Author: Tim Baros

RESTAURANT REVIEW | The Laughing Gravy

★★★★ | The Laughing Gravy

A restaurant with a funny name sits between Southwark tube stop and Elephant & Castle – it’s The Laughing Gravy.

Blackfriars Road is a bit of a restaurant no man’s land. Right near Southwark Tube station is the excellent upscale Polish restaurant Baltic, and then a few blocks south is The Laughing Gravy, nestled into it’s spot amidst the new expensive apartment blocks and conversions that have made this neighbourhood upscale.

And upscale you will need to be as The Laughing Gravy is not cheap. Most of the hearty mains are priced between £22 and £24 each (though there are few lesser-priced options as well), while the starters are all above £8 each and the puddings no less than £7.50. The Laughing Gravy has been operating as a restaurant for around 6 years, and they are definitely doing something right. Head chef Michael Facey, along with a very friendly staff, deliver a varied modern British Menu, and it has just been named best restaurant in the Southwark and Waterloo area by Time Out.

There is truly something for everyone at The Laughing Gravy. The starters range from Pigeon and Oxtail Sausage Roll to the Roasted and Pickled Heritage Beetroot and the Wild Garlic Infused Roasted Artichoke. The Beetroot (at £8.50) was an absolute explosion of colours and flavours. Served on a black plate, it was a rainbow of beetroot with goat’s cheese and apple puree, candied cashews and kale. Served as a cold dish, it was sexy and perfect. The Artichoke starter was quite the opposite, a bit bland, though the artichoke puree and potatoes saved it from being a total waste – though at £8.50 there wasn’t a whole lot on the plate.

For the main course, my dining companion and I decided to have meat and fish. I ordered the Lincolnshire rib eye steak (225 grams), and I am glad I did. With onions, plum tomatoes and mushrooms, it was perfectly cooked (I asked for M to MW), and that’s exactly what I got. Both sides were cooked dark brown, and it was tender and scrumptious. It was served, under the meat, with delicious Madeira (wine) sauce. At £23, it was worth every penny. My companion had the Roast Lemon Sole (£22.50), and it was a panoply of seafood. Not just sole, the dish also included Devonshire crab and sweetcorn dumplings, kale, braised celery and sweetcorn curd and crab bisque. She was very happy with her portion, which I thought was a good value considering how much seafood was on the plate. Other menu choices in the lower-priced range include the Aberdeen Angus burger (£13.50), Superfood Salad (£11.50), and the Roast Heritage Vegetables (£14.00). Other higher-priced recommended items include the Roast guinea fowl (£22), Pan-fried seabass (£22.50), and the Lamb Rump (£22.00). Sides are a must and include Hand cut or Truffle chips, or the excellent Salt baked champs (mash potato) (£4-5 each).

I recommend having a dessert as there was quite a selection. My companion had the Plum, quince, Madeira and honey crumble, and it was just as we expected, crumbly delicious. I had the Champagne, mango and lime cheesecake, and it was small yet heavy and came with a tiny doughnut. Next time I will order the Treacle and apple tart or the Salted caramel mousse (£7.50 to £8.50).

The restaurant’s wine, beer and cocktail list goes on for days. There are about 24 cocktails to choose from, my companion was happy with her margarita, while I was happy with my Lemon Drop (Ketel One vodka, fresh lemon juice and Cointreau) – though it was very sweet. Other options include the LG Bloody Mary to the Hazelnut Martini and the divinely sounding Waterloo Sunset (elderflower liqueur and gin topped with champagne and Chambord – and the most expensive drink on the menu at £13.50). With my steak, I had the full-bodied and delicious French 2014 Cotés du Rhone – highly recommended. The Laughing Gravy’s wine list includes wine from other countries including Italy and Spain – it’s one of the most exhaustive wine lists I’ve ever seen.

The Laughing Gravy sits about 50 people, it’s got a small welcoming bar past the entrance, and a room that’s big with high-pitched ceilings. Beautiful wood floors and a smart decor makes The Laughing Gravy cosy and comfortable. Noise levels get a bit high when they are busy (we were there on a Saturday night), but it’s bearable. The staff are very welcoming and our waiter Oliver and hostess Freddi made us very welcome from beginning to end, including when I accidentally put the menu on top of the candle and it caught on fire. Luckily the restaurant survived the fire though your wallet might not be so lucky.

Reviewed by Tim Baros

Telephone: 020 7998 1707

thelaughinggravy.co.uk

RESTAURANT HOURS:
Monday to Thursday: 1200 – 1500 & 1700 – 2200
Friday: 1200 – 1500 & 1700 – 2230
Saturday: 1200 – 1600 & 1700 – 2230
Sunday: 1200 – 1630

Address: 154 BLACKFRIARS ROAD, LONDON SE1 8EN

22nd January 2017
Gay and Lesbian Critics announce their film award nominations

Moonlight leads the list of nominations for the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA) Dorian Awards.

Director Barry Jenkins story of growing up gay in Miami was nominated in both Film and LGBTQ Film of the year categories. It was also nominated for its screenplay and directing for Jenkins, as well as Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes as Film Performance of the Year – Male, and it was also nominated for Visually Striking Film of the Year.

Moonlight will compete in the best film category along with Jackie, La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, and 20th Century Women. Jackie also received nominations for Film Performance of the Year – Female for Natalie Portman, Director of the Year (Pablo Larrain) and Visually Striking Film of the Year. La La Land, which recently won 7 Golden Globe Awards, besides Film of the Year is also nominated for Director and Screenplay of the Year (for Damien Chazelle), Film Performance of the Year – Male – Ryan Gosling and Female – Emma Stone, as well as Visually Striking Film of the Year. Gay film director and fashion designer Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals was all but ignored by the Gay and Lesbian critics, yet they found a spot for it in the Campy Film of the Year category.

In addition to film and television awards, the group also nominates individuals for their overall achievements. The Timeless Star Award will be automatically presented to John Waters. The Wilde Wit of the Year, honouring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse, includes the late Carrie Fisher amongst its nominees.

The Dorian winners will be announced Jan. 26. The group’s annual Winners Toast, honouring a select group of the 2016-17 winners, will be held Feb. 18, 2017 in Los Angeles.

Here is a complete list of the nominees:

Film of the Year
Jackie (Fox Searchlight)
La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)
Manchester by the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)
Moonlight (A24)
20th Century Women (A24)

Director of the Year
(Film or Television)
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (A24)
Pablo Larraín, Jackie (Fox Searchlight)
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)
Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios)
Damien Chazelle, La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)

Film Performance of the Year — Actress
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women (A24)
Viola Davis, Fences (Paramount)
Isabelle Huppert, Elle (Sony Classics)
Emma Stone, La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)
Natalie Portman, Jackie (Fox Searchlight)

Film Performance of the Year — Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight (A24)
Ryan Gosling, La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)
Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight (A24)
Denzel Washington, Fences (Paramount)

LGBTQ Film of the Year
Being 17 (Strand)
Closet Monster (Strand)
Moonlight (A24)
Other People (Vertical)
The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios)

Foreign Language Film of the Year
Elle (Sony Classics)
Neruda (The Orchard)
The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios)
Things to Come (Sundance Selects)
Toni Erdmann (Sony Pictures Classics)

Screenplay of the Year
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (A24)
Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster (A24)
Damien Chazelle, La La Land (Summit/Lionsgate)
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea (Roadside/Amazon Studios)
Mike Mills, 20th Century Women (A24)

Documentary of the Year
(theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
I Am Not Your Negro (Magnolia)
O.J. Made in America (ESPN Films)
13th (Netflix)
Tickled (Magnolia)
Weiner (Netflix)

Visually Striking Film of the Year
Arrival (Paramount)
Jackie (Fox Searchlight)
La La Land (Lionsgate)
Moonlight (A24)
The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios)

Unsung Film of the Year
American Honey (A24)
Captain Fantastic (Bleecker Street)
Christine (The Orchard)
Other People (Vertical)
Sing Street (The Weinstein Company)

Campy Film of the Year
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (Fox Searchlight)
King Cobra (IFC Midnight)
Nocturnal Animals (Focus Features)
The Dressmaker (Broadgreen/Amazon Studios)
The Neon Demon (Broadgreen/Amazon Studios)

TV Drama of the Year
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Westworld (HBO)

TV Comedy of the Year
Atlanta (FX)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)
Insecure (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Veep (FX)

TV Performance of the Year — Actor
Riz Ahmed, The Night Of (HBO)
Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX)
Donald Glover, Atlanta (FX)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX)

TV Performance of the Year — Actress
Claire Foy, The Crown (Netflix)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Thandie Newton, Westworld (HBO)
Sarah Paulson, American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson (FX)
Winona Ryder, Stranger Things (Netflix)

TV Current Affairs Show of the Year
Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

TV Musical Performance of the Year
Beyonce, “Lemonade,” MTV Video Music Awards (MTV)
Kelly Clarkson, “Piece by Piece,” American Idol (Fox)
Lady Gaga – “Til It Happens to You,” The 88th Academy Awards (ABC)
Jennifer Hudson, “I Know Where I’ve Been,” Hairspray Live! (NBC)
Kate McKinnon “Hallelujah,” Saturday Night Live (NBC)

LGBTQ TV Show of the Year
Looking: The Movie (HBO)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars (Logo)
The Real O’Neals (ABC)
Transparent (Amazon)

Unsung TV Show of the Year
Fleabag (Amazon)
Lady Dynamite (Netflix)
London Spy (BBC America)
Please Like Me (Pivot)
The Real O’Neals (ABC)

Campy TV Show of the Year
Finding Prince Charming (Logo)
Fuller House (Netflix)
Hairspray Live! (NBC)
RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars (Logo)
Scream Queens (Fox)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Fox)

We’re Wilde About You! Rising Star of the Year
Millie Bobby Brown
Lucas Hedges
Connor Jessup
Ruth Negga
Trevante Rhodes

Wilde Wit of the Year
(honouring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
Samantha Bee
Carrie Fisher
Bill Maher
Kate McKinnon
John Oliver

Wilde Artist of the Year
(honouring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theatre and/or television)
Beyonce
Viola Davis
Barry Jenkins
Kate McKinnon
Lin-Manuel Miranda

Timeless Star
(to an actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit)
John Waters

19th January 2017
FILM REVIEW | Manchester By The Sea

★★★★★ | Manchester by the Sea

Studiocanal

Casey Affleck gives a devastating performance in Manchester by the Sea.

In a role that will win him the Academy Award for Best Actor, Affleck is Lee Chandler, a man stricken with grief, so much grief that gets worse when he gets word that his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler in flashbacks) has suddenly passed away in their hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire. Joe leaves behind teenage son Patrick (newcomer Lucas Hedges), and it’s Lee who is now Patrick’s guardian.

But Lee just doesn’t have the energy, or the passion, to take in his nephew. Now a handyman, he moved to Boston after a tragic event that took the lives of his three children, a tragic event that could have been prevented, and a tragedy that caused the breakdown of his marriage to Randi (Michelle Williams).

So he’s really quite unsure and struggles with what to do with Patrick. Lee can’t send Patrick to his mother, who he is not close to.

There is so much darkness in Manchester by the Sea that it’s hard to leave the film without feeling depressed and sodden. Yet it’s Affleck’s acting that propels this film to must-see and award-worthy status.

Affleck, who is Ben Affleck’s younger brother and who just won a golden globe gives the best performance of his career.

His Lee is quite unlike any character you’ve seen all year – and Affleck plays him amazingly.

Williams is also very good as Lee’s wife who eventually moves on and starts a new life, and BAFTA rising star nominee Hedges is a real find and perfect as the rebellious teenager.

In a film produced by Matt Damon, who was originally going to star as Lee, and with excellent writing and directing by Kenneth Lonergan (2000’s You Can Count On Me) who with this film cements himself to A-list status of Hollywood filmmakers, Manchester by the Sea is one of this year’s few must-see films.

15th January 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

★★★★ | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

CREDIT: Andreas Grieger

Great performances by a cast of three is the highlight of the play ‘Strangers in Between.’

Playing for the second year in a row at the Kings Head Theatre, ’Strangers in Between’ is a drama about a young man experiencing the big city for the first time. Shane (Roly Botha) has moved from his small hometown in Australia to the big city of Sydney. He says he’s 19, and he works in a liquor store yet doesn’t even know how to use the register. In walks a customer – gay and trendy Will (Dan Hunter). Shane at first is a bit intimidated by him, but they manage to make small talk until another customer walks in – Peter (Stephen Connery-Brown) – a middle-aged gay man looking for a simple yet inexpensive bottle of wine. Eventually, Shane gets Will’s number.

Shane lives in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, an area teeming with prostitutes and crime. But Shane loves it there, especially as it’s far away from his family, and especially brother, he ran away from. He and Will hook up for a few trysts – it’s purely a sexual relationship – while Shane finds comfort in his friendship with Peter. But Shane has a couple secrets, one being his age, and the other involving his homophobic brother Ben (Hunter). But suddenly Ben finds Shane in Sydney after Shane’s world is falling apart after he has lost his job and contracted an STD from Will.

The cast is very admirable but it’s Botha who shines. His Shane is young, cute, innocent and with a nervous tick – he dominates the very small stage – Botha is a wonder. Hunter ably does double duty as Will and Ben, while Connery-Brown is very good as Peter. While the ending is a bit of a letdown, the play, written by Tommy Murphy, is a show that all of us can relate to because at one time we were all young and innocent and new to the big city.

For tickets, please visit:

Strangers In Between plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

13th January 2017
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Mamie’s

★★★★ | Mamie’s

If you’re looking for an excellent crépe in Covent Garden, I’ve got the place for you.

Mamie’s, on Catherine Street, right across the street from the Theatre Royal where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is playing, serves many varieties of crépes – both sweet and savoury (also known as galettes). Nestled in a three-story building, Mamie’s is a cozy place for cozy food and has something for everyone. If you’re looking to make the visit a full meal, then your first course will be a galette – there are 9 galettes to choose from, all made from buckwheat, gluten free, and healthy. If you like salmon, you’re in luck – there is Salmon and Cheese as well as a dish called La Baudelaire, which my lunch companion had, with salmon, mushrooms, a fried egg, and cheese, along with lettuce on top. At £9.50 it’s a bit pricey, but it’s served open-faced (as opposed to rolled up) – and it is large. Other options include the Forest Compléte – egg, ham, emmental cheese, créme fraiche, mushrooms and onions (£8.90), and the cleverly-named L’Edith Piaf – blue cheese, pears, walnuts and mixed salad leaves (£7.90). I had the delicious La Chateaubriand – a rolled galette wth sausage, onions, whole grain mustard and mixed salad leafs – a snip at £7.90 – and very very tasty.

Of course, when I think of crépes I always think of the sweet kind – the ones you buy at markets and, if you’ve been to Paris, you can find loads of créperies that serve them – they’re a French institution! And at Mamie’s they’re delicious! I had the homecooked apples and cinnamon crépe. Talk about perfect, it was so so good, and very large, and at only £4.90 an excellent deal. You can choose from other options including Nutella (£4.90), pears and chocolate (£4.90), La Magritte – home cooked apples, caramel and vanilla ice cream (£6.90) or the La Henri Dés – Nutella, caramel and marshmallows (£5.90). Or if you’re a bit too full from your main course, then a butter & sugar or a lemon & sugar might be best for you (£3.00 and £4.50 respectively).

Mamie’s also has a small menu of starters including tapas and salads (though two were sold out on the day we visited), as well as an excellent beer and cider menu, and a cocktail menu that are specially-made and all at £8.00. But Mamie’s is very unique in two aspects of its business – the way you order and what you order. When you sit down you are given a computer tablet to place your order. Each course and drinks options are on the main page – and each dish has a picture of it – so you know what you’re getting! But even more clever is that for each galette and crépe, you can add additional items as toppings. So in the case of one of the galettes, you can add more salad, honey, an extra egg, ham, or onions, all at a very small surcharge. And in the crépe world, feel free to add jam, chocolate, pears, apples, perhaps turn it into a flambée – almost anything you want! There is also dairy free and vegan options. So if this doesn’t entice you I don’t know what else will!

French born Aymeric Peurois opened Mamie’s in early August and has designed his restaurant in the style of Brittany. As a child, he used to go to his grandmother’s house in Brittany (Mamie’s means grandmother in French) where she used to make crépes. So Aymeric, who is a former financier, decided to leave his job and open Mamie’s, which can seat around 40 people on both the ground and first floor (though five of the tables on the first floor are extremely close to each other). Aymeric is very passionate about the place, and he has plans to turn the basement into a cider bar/cider cellar. It’s a beautiful room, made to look like a speakeasy, and it’s got a see-it-to-believe-it large map of Brittany on the ceiling! Très incroyable! I really wish Aymeric all the luck in getting this business established and successful – it’s a very cute and cosy spot right in the heart of the West End.

Reviewed by: Tim Baros

Address: 19 Catherine St, London WC2B 5JS, UK

Phone: +44 20 7836 7216

For opening hours and to check the menu, please visit:
mamies.co.uk

12th January 2017
FILM REVIEW | Retake

★★★ | Retake

An unusual love story takes place in the new film ‘Retake.’

But is it really a love story? Handsome businessman Jonathan (Tuc Watkins) has returned to San Francisco to relive a trip from his past – a trip that was with his late lover Brandon. So Jonathan picks up hustlers on the streets and pays them to play the role of Brandon by adding a few squirts of cologne and a black wig. One of the hustlers fails miserably at the task, however, another one, Adam (Devon Graye), who looks a bit like Brandon, easily settles into the role, enough so that Jonathan takes him on a car ride to the Grand Canyon, a trip that Jonathan and Brandon were never able to complete because of Brandon’s death from a drug overdose on the trip.

Jonathan has Adam totally re-enact Brandon’s persona – from having him wear his actual clothes to making sure he drinks Brandon’s favorite drink – and Jonathan also has Adam copy Brandon’s gestures. Lines are blurred when Adam starts acting like himself and Jonathan appears to be falling for Adam and not Adam’s Brandon. But will their relationship survive the road trip after Adam confronts Jonathan about photos he has found in his briefcase that all too weirdly mirrors the exact places and poses Jonathan had Brandon pose for on their ill-fated trip?

‘Retake,’ aptly named because of the re-staged photos with Adam, literally takes us on a journey of a man who tries to relive his past. Watkins is a bit stiff as Jonathan, however, Graye is everything you would want him to be; sexy, charming, flirty, fun, and after he cuts his hair to look like Brandon, handsome.

Writer and Director Nick Corporon brings us an original story that, though at times falls flat and and is a bit unbelievable, ultimately win our hearts and becomes one we can identify with for those of us who have suddenly lost a partner.

VOD/DVD release is on Jan. 10th

8th January 2017
FILM REVIEW | Uncle Howard

★★★★ | Uncle Howard

Howard Brookner was three days shy of 35 when he died of AIDS in 1989.

Who was Howard Brookner? He was an American film director and famous for his college thesis documentary on William S. Burroughs – the American novelist who was also a member of the beat generation. Brookner also wrote and directed the feature-length film Bloodhounds of Broadway – a period comedic ensemble that starred several big names including Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Anita Morris, Julie Hagerty, Randy Quaid, and Madonna.

But Brookner was more than just a film director – he was also an uncle, an uncle to Aaron Brookner. And Aaron has made a film about his uncle in a moving documentary simply titled Uncle Howard.

Aaron, 35 years old, was inspired by his uncle to make movies. In the documentary we see home video footage of Howard hanging out with Aaron when he was a kid, with Howard parading Aaron around on his shoulders. These scenes are touching and sentimental because it sets the tone of the short relationship Aaron had with his uncle, an uncle who passed away when Aaron was only 8-years-old, an uncle who made such an impression on him that decades later Aaron would want to make a documentary about him. Aaron’s early memories of Uncle Howard included being on the set of Bloodhounds of Broadway, a film that turned out to be Howards only major studio film, and unfortunately, he passed away before its release.

Aaron wanted to seek out Howard’s original film footage for his Burroughs documentary, and found it in a place called The Bunker in lower Manhattan, the former home of Burroughs. There are scenes of Aaron watching the old tapes which are then inter-spliced with the actual film footage, which gives us, and Aaron, a glimpse of the early work of his uncle, an uncle with high doses of passion and talent. The old footage also includes glimpses of Allen Ginsberg and Andy Warhol, while both new and old footage shows Jim Jarmusch, with Howard in the 1980’s, and then with Aaron in the present day.

The writer Brad Gooch gives us a raw insight into his ten-year relationship with Howard, while discussing the loss of Howard and many friends during the height of the AIDS pandemic, scenes that are emotional, touching and sentimental. But what most pulls at the heartstrings is Aaron’s conversations with Howard’s mother, Elaine, who walks down memory lane with Aaron about the life of Howard and how he was taken from them at such a young age. Uncle Howard is a film with a personal touch, and Aaron has successfully delivered a fitting tribute to an uncle who died way too young.

I wish I had an Uncle Howard.

15th December 2016
THEATRE REVIEW | Buried Child

✭✭✭ | Buried Child

CREDIT: Buried Child

If you want to see Ed Harris sitting on a couch for close to three hours, then Buried Child is the show for you.

Harris, film and television star, is excellent as Dodge, the father of two sons (dysfunctional doesn’t even come close to describing them). He lives in an old, ram shackled dilapidated house in Illinois with his wife Halie (Harris’ real-life wife Amy Madigan), who pops up in the first and third acts. Yes, this play has three acts, with two very quick ten-minute intervals between the acts. The last show I saw that had three acts, (The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures), was very painful to sit through and felt a bit like Chinese water torture. Buried Child, playing at Trafalgar Studios, is not that bad but it still feels like a long show.

Harris does spend the whole time on centre stage, on the sofa, and he’s even on the sofa before the show even starts. Dodge and Halie share their home, unwillingly, with their two grown up sons. They’ve obviously missed the financial gravy train and are unfortunately tethered to their poor lot in life. One son, Bradley (Gary Shelford), never left home, and who continues to bring into the house freshly dug up vegetables from no one knows where because there’s not a garden anywhere near the house. Tilden (Barnaby Kay), who used to live in New Mexico, has returned to the family homestead because of an incident that happened there. It’s up to Halie to be the sane member of the family, this is until their grandson Vince (Jeremy Irvine), son of Tilden, arrives in town with his girlfriend Shelly (Charlotte Hope). Immediately Shelly is uncomfortable in the house full of Vince’s miserable and depressed and sick grandfather, father and uncle. But there is a family secret that’s slightly mentioned which peaks Charlotte’s curiosity, and she wants to find out more. Meanwhile, Vince goes to the grocery store to buy booze for his grandfather because the bottle he had under the couch is missing, and while Charlotte is speaking to Bradley and wanting to know more about this secret and starts nagging a bit too much, he puts his hand into her mouth (at this point if I were her I would’ve run out of that house). But the secret that has doomed this troubled family is literally, and eventually, out of the bag, but not before Vince goes missing for the rest of the night and Halie returns home with the family pastor who’s just as uncomfortable in the house as Charlotte is. But it’s not until the final scene that leaves you with an image that you won’t soon forget.

Buried Child is a very wordy play. perhaps a bit too wordy, but it being a Sam Shepard play, there is lots that is over dramatic, over the top, and bordering close to the unbelievable. Surely cutting out one act would’ve made this play more biting, sharper and dramatic instead of long-winded, but director Scott Elliott is able, just, to keep the drama and tension up, while maintaining, until the very end, the mystery of this family’s tragic existence on earth.

Buried Child is now playing at Trafalgar Studios until February 18, 2017.

11th December 2016
FILM REVIEW | The Pass

★★★★ | The Pass

CREDIT: Grapevine Digital

Two footballer players end up scoring with each other in Ben A. Williams feature film debut The Pass, which was recently featured at London’s BFI Film Festival.

The Pass take place in a ten-year time span which tracks the relationship between two Premiership football players. There’s always been some kind of chemistry and attraction between James (an electric and very good Russell Tovey) and Ade (Arinzé Kene – Hollyoaks – also very good). We meet both of them while they’re sharing a hotel room in 2006 in Bulgaria right before one of their first big matches. They’re both very young, and they’re also both very fit, masculine and extremely sexy, and they spend the first third of the movie in their tight white underwear.

James and Ade are talking lads stuff, having a laugh about other players, and watching a video that was taken of another player having sex. The sex talk continues, and the banter goes something like ‘getting as hard as your sister sitting on my face.’ They’re playing around with each other; it’s hot, it’s erotic, it gets brutal and homophobic, plus, we find out later, it leads to more than just talk.

The Pass takes us beyond the hotel room to tell us the story of the relationship between these two men, but especially about the relationship James has with himself. He’s all man, a star footballer, with all the trappings of stardom; money, women, celebrity, and eventually a wife with two kids. But he’s also battling with his sexuality, and even though he buys whatever, and whomever, he wants when he wants it, the thing he wants most is out of his reach. And when he’s questioned about his sexuality by a woman who has been paid to videotape having sex with him, he wants to go through with it, just to prove to the world (and obviously to himself) that he’s not gay. He’s a man who is not able to accept who he is and who he really wants to be with.

The Pass is 88 minutes of purely charged up adrenaline. It’s a movie that’s full of dialogue, dialogue that goes from playful banter to sexually-charged hi-jinks, up to and including the final third scene of the movie, which involves a hotel bellboy that’s a bit over the top. But it’s not to take away from a movie that brings up a real issue – that there is not one out gay football player in the game now.

Let’s hope this film opens up the dialogue that it’s fine for a player to come out of the closet. Originally produced for the Royal Court Theatre in 2014, The Pass makes an excellent transition to the big screen. Kene brings a real toughness kindled with a bit of softness to his role, but it’s Tovey who owns the movie. He’s never been better; his James is battling with his sexuality while at the same time trying to uphold his image. Tovey is electrifying and is at the top of his game. This is one pass that you have to catch.

The Pass is out in cinemas this Friday.

7th December 2016
THEATRE REVIEW | Beauty On The Piste

✭✭ | Beauty on the Piste

CREDIT: Above The Stag

It’s Panto season in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, and with that comes shows that are silly and campy, some good and more than a few not so good. But does it really matter?

This year’s panto at Above the Stag is Beauty on the Piste, a reimagining of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and it’s exactly what you would expect, but perhaps a bit less.

This is the plot, in a nutshell: Morag (David Moss) and her son Mac (an adorable Ross Tucker) own a tea house high up in the mountains in a town called Les De Nice (Les Dennis – cue laugh here).

Passing by the tea house is the young lithe and blond boy Beau (Joshua Oakes-Rogers) and his father Gustav (Andrew Truluck). Beau is eternally horny and always on Grindr (we’re getting tired of Grindr being in almost every gay play nowadays). But nearby is where The Beast (Jamie Coles) lives, behind huge gates in an old mansion, and he’s hardly ever seen.

One night Morag and Gustav decide to take a walk to get to know each other better, but they are kidnapped by The Beast, and it’s up to Morag and Beau to go looking for them. They find them in The Beast’s home, and Beau trades places with his father to let him free, and it’s only a matter of time before sparks fly between Beau and The Beast. But trouble lies on the horizon; the gay Sebastian St. Moritz (Simon Burr), who owns lots of the property in Les De Nice, wants to raise the rent of the tea house, so what’s the newly rescued Morag and her son going to do? Throw in Mabel the Fairy (a cute Briony Rawie), and The Beasts housekeeper – Heidi (Ellen Butler) – who keeps morphing into various items one finds in the house- and what you’ve got is a show, with a sing-a-long, that’s full of glitter and glee.

Does it matter that the songs are awful? No!

Does it matter that this production is not one of the Stag’s better shows? No!

And does it matter that most (if not all) of the cast can’t sing? Of course not!

Why?

Because you’re not going to see Beauty on the Piste because it is sold out for the rest of it’s run! So perhaps console (or congratulate) yourself and buy a ticket to their next production – Bitches Ahoy – a show that bills itself as a “gay holiday hilarity” – hopefully it’s a return to the Stag’s better quality shows. Just one month to go until Panto season ends, whew!

Just one month to go until Panto season ends, whew!

Beauty On the Piste plays at Above The Stag until 14th January 2017

6th December 2016
FILM REVIEW | Chi-Raq

★★ | Chi-Raq

Chicago has such a high murder rate that from 2003 to 2011 there were more murders there than in the same years in the Iraq war. On one Independence Day, 55 people were murdered. And in one year alone, 400 school kids were shot. With stats like this, a film with a message about violence and murder in the Windy City is seriously needed. But don’t expect it from Spike Lee’s new film called Chi-raq (Chicago and Iraq).

What we do get instead is a musical drama where woman ‘take away the pussy’ from the men in order to stop them from using their guns. This is triggered by the death of a local girl who is the daughter of a church going religious mum (Jennifer Hudson). This in turns leads Lysistrata (yes, that’s her character’s name – and she’s played brilliantly by Teyonah Parris), to withhold sex from her boyfriend Demetrius, whose nickname is Chi-raq (a surprisingly good turn by an unrecognisable and very buffed up Nick Cannon a/k/a the former Mr Mariah Carey). Lysistrata rallies her girlfriends to do the same, and they all band together to declare ‘no peace, no pussy’ while holed up in an armoury in downtown Chicago (the scene where Lysistrata seduces the general in charge of the armoury has got to be the most ridiculous scene this year). This sex strike makes the men crazy, they’re missing their women, and even the mayor’s wife joins the strike, causing him (played by D.B. Sweeney) to intervene in this major crisis that’s taking place in his city, and, of course, right before a re-election.

Lysistrata rallies her girlfriends to do the same, and they all band together to declare ‘no peace, no pussy’ while holed up in an armoury in downtown Chicago (the scene where Lysistrata seduces the general in charge of the armoury has got to be the most ridiculous scene this year). This sex strike makes the men crazy, they’re missing their women, and even the mayor’s wife joins the strike, causing him (played by D.B. Sweeney) to intervene in this major crisis that’s taking place in his city, and, of course, right before a re-election.

It’s the women who take centre stage in this movie; they’re sexy and hot and all of them seem to be wearing very little clothing, and what they do wear is extremely provocative – tight fitting tops and shorts – with padlocks over their crotches (yes, for real). It’s quite misogynistic. It all comes to a head when Lysistrata and Demetrius have a sort of sex-off to resolve the crises that are televised live for everyone to see. Really stupid stuff there.

It’s quite misogynistic. It all comes to a head when Lysistrata and Demetrius have a sort of sex-off to resolve the crises that are televised live for everyone to see. Really stupid stuff there.

It all comes to a head when Lysistrata and Demetrius have a sort of sex-off to resolve the crisis that is televised live for everyone to see. Really stupid stuff there.

Spike Lee has a voice and the talent to make a film that could’ve highlighted the problems and issues dealing with Chicago’s murder rate, but instead he’s written, produced and co-wrote a satire/comedic farce that can’t decide whether it’s a musical, a tragi-comedy, or something so surreal and stupid that you can’t believe that it’s is unfolding right before your very eyes. The cast is first rate, including Angela Bassett as a woman who had a daughter that was killed by a stray bullet, and John Cusack as the local priest who has to preside over the many funerals that take place in the black neighbourhood.

The music is excellent and the locations and cinematography are all first rate. Samuel Jackson is ridiculous as a narrator who pops up every now and then wearing very bright coloured suits – his role is a distraction that doesn’t really help the film’s narrative. Chi-raq was released in US cinemas in 2015 and was a commercial bomb, making only $2.7 million from a budget of $15 million. It’s a film that’s likely to recoup its cost back – deservedly so.

Available on iTunes | Amazon

5th December 2016