THE FLARE FILM FESTIVAL IS BACK: HERE’S THE EVENT LOWDOWN

a trend as time goes on, Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern’s film benefits greatly from the fact that most of the time it’s documenting has been captured on film.

This helps to plunge the viewer into the New York of the time, and you really get to know these legendary figures before their sold out stadiums.

If the authenticity is there, the insight is sadly missing. We get personal tidbits like The Strokes’ swaggering front man Julian Casablancas being quite awkward off stage, and the various insecurities and jealousy that comes with several bands hitting it big at the same time. However, these always seem like a collection of stories rather than a singular movement. New York is a character in itself, going through post-9/11 despair to the divisive gentrification of the surrounding burroughs. But geography and success seem to be the only things holding these musical journies together. nomenal chef makes a dish,” through trial and experimentation, it’s well worth trying a dram straight for the proper experience.

Meet Me In The Bathroom never digs beneath the surface of what made the scene special, and the number of classic artists mentioned each deserve their own individual portrait. However, as a burst of nostalgia it will more than satisfy those 30 somethings who have traded their skinny jeans and Converse for a business suit.

Upstairs in the Harrods window, items including the original Little Nellie from You Only Live Twice, and Oddjob’s hat from Goldfinger, form an interesting partner exhibition that’s worth spending half an hour wandering through on the way to the bar.

Back downstairs, and a man sits down behind me and prepares his flash light. It’s 4pm on a Monday but Bond fans know how to drink.

TV Shows that get movie spin offs are often faced with a conundrum: how to make this new format seem like more than a long episode. BBC detective show Luther always seemed to have cinematic aspirations, but after five seasons can Idris Elba’s world-weary cop find anything new to say?

Following the events of the most recent series, former detective John Luther (Elba) is now a prisoner serving time for breaking the law in pursuit of justice. When it emerges that an old foe, tech-based killer David Robey (Andy Serkis) has resurfaced, Luther breaks out of confinement to hunt him down.

London turns into a rainy warren of back alleys and dead ends that feel torn from the grimmest of comic books. The cat-and-mouse pursuit is fairly standard, but it’s all enjoyably over the top.

Elba is endlessly watchable, making the title character empathetic despite his questionable methods, while Serkis is perfect casting as the baddie. While not quite a revelation, Luther: The Fallen Sun is a grimy noir that will delight fans of the long running series. After years of being linked with Bond, Elba shows that he is doing just fine with his own antihero.

The UK’s largest queer film festival returns this 15-26 March, where hundreds of new LGBTQ films will be screened, both feature films and shorts, alongside a programme of events.

The BFI Player will also host a selection of films that are free to watch from home, but all in-person events, including post-film Q+A sessions with directors and cast, will take place at the BFI on the South Bank. BFI Expanded launches this year, for the first time offering a curation of immersive digital cultural experiences exploring virtual reality storytelling.

Films are divided into three categories for 2023: Hearts, Bodies and Minds. Minds will focus on art, politics and community, Bodies on sex, identity and transformation and Hearts are films about love, romance and friendship. There will be 28 world premieres,

58 feature films and 90 shorts shown from 41 different countries. The festival will open with the International premiere of Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker’s The Stroll, a documentary about black and brown trans sex workers in New York, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury: Clarity of Vision Award.

The closing film is Hannes Hirsch’s Drifter, a coming-of-age tale about a young man in Berlin that had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. The festival’s Five Films for Freedom initiative returns this year, spotlighting movies from creators living in, or hailing from, countries where freedom and equal rights are limited.

This year films focus on Guyana, South Korea, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Cyprus and the USA. The films can be found on the British Council’s YouTube channel.

Ollie Phillips

MERCURIAL talent Finn Russell can drive Scotland to their first ever Triple Crown in the Six Nations era on Sunday afternoon when his side host Ireland.

I would go as far as saying the flyhalf is a genius, while his opposite number at Murrayfield – Johnny Sexton – is world class in his own ways. Scotland have never been too far off the pace but they are really clicking at the moment, and a lot of that is down to Russell.

There’s something, too, about his bravery which is just so captivating. He is always going for that risky pass or that extra five metres when he kicks penalties to touch.

Sometimes he gets caught out, sure, but it’s his tenacity to try again on the very next phase or kick – and skill to get it spot on – that I admire so much.

And the depth around him has improved dramatically. Look at outside centre Huw Jones, for example, keeping British and Irish Lion Chris Harris out of the side with ease.

If this match were in Dublin I would say Scotland had no chance, but in Murrayfield they cannot be written off by any means.

In the past I have been critical of teams that have won trophies when maybe they haven’t entirely deserved it – such as Wales’ Six Nations success in 2021 – but if Scotland won the Triple Crown this weekend I would have no such arguments.

And it is good for the tournament to see Scotland winning some of the bigger trophies. We have seen all of this talk about Italy needing match wins but Scotland have underperformed for far too long in this competition.

Any Scotland side steered by Russell has a chance of winning a rugby match, but this team could take the scalp of world No1 Ireland and make a massive statement ahead of a World Cup where they play their Celtic neighbours in the pool stages.

Crunch Time

Le Crunch on Saturday is a banana skin for England. There’s no shame in losing to France given the quality of their rugby at the moment but this is

RUGBY