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Credit: David Blandy, Atomic Light, installation view, John Hansard Gallery, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Reece Straw

Atomic Light review: Solar astronomers rescue an uneven installation

22 March 2023

Four films make up Atomic Light by video and installation artist David Blandy, a work marred by overstatement, but saved by the story of two solar astronomers who drew the sun on the day of the Hiroshima blast


(from left) M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

M3gan review: A chilling sci-fi film about the dangers of AI care

25 January 2023

It pays to know what you really need from a sophisticated learning machine, particularly if you don't want a killer robot on your hands, says Simon Ings


The best films of 2023, from Dune: Part Two to Patrick and the Whale

The best films of 2023, from Dune: Part Two to Patrick and the Whale

29 December 2022

From blockbuster sci-fi to epic biopics and jaw-dropping documentaries, here are the films we can’t wait to see in 2023


Silhouette of a man in a tent. He reads a book and drinks tea. Winter time. Pine forest.

The best non-fiction books of 2022: A feast for the soul

30 November 2022

From concrete dinosaurs to human evolution, exquisite plants to space travel, we pick the best non-fiction to give to those you love this year


All That Breathes review: Rescuing raptors in Delhi

All That Breathes review: Rescuing raptors in Delhi

28 September 2022

In this award-winning and compelling documentary, rescuing the injured black kites and water birds of Delhi is a family effort, finds Simon Ings


The Directors review: Five intimate short films about psychosis

The Directors review: Five intimate short films about psychosis

31 August 2022

Five people in recovery from psychosis guide artist Marcus Coates as he recreates aspects of their experience in this series of disorienting and sometimes very frightening short films, finds Simon Ings


David Earl stars as Brian in director Jim Archer's BRIAN AND CHARLES, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Will Davie / Focus Features

Brian and Charles review: Can robots transform us, asks fantasy film

6 July 2022

A gentle fantasy about a lonely inventor called Brian, whose world changes completely when a robot he creates comes to life, makes a serious point about the possibilities of personal robots, finds Simon Ings


Elusive review: The story of the Higgs boson defies normal narratives

Elusive review: The story of the Higgs boson defies normal narratives

29 June 2022

Finding the Higgs boson is the compelling story behind Elusive: How Peter Higgs solved the mystery of mass. But Frank Close's book lives up to its title as both the man and his particle ultimately slip through the net


Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete

Top Gun: Maverick review: Thrilling nostalgia with superfast planes

8 June 2022

A high octane mix of war, techno thrills and sports movie, Top Gun: Maverick devotes itself to nostalgia in a well-told tale of misunderstanding and redemption – and superfast planes


Meet the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in this engaging history

Meet the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in this engaging history

1 June 2022

In the parkland of Penge, in south London, dinosaurs roam. The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs by Mark Whitton and Ellinor Michel is a visual feast that examines these Victorian sculptures


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