Russia in 1953, Hardy plays a disgraced MGB agent trying to unravel a string of brutal child murders in Moscow. With the help of his wife (Noomi Rapace) and a steely general (Gary Oldman), the investigation stumbles upon a systemic cover-up. 04•2015
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e n t e r ta i n m e n t
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
■■big budget: Avengers: Age of Ultron Following on from the success
of 2012’s The Avengers, the world’s finest superheroes reconvene to wage war against Ultron, an artificial-intelligence enemy accidentally created by Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). With bumperto-bumper action, a starry cast and the promise of further Avengers sequels to come, comic-book fans are set to enjoy an almighty long adventure.
Music
■■Horror: spring A young American
going through a personal crisis (Lou Taylor Pucci) takes an impromptu trip to rural Italy, where he starts a relationship with a beautiful woman (Nadia Hilker) hiding a terrible secret. This intriguing low-budget effort combines naturalistic romance with gothic horror to great success, and it also packs quite an emotional punch in its closing scenes.
by ma n di goodi er
Since A Sea of Split Peas, her 2013 EP, all eyes have been fixed on Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, who stands apart from other acoustic-guitar-inhand performers that may spring to mind. Lyrically, Barnett is a force to be reckoned with. In her hands, the mundane becomes a witty stream of consciousness loaded with humour. Vocally she has Sheryl Crow’s 1990s attitude, while musically the album is electrified and rockin’ from the off. Barnett’s occasionally self-deprecating lyrics are difficult to assimilate when coupled with her immense talent, but in general they add to her relatability— after all, isn’t the anxiety of the everyday something that affects us all? Key tracks: “Pedestrian At Best”, “Small Poppies”, “Depreston” Like this? You may also like: Waxahatchee, Jeffrey Lewis, The Breeders
DVD of the month
■■Night at the museum 3
Family fun as the museum’s artifacts come to life after dark.
book, and Michael Gambon is perfectly cast. Reading: Child of God by Cormac McCarthy It’s
horrendous subject matter, but the prose is so brilliant. McCarthy is a master modern wordsmith.
Online: YouTube
I’m discovering just how many of my old favourite rock bands have videos online, or at least audio. Listening: The Endless River by Pink Floyd My wife gave me
Floyd’s latest album for Christmas and I still can’t get enough of it!
Fancy appearing in this section? Send your current cultural favourites, along with short descriptions, to readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk |
04•2015
© Marvel 2015 / © metrodom e distributi on
Watching: The Casual Vacancy (BBC1) I loved the
Album of the Month
Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit by Courtney Barnett
On Your Radar Neil Hill, charity-shop van driver
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Reader’s Digest
Overlooked Record from the Past Power Fuerza by Ghetto Brothers
Between the Beatles-led British Invasion of the US in the 1960s and the South Bronx gang wars of the 1970s, the Ghetto Brothers was born. All-round good guys, the Ghetto Brothers—a gang inspired by the socialism of their native Puerto Rico —cleared the streets of drug dealers and organised food drives. They also recorded Power-Fuerza, a feelgood album of Beatles-esque melodies set against a backdrop of funky Latin percussion. Charged with the belief that “music is the common language of the world”, this is the perfect soundtrack for the shift of seasons into spring. listen to these albums at READERSDIGEST.CO.UK/LISTEN
On Our Radar RHS Flower Show, April 7–19 The floral
festival that sees Cardiff in full bloom. Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23–26 Celebrate
the Bard’s life in Stratford-upon-Avon. London Marathon, April 26 A great
day out for runners and spectators.
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