π₯ Check out this awesome post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Film,Comedy films,Romance films,Christmas,Comedy,Culture,Life and style,Film adaptations,Books β
Key idea: Feelgood's romantic Christmas comedies are like school nativity plays: you can forgive a lot for a toasty, festive glow. The Secret Santa Project, based on the book by Tracey Bloom and set in the accounting department of a London council, manages brief flashes of cozy magic in places but really feels a bit like The Hangover of Christmas.Like Richard Curtis's Love, in fact, this is a film with a bunch of interwoven storylines. Samantha Giles plays Diane,…
π₯ Check out this awesome post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Television,Television & radio,Culture,Boxing π‘ Hereβs what youβll learn: Al Eubanks: Like father, like son9pm, BBC ThreeA documentary that goes beyond boxing, following Chris Eubank and his son Chris Eubank Jr. in behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews filmed over the course of a year. They talk about in-ring rivalries, modern masculinity, living through grief after the death of Eubank's other son, Sebastian, in 2021, and rebuilding a strained relationship with each other. Holly RichardsonWar Detectives: On the Front Line7pm on BBC TwoAn estimated 100,000 soldiers who participated…
π₯ Check out this must-read post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Patti Smith,Pop and rock,Autobiography and memoir,Music,Books,Culture,Poetry,Biography books,Punk π‘ Hereβs what youβll learn: TArtist memoirs continue to flow post-pandemic, but Patti Smith stands apart. The poet who wrote punk into existence before catapulting to pop stardom and then pursuing fans to raise a family has, in the 21st century, turned to literature and music with such verve that it's become difficult to pinpoint the medium that suits her best. It hardly matters. Smith, 78, lives and breathes together.Her latest memoir follows the tightly focused coming-of-age story Just…
π Explore this must-read post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Theatre,Stage,Culture,Ola Ince,West End,Agatha Christie,Books,UK news,Crime fiction,Fiction,The Traitors π Main takeaway: Audiences left thirsting for more suspense after the Celebrity Traitors finale should visit the final murder mystery, The Mousetrap, the director of the new film has suggested.Ola Ince has taken charge of Agatha Christie's Invincible, the world's longest-running play, which has entered its 73rd year in London's West End. The director, who is known for her powerful approach to Shakespeare, said Christie's drama, about a group of strangers dropped into a remote guesthouse with a killer on…
β¨ Check out this trending post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Classical music,Culture,Music,Wigmore Hall π Hereβs what youβll learn: AAmong the plethora of female composers who have finally gotten their due in recent years, Rebecca Clarke stands out for sheer quality and consistency of inspiration. Born in 1886, she studied at Stanford University, worked with Vaughan Williams, and as a virtuoso violinist, became one of the first professional female orchestral players in London. Upon moving to the United States, her output declined, but her energetic music and recently rediscovered vocals have proven fertile ground for today's performers.In…
π₯ Check out this must-read post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Punk,Music,Experimental music,Culture β
Key idea: 'TβThe hinges haven't changed,β Yves Libertine sighs, thinking about her new album. βAll of those songs are as relevant as they've ever been.β The album in question, Live at the Horse Hospital, shows no sign of one of punk's most anti-establishment figures maturing with age. Recorded at a stunning live show in London in April 2024, Libertine collaborated with Chilean guitarist Eva Leblanc, reimagining tracks from Libertine's back catalog including tracks from their time singing with 70s anarcho-punk pioneers Crass. Produced…
π₯ Check out this insightful post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Caroline Flack,Television & radio,Culture,Television β
Main takeaway: HeyOn the evening of February 15, 2020, news emerged that TV presenter Caroline Flack had been found dead in her home in London. Nearly six years later, her death by suicide remains shocking. Caroline was one of Britain's most beloved hosts, best known as the face of Love Island UK. She has also presented The X Factor, winning the twelfth series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside Pasha Kovalev. In addition to her enviable television career, she had a kind…
β¨ Discover this must-read post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Coen brothers,Film,Culture,Comedy films,Brad Pitt,Frances McDormand,George Clooney,Comedy,Tilda Swinton π‘ Key idea: TThe opening credits suggest interesting action: a view of Earth from outer space on the East Coast of the United States and zoom in on what is revealed to be a large building complex nestled in the woods β what we soon learn is the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia β to a soundtrack of propulsive thunderous percussion. From here, it will gradually become clear that there's no great mystery in the film, Joel and Ethan Coen's…
π₯ Check out this insightful post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: Poetry,Books,Culture,First world war π‘ Main takeaway: papersWeak, brittle mist on the confusing and gnarled branches;Little gilded leaves lie still, for stillness seizes every branch;The pools in the muddy road sleep, and the stars reflect indifference;Steeped in the beauty of moonlight are the earth, the valleys,Full of quiet shadow, with the mist of sleep.But far on the horizon rise great pulses of light,The methods of rifles, wrestling and grapplingLike ancient brute stone gods struggling in confusion;Then a shell purred above our heads, burdening usI answer with sudden…
π Read this must-read post from Culture | The Guardian π π Category: The Traitors,Television,BBC,Culture,Media,UK news π Main takeaway: The Celebrity Traitors will return for a second series in 2026 after its record-breaking audience debut, the BBC said.Scotland's Ardross Castle and host Claudia Winkleman will welcome a new cast of stars to TV's ultimate game of trust and betrayal.Comedian Alan Carr was crowned champion of the first series last week, after he was revealed to be unfaithful to comedian Nick Mohammed and TV historian David Olusoga, who were loyal to him and pocketed the Β£87,500 prize pool for his charity.Kalpna…
