8 h. ago The Zola Experience review – life follows art as stage relationship spills into real

When actor-director Anne Barbot embarks on an adaptation of a Zola novel with her neighbour, the gap between theatre and reality appears to collapse entirelyArt and life fuse deliriously in Gianluca Matarrese’s hybrid film, which alternates between documentary and fiction, theatre and cinema. Recently divorced from her husband, actor-director Anne Barbot throws herself into preparing a stage adaptation of Emile Zola’s classic novel L’Assommoir. In Gervaise, the working-class heroine of the book, Barbot finds echoes of her current situation: both are women who struggle to reclaim professional autonomy in the aftermath of broken relationships. Barbot’s production becomes more complicated when she casts Benoît Dallongeville, a neighbour who is also an actor, in the role of her love interest in the play. Soon, passion and tension begin to spill from personal relationships on to the page, and vice versa.Matarrese’s film keeps the camera strikingly close to Barbot and Dallongeville as the...

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5 d. ago Larry: A New Biography of Lawrence Durrell by Michael Haag review – a Mediterranean life

This unfinished biography evokes Corfu and Alexandria – but leaves disturbing questions unansweredSpirit of Place is a collection of minor travel pieces published by Lawrence Durrell in 1969. “Spirit of Place”, though, could easily serve as a descriptor for the entire arc of Durrell’s literary output: Prospero’s Cell (1945), an account of three years spent on Corfu before the second world war, the Cypriot memoir Bitter Lemons (1957), and the career-making Alexandria Quartet (1957-60). The islands and littorals of the Mediterranean gave Durrell his subject, remade by him into a theatre in which men and women, displaced by the political and social violence of the mid-20th century, stumbled towards each other amid the ruins of ancient civilisations.It feels right, then, that this biography of Lawrence Durrell, only the second major one since his death in 1990, is by Michael Haag, who spent his career writing about the eastern Mediterranean. Haag’s best book was Alex...

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9 d. ago MOVIE REVIEW: Does animated life suit the titular creature in 'Predator: Killer of Killers?'

Awesome anthology takes in different time periods and eaves franchise in exciting place for the future.

Events

1 week ago MY LIFE IN A GARDEN by Carl Gorham: Nature? It will ruin your garden

Gardening is meant to be a relaxing pursuit, but after the death of his wife, Carl discovered the trials and tribulations that come hand in hand with curating nature.

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1 week ago Among Friends by Hal Ebbott review – how to blow up your life

All seems perfect for these rich and successful New Yorkers – until a bond is violently shattered in this sharp and pleasurable debut Amos and Emerson are the best of friends; everyone knows this. They are a model of male intimacy and understanding: confiding in each other, trusting each other, hugging each other (“real, loving hugs, clutches without irony”). Theirs is truly a friendship for the ages.Or so it seems. For on the weekend of Emerson’s 52nd birthday, an occasion at the centre of Hal Ebbott’s probing and insightful debut novel, something happens that changes everything – and raises the question of whether we can ever truly know anyone. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Solenco Life wine coolers review: perfect pours with two stylish gadgets

Serving wine at its perfect temperature is no longer just for sommeliers. These two clever Solenco Life gadgets promise fuss-free, flavour-filled pours every time.

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2 w. ago High five: Slip into some classic couture with the Renault 5 E

Replaced almost three decades ago by the Clio, the hatchback supermini has been reimagined and thrust back onto the catwalk with no little style and success, writes Sean O’Grady

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2 w. ago Heston Blumenthal’s BBC documentary My Life with Bipolar ought to be a wake

Celebrity chef opens up about being sectioned in this one-off programme that is most arresting when looking at the bigger picture

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3 w. ago Nintendo Switch 2 review: Is new console worth the money? from battery life to joy

Nintendo's latest hardware may lack surprises, but it's a confident follow-up to one of its best ever - here's our full Switch 2 review, including everything you need to know about the system

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3 w. ago He gave her a one star review. She ruined his life. A Fringe performer turns the tables on a critic.

Charlotte Runcie’s debut novel Bring the House Down draws on her time as a Festival reviewer and captures the fraught and funny frenzy of the city in August.

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3 w. ago Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet, Edinburgh review: 'brings mods and rockers back to life'

With a talented cast, arresting design and a phenomenal score, this show captures what it was like to be young at an important cultural moment, writes Kelly Apter

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last month Robbie Williams at the Emirates Stadium review: 'a grand scale This Is Your Life'

The showman does not disappoint on a night when he arrives on stage upside down from a giant gold rocket

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