The latest Thor isn’t ‘super gay’
It’s same old Marvel, dressing up the usual in brand new drag
Alexander Larman
Alexander Larman is an author and the US books editor of The Spectator.
Wednesday
Thursday
The circus that was 80s literary Britain
A new book remembers all the excitement and absurdity
Bracing for the tension of Better Call Saul
The show is about to end with all the fervor we might have wished for
Friday
The rise and fall of R Kelly
From our UK edition
It’s been an eventful week for celebrity justice, especially of the entirely predictable kind. First, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years for recruiting and trafficking young girls. Now, the musician and paedophile R. Kelly has received a 30-year prison sentence for sexually abusing girls, boys and women. He was convicted of the offence last
Tuesday
Kevin Spacey’s transatlantic fall from grace
The British legal system will decide his fate
Tom Cruise: the last movie star
From our UK edition
The actor Tom Cruise has recently released a new film, his first in four years thanks to Covid-induced release delays. You may have heard of it, a low-budget arthouse picture called Top Gun: Maverick. Ecstatic critics have fallen over themselves to praise Maverick not merely as superior to the original Top Gun (a mere 36
Monday
Why is Prince Charles accepting bags stuffed with cash?
From our UK edition
After the excitement of the Platinum Jubilee, complete with emotional tributes to ‘mummy’, Prince Charles might have been forgiven for wishing to avoid the limelight for the summer. But the heir to the throne is once again in the news. Following the recent revelation that he is said to find the government’s policy of flying
Friday
In search of a credible Elvis movie
Baz Luhrmann’s new biopic is fun but too cartoonish to capture the legend
Tuesday
The Jurassic series is ready for its asteroid
It’s become an exercise in high-budget pointlessness
Monday
The royal rabble vs the Queen
From our UK edition
By and large, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations were a success. Barring the odd moment of inexplicable poor taste, it was a well-choreographed blend of pageantry, ceremony and fun, and the deservedly viral clip of Paddington taking tea with the Queen seemed to epitomise a spirit of generosity and togetherness. Yet Her Majesty might be forgiven,
Sunday
Stranger Things and the perils of nostalgia
Its version of the Eighties is oddly benign
Thursday
Is Hans Zimmer a genius or a charlatan?
A Zimmer score is seldom less than a pleasure to listen to, as has been the case for decades
Wednesday
Ricky Gervais, Netflix and clickbait controversy
Audiences are increasingly wise to knee-jerk manipulation
Friday
Zelensky is the star of the Cannes Festival
Cannes is back, bébé
Will anyone watch a Harry and Meghan Netflix docuseries?
From our UK edition
Picture the convivial scene. You have been invited into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s palatial £11 million mansion in Montecito, California as an honoured guest. Once you have removed your shoes, been frisked for weapons or recording devices and been offered a kombucha smoothie, you are ushered into the inner sanctum of the world’s
Thursday
Pussy Riot’s daring escape from Russia
Our world could do with more like them
Wednesday
Meghan Markle’s presidential run appears inevitable
From our UK edition
Meghan Markle has starred in a Netflix show and married into the Royal Family, but has she got her eyes on even loftier ambitions? Since quitting the UK and moving to the United States, the Duchess of Sussex has involved herself in various soft-political campaigns. She’s asked Congress to legislate paid family leave. She has also placed
Tuesday
This isn’t the beginning of the Charles Regency
From our UK edition
One of the cruellest and most accurate remarks made about Prince Charles is that he is less king-in-waiting and more the perennial prince, forever hanging about in his mother’s shadow and increasingly desperate to assume the throne. Yet he is now 73 years old, and will be the oldest monarch to ascend the throne since
Tuesday
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: a battle with no winner
The age of Captain Jack Sparrow is over
Sunday
Are critics useless?
Viola Davis calls them out for their smugness while sounding a bit vainglorious herself
