Any romance reader knows that not all romance novels are created equally: Some leave you swooning, others leave you shrugging, and the worst ones leave you shutting the book and never picking it back up. Emily Henry, a fantasy-YA author turned romance queen, is easily one of the most beloved romance novelists of the last five years. All six of her romances caused quite a stir on BookTok, and all but one have been optioned for on-screen adaptations.
Last year, character comedians Adam Riches and John Kearns joined forces for an archly silly tribute to crooners Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Now Riches is back with another leftfield celebrity riff as he gives his Game of Thrones-era Sean Bean impression (as seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his Edinburgh show Dungeons'n'Bastards) a yuletide twist.
Bizet's opera Carmen is a powerful presence in our cultural landscape, with melodies such as that of the habanera L'amour est un oiseau rebelle etched into the public's consciousness. The gritty story combines groundbreaking operatic verismo' within the structural framework of the French Opera-Comique', while being infused with the spirit of the Zarzuela, the Spanish musical theatre that helped define the country's national identity.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey: In the yawning aftermath of After Yang, writer/director Kogonada tries again with Colin Farrell, this time welcoming Margot Robbie to another potential wad of corn, giving it a horrific title, and going for the tearjerking jugular. I'm sorry, but it grows harder every year to cheer for the man who made Columbus. One Battle After Another: Paul Thomas Anderson interprets Thomas Pynchon for the second time, casting Leonardo DiCaprio as fu-manchu'd Bob Ferguson.
