Though unlikely to be particularly indicative of a wider critical response, it’s impossible to ignore the snorts of incredulity that echoed throughout the Debussy theatre in the Cannes Palais, following a key narrative revelation halfway through Asghar Farhadi’s occasionally compelling but frustratingly contrived festival opener, Everybody Knows. Up until that moment of weakness, Farhadi’s quasi-thriller had displayed plenty of muscle. A modest opening act sets the scene well. Laura (Penélope Cruz) – accompanied by her two children, including her teenage...

If there’s one thing the UK’s not short of, it’s hotels fit for a king or queen. In London and beyond, there’s five-star hotels a-go go, as well as luxury boutique retreats that are well used to catering for an audience demanding discretion and quality. Of course, it all comes at a price. But for those with cash to spare, or those keen to celebrate with the royals during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding on May 19, here are...

Child abuse survivors who grew up in 'hellholes' run by the Home Office and other institutions have been 'ignored', their 'complaints and accounts sidelined', the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales (IICSA) heard today. The Home Office, local authorities, their insurance companies, police and social workers who disbelieved abused children, all came under fire. The inquiry set up by Theresa May as Home Secretary heard how these institutions had all failed shockingly to protect many of...

A drug developed to treat brittle bones could cure baldness, suggests a new study. Researchers found that the drug, originally designed as a treatment for osteoporosis, has a "dramatic stimulatory effect" on human hair follicles donated by patients undergoing hair transplantation surgery. Currently only two drugs - minoxidil and finasteride - are available for treatment of male-pattern balding. But both those medications have side effects, and often produce disappointing hair regrowth results. The only other option available to patients is...

About 25 minutes into Revenge, a close up of an ant heralds one of my favourite sequences in a 2018 film to date. For a second it’s just there, large and still in the middle of the screen. Then, in slow motion, with a sound effect like a crashing wave, a drop of blood falls on it. One, two, three, and more drops fall until the film returns to normal speed and the blood becomes a small lake, swallowing the...

Police have revealed that 11 tower blocks were targeted in a city centre in April

The giant train set in North Wales includes a waterfall and a suspension bridge, ten railway engines and 50 items of assorted stock

Fans of Andrew Niccol will be all too than familiar with the director’s particular brand of Philip K Dick inspired output. From the timeless cult classic Gattaca which is set in a future where people are judged on the strength of their genetic make-up rather than on merit, to the slightly less well received In Time, in which time has replaced money as currency, creating a two-tier society in which only the rich can hope to live beyond the age...

The term 2018-22 will be one of the toughest the Conservatives have faced in Wandsworth, Councillor Ian Lewer says. Following a shock win the Deputy Mayor for the borough predicts that the next four years are likely to be some of the most challenging that the party has faced in its now 40 year rule. Aside from having to manage a council with the lowest majority since 1986, "the number of issues facing the authority are huge and complex," Lewer said....