A meditation on everyday life: Early Morning Riser, by Katherine Heiny, reviewed
There were many moments in Early Morning Riser that made me laugh out loud in recognition. An episode where the…
Wistful thinking: Mr Wilder & Me, by Jonathan Coe, reviewed
Mr Wilder & Me is not in any way a state- of-the-nation novel — and thank goodness. Brilliant as Jonathan…
Primal longing: Blue Ticket, by Sophie Macintosh, reviewed
Sophie Macintosh’s Blue Ticket is not classic feminist dystopia. Yes, it is concerned with legislated fertility, a world where women’s…
The cure becomes the problem: The Seduction, by Joanna Briscoe, reviewed
Beth, the protagonist of Joanna Briscoe’s The Seduction, reminded me of Clare in Tessa Hadley’s debut, Accidents in the Home.…
What is driving the rise in extreme cinema?
Film-makers are increasingly turning to the violent, provocatively slow or viscerally repulsive.What is driving this rise in extreme cinema? asks Francesca Steele
Jan Morris, at 93, meditates on what it means to be old
‘I’m getting rather tired of me,’ begins Jan Morris in one of the diary entries in Thinking Again, almost certainly…
Two wide-ranging collections of short stories by and about women
Zadie Smith’s first collection of short stories shows that she can pack all the astute social commentary of her novels…
A novel take on the Western: Inland, by Téa Obreht, reviewed
Téa Obreht’s second novel is an expansive and ambitious subversion of Western tropes, set in fin de siècle America. We…
The death of cosy Christie
This is not Midsomer Murders. The new film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is thick with…
Downton Abbey on skis: Eddie the Eagle reviewed
I once forced some pals on a skiing holiday to spend an afternoon off the slopes watching Chalet Girl. Suffice…
What on earth was Ben Stiller thinking? Zoolander 2 reviewed
‘I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking,’ said a pouty Derek Zoolander…
All about the climb (and little else): Everest reviewed
‘Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side,’ sang Miley Cyrus. ‘It’s the climb.’ She’s not usually a musician to…
I always think I'm going to hate Baumbach's films and never do: While We're Young reviewed
Every time I sit down to a Noah Baumbach film I think I’m going to hate it, but I never…
The Boy Next Door reviewed: a terrible new J-Lo movie that's disturbingly enjoyable
Stateside critics, who panned Jennifer Lopez’s new film The Boy Next Door on its US release last month, may be…
Ferdinand Kingsley interview: 'Yeah, but mum's dad was totally bald too!'
Francesca Steele talks to Ferdinand Kingsley about his family and his future
The Venice Film Festival from your desk
Venice may be the oldest film festival in the world but it is still breaking new ground. This week film-lovers…
Punchdrunk’s bizarre spectacle
Standing enthusiastically by as a naked man writhes in agony might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But this is…
