MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
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The good, the bad and the ugly
ALAN FRANK enjoys a riveting documentary charting the extraordinary life and career of Russell Brand
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
The missing sister, the vengeful WAG, cruise ship claustrophobia, and reanimated Avengers
Three great releases of lost concerts by Duke Ellington Orchestra, John Taylor & Stan Sulzman, and Joe Henderson
To rescue Kahlo from the clutches of the corporate art market, we need to acknowledge the overt and covert political dimensions of the work, demands GAVIN O’TOOLE
Brand: A Second Coming (15)
Directed by Ondi Timoner
4/5
Apart from devout followers and fans of his (brief) Hollywood stardom, comedian-actor-turned-aspirant messiah Russell Brand is probably best known to the general public for the notorious “Sachsgate” incident when he and equally ego-driven Jonathan Ross left obscene messages on the answering machine of actor Andrew Sachs.
Director Ondi Timoner includes potent footage of this infamy-catalysing incident in her riveting documentary charting the extraordinary life and career of the Essex-born stand-up star.
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From sexual innuendo about Blackpool Rock to Bob Dylan’s ‘God-almighty world,’ the corporation’s classist moral custodianship of pop music has created a roll call of censored artists anyone would feel honoured to join, writes NICK MATTHEWS