This week's edit - 26th September 2016

Watching

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a total joy and I totally adored it. Set in beautiful New Zealand countryside, it is very funny, clever, odd and poignant film with wonderful performances all round.

Seeing

A small but perfect exhibition of William Eggleston portraits is currently at the National Portrait Gallery (until 23rd October).  Eggleston's intriguing and beautiful photographs are well worth seeing.

Reading

The Trespasser by Tana French.  I love French's Irish crime novels and this latest one is proving her most gripping yet.

Listening
I am currently laughing my way through the My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast, which is entirely Not Suitable For Work but very very funny.

Autumn Art Preview

Generally speaking, the autumn is a strong time for new exhibitions in London, mostly because galleries plan the highlights of their programmes to coincide with the behemoth Frieze Art Fair at the start of October when hordes of international art dealers and collectors descend on the city for a few days.  This autumn, I'm looking forward to:

Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters

I have a love/hate relationship with Frieze - it is a fantastic opportunity to catch up on trends in contemporary art and get inspiration for work projects, but it is too expensive, too big, too hot and too full of 'art people'.  

Abstract Expressionism
Major works by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, amongst others, will no doubt be stunningly presented at the Royal Academy.

William Kentridge
I find William Kentridge's work fascinating so am looking forward to this show at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Wifredo Lam
Cuban artist Wifredo Lam is the subject of this retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern.

Turner Prize
Sometimes controversial and often disappointing, the Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain is still a must-see.

This week's edit - 19th September 2016

Seeing
I was a little sceptical about the idea of a musical version of Groundhog Day, but relaxed completely when I heard it was in the hands of Tim Minchin.  I saw it last week and it is truly special, hilarious with fantastic songs, great performances and wonderful production design.  Its run at the Old Vic has now finished and it's off to Broadway, but it is bound to come back to the West End so get ready to book tickets when it does.

Reading
Ann Patchett is one of my favourite authors and her new novel Commonwealth is a beautifully written, engaging and thoughtful story of two families and their shared fate.

Booking
There is some cracking theatre coming up this autumn.  I have my grubby little paws on tickets for Oil (Almeida Theatre), Lazarus (Kings Cross Theatre), The Red Barn (National Theatre) and Nice Fish (Harold Pinter Theatre).  Plus my comedy favourites, Bridget Christie (Leicester Square Theatre) and the Pajama Men (Soho Theatre).

Public booking for the London Film Festival is now open so get moving!  I could easily spend the whole festival in a darkened cinema but my diary and bank balance have forced me to restrict myself somewhat.  La La Land, Nocturnal Animals and A United Kingdom have all had wonderful reviews and are firmly in my diary, plus Trespass Against Us (not such great reviews but Fassbender, so you know... *shrugs*).

This week's edit - 5th September 2016

Seeing
The i360 is a new observation tower in Brighton.  162 metres tall, it is a stunning piece of design and engineering and obviously has wonderful views across the sea and South Downs.

Watching

Cafe Society is Woody Allen's latest film and it is somewhere in the middle between his best works and his worst.  It's lightweight and forgettable but with a lovely central performance from Kristen Stewart and some truly beautiful styling and cinematography.

Reading

Amy Schumer's first book, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, is exactly what you'd expect - hilarious, heartfelt and frank to the point of embarrassment.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I saw her do her standup live this weekend too, and that's where she really excels.

Booking
The BFI London Film Festival programme has been announced and booking opens to the public on 15th September.  Priorities for me and my ticket booking fingers will be La La Land, Nocturnal Animals, Arrival and Free Fire.

Listening
This week is #trialweek on The Archers, the culmination of the slow-burning story of domestic abuse and coercive control between Rob and Helen.  It's clearly well-researched and powerful stuff.