Film: Men In Black 3
The men are back – in 3D – for this third outing in the sci-fi-comedy series. After Barry Sonnenfeld’s less-successful second installment, it’s been a case of back to basics, literally, with a time travel story taking Smith’s wise-cracking Agent J back to the Sixties, where he meets a young Agent K (a suitably dour Brolin), to stop an assassination attempt that will change history.
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin | PG | 105mins
On general release from May 25
Film: Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson’s (A Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenebaums) latest continues his now trademark fractured families and kookiness, but reins in the whimsy for funny and throws in crowd-pleasing drama in a tale of young love.
Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are two kids on a quiet New England island. Sam’s an orphan, unpopular with his peers, and Suzy is deeply misunderstood by her family, from whom she is withdrawn. The two embark on a pen pal relationship that blossoms into something more, and as they run away together, a search party – comprising Edward Norton’s Scout Master Ward and scout troupe, Bruce Willis’ gruff police Captain Sharp, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand’s warring parents, and Tilda Swinton’s ‘Social Services’ – is launched.
It’s Anderson’s most accessible and satisfying film to date – where he was more likely to raise wry smirks before, here the laughs come from the belly.
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton | 12A | 96mins
Exhibition: Writing Britain
Subtitled ‘Wastelands to Wonderlands’, this exhibition considers what effect the British landscape, from its rolling hills to grey skies and urban decay, had on British authors such as JG Ballard and William Blake. Includes manuscripts, photos, videos and more, in its look at the Grey Isles’ creative output.
British Library
96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB. Until Sept 25. £9
Tube | King’s Cross
bl.uk
Comedy: Comedy Bonk
This late and loud comedy show is a raucous affair. MC Laura Carr marshalls the mayhem, with Chris Dangerfield and Lloyd Griffiths kickstarting the laughs, and Absolute Radio DJ and stand-up Greg Burns (above) headlining into the small hours. Expect riotous acts and, probably, a booze-fuelled riotous audience, too.
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE | May 26 | 11.30pm | £15
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Theatre: A Slow Air
For 14 years, middle-aged siblings Athol and Morna haven’t spoken. But what caused the rift between single mum Morna and solid, reliable, happily married Athol? In an absorbing 80 mins, David Harrower’s intertwined monologues reveal how different their two lives have been in this low-key, quietly engaging two-hander. LK
Tricycle
Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR | Until Jun 2 | £14-£24
Tube | Kilburn
tricycle.co.uk
Theatre: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
This popular musical – it was the second longest running off-Broadway musical with 5,003 performances – hits London for a five-date only run. Non-linear in struture, it tells, through snapshots of various relationships, in various stages, the ups and downs of ‘‘the mating game’. Funny, relatable, and with a new London-tweak.
Bridewell Theatre
Bride Lane, EC4Y 8EQ. May 22-26. £15
Tube | Blackfriars
stbridefoundation.org
Theatre: Top Hat
Irving Berlin’s 1935 RKO motion picture hit was as frothy as they come. Director Matthew White and Howard Jacques’ stage adaptation – pitching Summer Strallen and former Strictly winner Tom Chambers into the Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire roles of society model and Broadway dancer – is spirited, if just as light on plot. LK
Aldwych
Aldwych, WC2B 4DF. Until Jan 26 2013. £20-£65
Tube | Covent Garden
tophatonstage.com