Freaky Tales review – fun, scuzzy tribute to the exploitation flick
It's not clear whether Boden and Fleck are drawing on Tarantino for inspiration or on the same pulpy grindhouse schlock that informed many of his latter-day exploitation flicks. It hardly matters. With its VHS bargain-bin aesthetic, this is scuzzily enjoyable stuff that pits punks against neo-Nazis, Pedro Pascal's beaten-up debt collector against Ben Mendelsohn's chilling corrupt cop; a girl rap duo called Danger Zone against the hip-hop patriarchy. Plus, there's the added bonus of Tom Hanks clearly having the time of his life as a know-it-all clerk at a video rental store.
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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe Theatre reviews: Hairy B*stard
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hairy B*stard ★★★★★ Haldane Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall (Venue 53) until 23 August Girls just want basic reproductive health care — that's the message at the heart of Molly Farquhar's hilarious and heartbreaking semi-autobiographical solo show. As Magenta, a frilly fuchsia-dress-wearing Liverpudlian, Farquhar exudes the self-deprecating, down-to-earth charm of the slightly tipsy stranger you bond with in the women's toilets on a night out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The audience are on her side immediately, laughing along (and loudly!) as she overshares about her sex life, as well as her struggles with the pink tax, the pill, and its side effects — namely excessive hair growth. There's no reticence when it comes to audience interaction either: participants willingly assist in her pre-date beauty rituals and take to the stage to become the objects of her affection. 'Don't fall off, I haven't got PLI,' she quips — one of her many entertaining and irreverent asides. Molly Farquhar in Hairy B*stard | Contributed Things get slightly more educational as the show rolls on, with Farquhar sharing facts about PCOS — polycystic ovaries syndrome, a common yet rarely spoken about condition affecting 1 in 8 women in the UK — enlisting the help of a plushy uterus to explain the science behind it in a playful yet informative way. Honestly, this girl deserves her own public health TV show. At the very least, she could teach teachers a thing or two about how to make sex education engaging for teenagers. It's not all fun and games, however, as Farquhar deftly flips the script to reveal the personal struggles that informed the making of her show. There's not a dry eye in the house as she shares video footage of some of her darkest moments, even struggling to hold back the emotions herself as they resurface from reliving them. Farquhar's not just a powerhouse performer — she's one with a cause. While PCOS is her focus, any woman can surely identify with the feelings of alienation and the experiences of dismissive doctors she shares in this profoundly important and cathartic show. The fact she processes her pain while sporting a pink beard, hoisting an inflatable razor above her head, and breaking into a Lizzo-style dance routine while singing 'If I had a dick, would it be different?' — that's just iconic. EMILY MAY Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bad Immigrant ★★★☆☆ Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) until 24 August She comes in like one of those silent disco walking tour guides that you see around Edinburgh, dressed in pink Lycra, sparkles, a Beyonce cowboy hat and Sue Pollard glasses – only she's also on roller-skates, a key component that could be referenced in the show's title. Indeed, she's not a 'bad immigrant' at all, she explains; she's Jennifer Irons, who's from Canada, who's white, unlike one of the 'bad' ones that her neighbour might be thinking of when she voted Brexit. The show's an unusual hotchpotch of things: there's Jennifer deciding to become an elite roller-skating champion to get a Visa, but who isn't sufficiently committed to come anywhere close. Then there's the roller-skating community which is portrayed as inclusive in a way that politics often isn't, but perhaps that's because its members have less to disagree about. While Jennifer's episodic escapades are amusing they, like her skating, can feel like they're going around in circles, with attempts to get the audience involved not really adding anything apart from uncomfortable seat shifting. A lightly entertaining, but fragmented, piece about 'bad immigrants' that Jennifer seems to have little to do with, it's ultimately a story about her, with a few speeches about what's wrong with the world, before the skates are back, the glitterball's turning and this boisterous Canadian is on her feet again. SALLY STOTT Good for You ★★★☆☆ theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) until 23 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Presented by the Something's Afoot Theatre Collective as part of the New Celts programme at theSpace on the Mile, all-female three-hander Good for You is a workplace drama by playwright Emily Schaffer, which cleverly teases apart not just the threads of experience which bind women together in a high-powered office environment, but also the pressures which can create competition between them and fracture relationships. Jeanie (Fiona Hourston) has split with her husband Michael, whose inter-office affair has caused a scandal and led to his departure from the law firm where they both work. This has left a void in a team working on a high-profile case, and Jeanie hopes that, as the wronged party, she'll be the first one considered to take it over. Yet her colleagues are also in contention; young, ambitious, affirmation-reciting Summer (Natalie Beller) and the more experienced and practical Zara (Netaniah Faison-Osbourne). Director Becca Donley draws good performances out of all three of her actors, especially as each takes turns to sit behind the big desk doubling as boss Alan, who's deaf and blind to his own patronising sexism. These switches of character are cleverly done, in a production which is as smart, professional and complex as its trio of lead characters. DAVID POLLOCK Wired for Connection ★★☆☆☆ Greenside @ Riddles Court (Venue 16) until 23 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the world of online dating, 22-year-old Ontarian Athena has found a new way of meeting people – the futuristic app SoulFinder, which finds you the person of your dreams and sucks you into a virtual reality world where you can also experience your fantasy date. Except this world is male-centric, and when she finds a guy she likes she ends up on a baseball field or on the arm of a James Bond-type spy. Meanwhile offline, her friend Hera tries to give her dating advice while Athena questions whether it's a man she even wants. Presented by Yuffa Fringe of Toronto's York University, this three-hander has all the rawness of student theatre, but the acting is spirited and the situations are relatable. DAVID POLLOCK Kafka for Beginners ★★☆☆☆ Braw Venues @ Hill Street (Venue 41) until 24 August An impassioned plea for freedom from authoritarianism and love over oppression is at the centre of Julian Henry Lowenfeld's confrontational, at times arresting, at times didactic three-hander, which uses Kafka and others as a springboard for a snapshot in the dark, through the torturous strobe lights, of a relationship between a prisoner, his guard and a disembodied authoritarian controller. The piece evokes the feeling of being held hostage well, both as a show and during an impromptu Q&A at the end. The writing becomes increasingly driven by its hypothesis, leaving little time for characterisation in the second half. 'Let's complete our course in Kafka – and be free'. Indeed! SALLY STOTT King Lear ★☆☆☆☆ Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)Until 24 August Even in its original form, King Lear can be a bum-aching watch. Pip Utton's bare-bones, one-man adaptation streamlines it down to a brisk 45 minutes. What remains is a skeletal outline of Shakespeare's play, recognisable, but missing the flesh and, more crucially, the heart. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lear's tormented inner world is signposted through clumsy adaptation, meaning the psychological crescendos, Lear's arrogance, rage, and eventual grief all fall flat. There are just enough familiar quotations sprinkled in to placate the purists, but you'll struggle to follow along if you don't know the play. Utton's performance is hit and miss, stumbling around in a maddened daze. There isn't much anyone could achieve with this stodgy adaptation. ALEXANDER COHEN
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Win a £7,000 Texas road-trip for two, thanks to Travel Texas
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IN partnership with Travel Texas, one lucky Sun reader and a plus one will get the chance to win a seven-night, action-packed road trip through the heart of Texas, worth a whooping £7,000. You will get to experience the ultimate Texas adventure with stays in four-star accommodations, a Jeep rental, and all activities included. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 One lucky Sun reader and a plus one can win a road-trip for two thanks to Travel Texas Your trip begins at Camp Lucy, located in the country ranch in Dripping Springs, where you'll channel your inner cowboy with hatchet throwing and archery - learning the basics of this sport and putting your skills to the test. Next head to San Marcos just outside Austin for a unique nighttime glow kayaking experience on the clear waters of the San Marcos River, with views of the night sky above. Still in San Marcos, you'll get behind the wheel of a supercar with Longhorn Racing Academy and pretend to be Lewis Hamilton for the day in a Ferrari or Lamborghini! After that high-speed ride refuel yourself with authentic Texas food at Black's BBQ restaurant. 4 The ultimate racing experience with Longhorn Racing Academy Then, you'll jump back in your Jeep and head to Bandera, the Cowboy capital of the world. You'll watch a live rodeo at Mansfield Park, try Western-style horseback riding at Rancho Cortez, and end the day with dinner at the famous 11th Street Cowboy Bar. Your final stop is Fredericksburg, where you'll visit Becker Vineyards for wine tasting, personalise your own custom hat at Felt Boutique, and enjoy live music and dancing at Luckenbach. 4 Our Motors Editor, Rob Gill horseback riding at Rancho Cortez on his trip to Texas Still not convinced to enter? Our Motors Editor, Rob Gill, headed on this exact trip and filmed the whole thing. Watch the video above to see what you could win! 4 Under the lights at the rodeo Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, enter below. Competition is open to UK (exc NI) residents aged 18+ only. Competition ends at 23:59pm on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Winners will be notified within 28 days. Full T&Cs apply, see here.
Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
Gladiators star had 'worst three weeks of his life' after suffering injury
A Gladiators star has shed light on his horror injury that saw him lose 15kg in weight. Matt Morsia claims he went through the 'worst three weeks' of his life after being injured during the filming of the hit TV show. The 39-year-old, from Kent, said he did not eat for 12 days, lost around 15kg in bodyweight and was hiccupping every 'three to five seconds' after he tore his bicep tendon off the bone when he tackled a contender last month. Known as Legend on the BBC series, the fitness influencer told his 2.35million subscribers on YouTube: 'I've done that game almost 20 times and never had a problem before. 'But at the same time, that's the reality of Gladiators, right? That's what makes it the best show on TV. With that, you're going to get injuries. 'I won't lie I was obviously pretty devastated. Knowing I wasn't going to compete in the games anymore obviously killed me.' Five days after the incident, the father-of-two went to London for surgery so that doctors could reattach the tendon. However, at this point, he started to develop 'intense nausea' and was 'vomiting like 24 hours a day'. 'Everything I would eat, I would throw up,' Kent Online reported. 'I'm talking Team America-style projectile vomiting. And it wouldn't stop. It just stayed 24 hours a day.' 'It got so bad that I was admitted to hospital and stayed there for almost two weeks. Those couple of weeks were easily the worst of my entire life by a million miles. 'The sickness and the nausea just wouldn't go away. I literally didn't eat for 12 days. I couldn't stand up because I was so weak. In the end, I lost 15 kilograms in body weight… I feel like I'm half the person I was.' Matt also revealed how he developed extreme singultus, which saw him hiccup every three to five seconds for eight days. But after being discharged at the end of last week he is now on the road to recovery and said his bicep has healed 'very well'. This comes after Matt's fellow Gladiators star Steel, whose real name is Zack George, announced a fundraising challenge in honour of his son who was born prematurely and died just 13 days old. The TV star Steel shared a heartbreaking insight earlier this year into his baby's premature birth at 23 weeks old. More Trending Posting on social media in April, the 35-year-old shared an image of himself and his wife Samantha in tears as they held their baby Leo inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The BBC star explained how Leo had three blood transfusions, collapsed lungs, a grade one and two bleed on his brain and a hole in his heart. Now, however, George is currently taking part in a fitness fundraiser from August 18 to AUgust 30 called the '13 Days Fighting' Burpee Challenge to help raise money for other families enduring similar heartache. View More » Gladiators is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Rylan Clark just admitted an uncomfortable Doctor Who truth MORE: Star of 'one of the best TV series ever' promises season 2 is coming soon MORE: These are the greatest films of all time you need to stream right now
