Culture

The legacy of the caricature

That the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the 2026 Academy Awards is going to be a serious tear-jerker was solidified by the passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry over two consecutive days.

The problem with Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

Nolan had all the tools for greatness. Instead, to my eternal frustration, his 'Odyssey' will always only be just alright.

‘One Night Only’ (2026) and the death of romance

Romance movies are, on the whole, my favourite movie genre. But good romance movies, like good romantic relationships, are hard to find, and easy to mess up.

Caught between grief and hope: ‘On Some Far Shore’ reviewed

Fresh off the back of 'Our House' and 'Macbeth', Cross Key Productions presents an original three-hander focused on the complexities of grief and young love.

Preview: Playhouse Creatures

Oliver Williams is equally intrigued by the play and the director at the BT

Milestones: Sympathy for the Devil

This week, Samuel Dunnett worships at the altar of the Rolling Stone’s ‘Sympathy for The Devil’ and its lasting legacy for satanism in music

Between the devil and the (Johnny) Depp

Fintan Calpin on the perils of looking too deep into Polanski’s occult thriller The Ninth Gate

Interview: Jamie Phillips

James Chater chats to the up-and-coming conductor about his visit to Oxford

Review: The Prophetess

A very frank view of Student Opera

Sci-fi classic? Not by a giant leap

Patrick Oisin Mulholland reviews Ridley Scott's The Martian

Satanic Panic: Pentagrams and Pent-up Angst

Sam Joyce goes on an occult odyssey back to the 1980s to revisit a ludicrous moment in popular culture

Review: If Alice

Mark Barclay reviews his favourite show of the term this far

Hecuba as never seen before

Lucy Clark is stunned by the RSC’s radical reinvention

Review : Turn Of The Screw

Henner Petin finds himself scared by an atmospheric show

The fatal beauty of the cliché

Olivia Sung reviews Crimson Peak, Del Toro's cult classic to-be

Songs From The Screen

Tom Waterhouse on the remarkable power of cinematic music.

The Mercury Prize: "Enigmatically Diverse"

Ellen Peirson-Hagger assesses the pros and cons of the revered award

Review: City and Colour – If I Should Go Before You

Flora Henderson tells you why listening to City and Colour's latest album isn't just Killing Time.

Review: Real Lies – Real Life

Jackson Whitton lays eyes on Real Lies' Real Life

Why so serious?

The overriding trend of modern television is the decline of seriously funny US drama

All Sound and no Fury?

Lawrence Warner has mixed feelings about Justin Kurzel's Macbeth

Preview: Singin in the Rain

The eponymous downpour won't dampen Richard Birch's hopes for a great production

A Day In the Life

From essay crises to predrinks, Cherwell’s got you covered

Does the music move you, or does the music ‘move’?

Jake Downs explains the psychology of musical motion — every raver’s best friend.

Follow us