Close-Up Culture

Independent journalism on the things we love

Close-up: An Interview with Krista Kosonen

KRISTA KOSONEN is one of Finland’s most respected actors, known for her roles in films such as The Midwife (2015) and Body of Water (2011). Krista’s latest film, Miami (read our review here), screened at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year and is awaiting a UK release date. Q: Congratulations on Miami. It is…
Provocative Theatre – The Provoked Wife (Theatre Review)

SIR JOHN Vanbrugh was a talented individual. An architect of renown, he designed Blenheim Palace and Grimesthorpe Castle (amongst others), properties that today stand testament to his incredible eye. Yet he was also a writer of two plays, The Relapse (1696) and The Provoked Wife (1697), which to this day are still held up as…
Swimming in a Pool of Office Politics and Stationary – Dolphins and Sharks (Theatre Review)

DOLPHINS are often able to ward off shark attacks by swimming together in pods. This theme of togetherness – or lack of it – is explored in Dolphins and Sharks, a play written by American playwright James Anthony Tyler and getting a welcome airing at the Finborough Theatre. Set in a downmarket stationery store in…
This Week On Prestridge²

Scenes of the Day – Interstellar Goodbye (click here to read) “This scene is a moment of raw, small-scale human emotion before the film opens up to grandiosely explore space and time. One of loss and sacrifice that swells to emotionally striking climax.” The Birdman Shadow “Iñárritu’s camera then pans round to a front view of…
Talk Radio Ga Ga – Talk Radio (Theatre Review)

THIRTY long years have passed since Talk Radio showed to audiences for the first time in New York. The play, by Eric Bogosian, was so successful that it prompted Oliver Stone to put it on celluloid (1988). Success number two. To coincide with Its 30th birthday, Talk Radio has now been resurrected at The Old…
Mrs Orwell’s Dying Days Brought to Life – Mrs Orwell (Theatre Review)

WHAT a well-oiled engine the Old Red Lion theatre possesses. Like its close Islington neighbours the King’s Head and the Hope – and the west London based Finborough Theatre – it defies the odds by producing some of the best fringe theatre going. On occasion, among the best theatre that London has to offer. A…
Peeping Grace – Window (Theatre Review)

VOYEURISM is a feature of modern society. It has been fuelled by the growth of social media, 24 hour news, our appetite for celebrity gossip and the nation’s voracious consumption of easily available soft pornography. But for some voyeurism is a train journey from fun to obsession with unfortunate consequences, a theme expertly captured by…
Q&A with Una Director Benedict Andrews + Film Review

IT has been a while since a film – outside of the horror genre – made me wriggle uncomfortably in my seat. But Una, an adaptation of well-travelled – and controversial – play Blackbird made me uneasy throughout. But the uncomfortable watch was one worth enduring because the film deals head-on with the difficult and…
Marriage: As Equals or Unequals? -Just to Get Married (Theatre Review)

PLAYWRIGHT Cicely Hamilton was a remarkable woman of her time. Brought up by foster parents in the late nineteenth century – an experience she hated – she became a radical feminist and active suffragette. It is no surprise therefore that her views were powerfully reflected in some of the plays she wrote – none more…
Thank You for Six Months of Prestridge²

Prestridgesquared.com has just turned six months. It has proved an enjoyable debut as we have immersed ourselves in the best film, theatre and live music that the country has to offer. We have reviewed the latest films, attended numerous Q&As with eminent directors and watched some of the best theatre – both in the west…