Reviews

Despite impressive production and some great performances, Colin Murphy finds the Gate production of Anna Karenina cold

Mel Gibson's latest epic, Apocalypto, tells the story of a Stone Age village attacked, its people murdered in sacrifice to a Mayan god. Beautifully shot and powerfully written, it nonetheless slips into melodrama in its efforts to make a point about contemporary society. By Declan Burke 

Heelys, soup, foreign languages, David Bowie. What made the theatre tick in 2006? Colin Murphy tries to remember.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer compensates for a lack of smell by giving the audience a lavish visual extravaganza while Miss Potter, a biopic of writer Beatrix, is just too sweet to hit the spot. By Declan Burke 

The relocation of the the Playboy of the Western World to contemporary, suburban China recaptures the play's entertainment for Colin Murphy

Conceived by Ian Spero and produced by his company BigTime, Rockchic is a lovingly crafted and expertly staged tribute to the life and times of the electric guitar, featuring a decade-by-decade history of the instrument spanning its 75 years in commercial production. Over 130 guitars are featured, including instruments owned and signed by artists like Keith Richards, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Paul Mc Cartney and Neil Young.

Clint Eastwood's attempts to demystify the heroism of war in Flags of our Fathers, are unusually clunky for such a talented director, but Woody Allen's Manhattan, now showing on the big screen, is still picture-perfect. By Declan Burke.

It's a silly, silly play, but one which has stood the test of time. Edward O'Hare finds something to laugh at the Abbey's revival of The School for Scandal 

The aptly-titled Deja Vu offers nothing the cinema-goer hasn't seen a million times before , while The Wizard of Oz, remastered and showing in all its big-screen glory, proves that they don't make ‘em like this anymore. By Declan Burke

In the South Pole, a solitary penguin sets out to save the environment, while back in the city a traffic warden deludes himself into thinking he can save the whole world. By Declan Burke