Something Chronic is a first novel by Dundee-born writer, historian, gay-activist and journalist Bob Cant. Set in Dundee and its surrounding area in the 1990s, this is a generous, quirky and humorous narrative that brings together local and global voices. It bridges the past and the present successfully and coaxes the reader not to dismiss Read More
With due deference to his two best-known and most lauded films, Chinatown and The Pianist, Roman Polanski has always been at his best when working on a more intimate scale, with small casts in a claustrophobic setting. Indeed, one could already see this in his masterful first film, Knife in the Water, a virtual three-hander Read More
Last summer, I met up with a close childhood friend who has lived abroad for many years. Heading to the pub, I was surprised to find myself nervous at the prospect of meeting him again after so many years. What if we’d changed, grown apart? What if we no longer had anything to talk about? Read More
Followers of Jia Zhangke’s filmic output might be surprised by his latest offering. His body of work is known for its blending of fact with fiction and its combination of understated social commentary and humanist philosophy. As such, the unflinchingly violent A Touch of Sin may, at first glance, seem somewhat incongruous. Drawn from four Read More
Dido Elizabeth Belle is a paradox: she is both a black woman and a member of the 18th century aristocracy. The mere image of her elicits a double-take; we are not accustomed to seeing women of colour in such opulent period dress; it goes against our sense of historical accuracy and the understood precepts of Read More
On the 5th of May 1993, in rural Arkansas, three eight-year-old boys disappeared, their bodies found, naked and bound, in a local creek the following day. Despite a lack of physical evidence, in 1994, three local teenagers were convicted of the murders, which were said to be the work of a satanic cult. Extensively documented, Read More
As the title suggests, Fading Gigolo is perhaps as exciting as a waning escort can be. While the story line of a male escort may interest those relishing role-reversals in cinema, what we get from John Turturro is a pseudo-classic era Woody Allen film with neither the wit nor the complexity such films are praised Read More
Sunday evening on the M25. Darkness is falling when the traffic crunches to a sudden halt: “Standstill. The sky was tarnishing as black-winged night accelerated its descent. Over the swarms of grubby, gleaming machines, a fug of fumes sighed”. Various characters speculate on the cause of the holdup, with minimal success. The proffered explanations range Read More
Leaving the Atocha Station is a perfect little book to get lost in; it will in equal measures make you laugh, contemplate, and feel a bit better about yourself. The novel is essentially about a young American man, living in Madrid on a fellowship, who spends his days self-medicating, partaking in drugs, as well as, Read More
Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, was brought to life at Dundee Rep by the Original Theatre Company guided by award winning director Alastair Whatley. Birdsong tells the story of Lieutenant Stephen Wraysford, recalling different stages of his life before and during World War I. The play is particularly relevant during this year’s centenary Read More