40 h. ago The Carpenter’s Son review – Nicolas Cage is predictably miscast in dull biblical horror

A grim, grave-faced look at Jesus realising he is in fact the son of God is a bafflingly acted and messily made boreIt’s hard to know how seriously one should take a film that casts Nicolas Cage as Joseph, the carpenter who acted as the adoptive father of Jesus. One might expect, with the actor still relying on his trademark California intonation and histrionic outbursts, that this would be another one of his late-stage career larks, like playing Dracula or himself. But in The Carpenter’s Son, a bafflingly serious stew of horror, drama and fantasy, it slowly starts to dawn on us that this is in fact, not a joke. What it is I couldn’t tell you but entertaining it most definitely isn’t.The film, from Egypt-born, London-raised writer and director Lotfy Nathan, is inspired by the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a text seen as heretical by some, which offers highly debated “insight” into the early years of Jesus. Nathan begins by clueing us into the fact that this isn’t your vicar’s Sunday sch...

Events

1 week ago Tottenham injury update: Mohammed Kudus, Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall latest news and return dates

Spurs’ injury woes are slowly starting to abate

Events

1 week ago Tottenham injury update: Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke and Radu Dragusin latest news and return dates

Spurs’ injury woes are slowly starting to abate

Events

3 w. ago Houseplant clinic: what are the brown patches on my prickly pear?

Corking is the most likely culprit, but it could be scale insects or fungus. Here’s how to checkWhat’s the problem? My prickly pear (Opuntia) cactus is developing raised brown patches on both sides of the stem that are spreading, though the plant is still growing. Should I be worried?Diagnosis Those circular brown patches are a classic sign of corking. This is a natural process in many cacti, which causes the lower stem to gradually harden and turn brown, like the bark on a tree. It usually starts at the base and slowly works its way up as the plant matures. While the rough texture can look alarming, it doesn’t harm the plant. However, because corking can be confused with a fungal infection or pests such as scale insects, it’s worth a closer look. Scale insects will appear as raised, uniform bumps that can be scraped off, whereas corking is part of the stem tissue itself and cannot be removed. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The one change that worked: I had terrible insomnia – until I hit upon a gory solution

I had tried elaborate mind games, herbal teas and even a military method. Nothing worked. So I gave in, tuned into some macabre podcasts and had a very surprising reactionFor years I had accepted that sleep, just like the Rubik’s cube and a receding hairline, was one of those things that I personally was not equipped to beat. No matter how much I tried to disarm my mind with an assortment of pills, elaborate mind games and expensive sleep teas, nothing seemed to work. In fact, many of these “solutions” only made my insomnia worse. On the rare occasion that I did catch myself drifting off, a bout of relief and excitement would quickly overtake me, leaving me wide awake and more exasperated than ever. The more pressure I put on myself, the more impossible sleep became.One night I was in bed trying to replicate a strategy used by the SAS to instantaneously fall asleep by relaxing my body, starting with my facial muscles, and breathing slowly and deeply, when I finally decided I’d had e...

Events

last month Pitch Points: could Italy really miss another World Cup? And why has Wirtz started slowly at Liverpool?

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of themBy the time next summer’s World Cup kicks off, it’ll have been 12 years since Italy last played at the tournament they have won more times (four) than any other nation besides Brazil (five) and Germany (also four). The way things are going, the Azzurri’s 12-year wait for World Cup qualification could become a 16-year one at the very least. Continue reading...

Politics