ANIMATION

JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales

All 4, from Friday, July 3 Horror and comedy are strange bedfellows. They really shouldn’t work together - they are, after all, polar opposites - and yet, when done well, productions combining both can be hugely successful. Take the film version of What We Do in the Shadows, for instance, or Shaun of the Dead. Thankfully, new animated series JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales is every bit as inventive as those movies, taking classic fairy tales as its inspiration and turning them on their heads. The result is an outrageous, creepy and yet hilarious show that offers a spooky twist on the likes of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel. Among the impressive vocal cast are Linda Blair, Sheryl Lee, Robert Englund, Warwick Davis and Peter Weller.

Miller’s 2018 thriller about a grief-stricken father, who vows revenge on the cops that shot his beloved boy. Respected judge Charles Coleman Sr (Taye Diggs) is fiercely proud of his son CJ, who intends to enter the police academy and follow his old man’s fine example of upholding the law. A traffic stop ends in tragedy when police officers Rory (Gianna Capaldi) and Von (Liam Hemsworth) shoot dead CJ, falsely believing he was reaching for a gun.

They cover up their fatal mistake by planting a firearm near CJ’S lifeless body. Charles and his wife Eve refuse to accept the evidence and they resolve to learn what really happened to their son. Aided by his world-weary police buddy Horace (John Cusack), Charles uncovers the truth about Rory and Von’s deeds and vows revenge for CJ, regardless of the personal cost.

Rating: ***

LIVE THEATRE Les Blancs

National Theatre Live and Youtube, from Thursday, July 2

The latest offering from the National Theatre’s archive is Les Blancs, a powerful tale about the hope and tragedy of revolution. Written by Lorraine Hansberry, who is best known for A Raisin in the Sun, the play was first produced posthumously in 1970 and, according to many critics, should be regarded as the best example of her work; Hansberry herself felt it was the most important thing she had ever written. The story takes place in Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and highlights the issues caused by colonialism on the continent, as seen through the eyes of one family. This acclaimed production is from 2016 and stars Danny Sapani, Tunji Kasim and Sian Phillips.