entertainment
Films
Movie of the Month
by tom b r ow n e
Peter Lanzani and Guillermo Francella in The Clan
■■drama: the clan The period after
© Diap hana F ilms / Broad Green Pictures / Mira max
the Falklands War in 1982, as Argentina moved from dictatorship to democracy, provides the backdrop to this compelling film. Arquímedes Puccio (Guillermo Francella) is a former state intelligence operative who, finding himself out of favour and unemployed, embarks on a series of kidnappings to maintain his status. Even worse, he ropes in the rest of his outwardly respectable family—including his rugby-player son Alejandro (Peter Lanzani), who becomes increasingly disturbed as the abductions spiral into murder. The narrative (based on a real case), builds gradually, so the shocking implications only fully reveal themselves at the very end. Although a little confusing at times—the flashback structure takes a bit of getting used to—it’s a film that will stay with you. ■■thriller: The Infiltrator
There have been lots of films about cops going undercover and losing their moral compasses, and this reprises the theme in the shape of US Customs agent Rob Mazur (Bryan Cranston) who exposed a huge money-laundering operation in the 1980s. This true-life story is well acted and efficiently told, even though it can’t top the far superior Donnie Brasco (indeed, there are plenty of sly nods to that movie).
■■comedy: bridget jones’s baby It’s a full
12 years since the last outing from everyone’s favourite accident-prone singleton. Now in her forties, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is focusing on a new career after her split with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) when she realises that she’s pregnant—and is only 50 per cent sure about the father’s identity. This second sequel deviates from Helen Fielding’s third Bridget Jones novel, but promises the usual mixture of laughs and pratfalls. 09•2016
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e n t e r ta i n m e n t
Music
■■action: Deepwater Horizon
of the American drama series ER and is just as exciting. Reading: Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
I’ve read just about everything by Stephen King and he never fails to deliver.
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09•2016
Album of the Month
Since his debut in 2002, Devendra Banhart has been remarkably underrated. While a new generation of indie-cool bands broke through in the same period, he was seen as a rather hippyish singersongwriter with long, grisly hair. Now on his ninth album, Banhart has lost the locks but his Marc Bolan-esque vocals and gentle acoustic arpeggios are still intact. The lyrics are laced with humour and emotional eccentricities, while the addition of some exotic synths has given his music an intriguing quality. In Banhart’s words, it sounds like “lobby music in a 1980s Japanese hotel”, even though the whole thing was recorded in his front garden.
■■go now*
Key tracks: “Jon Lends a Hand”, “Fig in Leather”, “Linda” Like this? You may also like: T-Rex, Mac DeMarco, Jonathan Richman
Touching drama from Jimmy McGovern. £1 of every sale goes to the MS Society.
Online: Nectar Toolbar
I use this while searching and shopping online to get lots of points! Listening: Billy Joel I like
anything post 1960s, particularly Billy Joel and Sting. I may be 70, but I don’t like nostalgic music from the Fifties and Sixties.
Fancy appearing in this section? Send your current cultural favourites, along with short descriptions, to readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk 18
Ape in Pink Marble by Devendra Banhart
DVD of the month
On Your Radar Chris Tait, retired library assistant Watching: Code Black (Watch) This is an update
by ma n di goodi er
* TO BUY DVDS FEATURED HERE, GO TO SHOP.READERSDIGEST.CO.UK
© Media Lun a New Fi lm s / Sum m it En terta inm ent
■■period: two women This Russian adaptation of Ivan Turgenev’s play A Month in the Country focuses on bored aristocrat Natalya (Anna Vartanyan) and her dalliances with her admirer Mikhail (Ralph Fiennes) and her children’s tutor Alexey (Aleksandr Baluev). Although unsubtle in its approach—there’s a lot of running through forests and cornfields to the sound of strings—this comedy of manners still raises a few laughs.
The title refers to the infamous drillingrig explosion in 2010, which killed 11 workers and flooded the Gulf of Mexico with oil. Director Peter Berg has assembled an impressive cast for this retelling of the story (including Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson), which also offers plenty of opportunities for explosive special effects.
Reader’s Digest
Overlooked Record from the Past The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd in 1968 due to his increasingly unpredictable personality, and this was his attempt at a solo career. Recorded with three different producers, it shifts and twists but doesn’t exactly flow as Barrett had intended. Then again, Barrett himself was just as erratic; as producer Peter Jenner admitted, “I’d seriously underestimated the difficulties of working with him,” while another, Malcolm Jones, said, “It was a case of following him, not playing with him.” It’s a wonder the album got made at all. But while fragile and imperfect, it reveals a madcap genius. listen to these albums at READERSDIGEST.CO.UK/LISTEN
On Our Radar Bloody Scotland, Stirling, Sept 9–11,
This international crime-writing festival is a weekend to die for. The 2016 Belfast Tattoo, Sept 1–3,
The finest marching bands from Ulster and beyond. Fashion Weekend, London, Sept 22–25
Step onto the catwalk!
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