SwayBlog

The ObserverStephen KingReviewStephen King's latest novel will leave you more afraid of the guy next door than of ghosts and ghoulsStephen King may be the acknowledged grand master of horror fiction, but he has always known that the everyday demons hiding behind the screen doors of small-town streets can chime with our deepest terrors just as effectively as the evil creature in the sewer. Mental illness, addiction, poverty, childhood trauma, alienation – these are the real monsters that crouch beneath the surface of our lives, and they stalk the pages of most of his fiction in one form or another, even in stories that appear to be concerned with more obviously supernatural forces of evil.

Kevin CostnerKevin Costner made for a charmless and embarrassingly miscast local legend in a dark and chaotic mess that audiences in 1991 adored Robin Hood doesn’t have to be like Errol Flynn, and perhaps it’s a fool’s game to try. But the 1938 swashbuckler The Adventures of Robin Hood, shot in truly glorious Technicolor, was not only the defining film of Flynn’s career, but the standard of who we understand Sir Robin of Locksley to be – a rebel, a romantic, a jester, a happy warrior for justice and, above all, unburdened and light on his feet.

The super-rich This article is more than 6 months oldThis article is more than 6 months oldGlobal elite told at London’s Savoy hotel of real risk of ‘civil disruption’ if more is not done to help struggling millions Business live – latest updates In the ballroom of the five star Savoy hotel on the Strand in central London, the super-rich and their advisers were this week advised that they may soon need to watch out for people with “pitchforks and torches” unless they do more to use their fortunes to help the millions struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Canada This article is more than 7 years oldThe Canada experiment: is this the world's first 'postnational' country?This article is more than 7 years oldCharles ForanWhen Justin Trudeau said ‘there is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada’, he was articulating a uniquely Canadian philosophy that some find bewildering, even reckless – but could represent a radical new model of nationhood As 2017 begins, Canada may be the last immigrant nation left standing.

MusicMale rock stars of the 1970s and 80s were often notorious for sleeping with young female fans. Now women are starting to see those encounters in a very different light In 2001, when the Mötley Crüe biography The Dirt was published, barely an eyebrow was raised at the debauchery described within. Even one of the darkest tales, in which Nikki Sixx said he “pretty much” raped an intoxicated woman after he had had sex with her in a cupboard and then sent Tommy Lee in to do the same, did little to damage Sixx’s reputation.

Pitch Perfect 2Pitch Perfect 2’s Anna Kendrick is an expert in playing twitchy high-achievers with a hint of control freakery. In real-life she’s an endearing dork. She talks to Henry Barnes about passionate fans and Hollywood gender equality Anna Kendrick catches me engrossed in a Vanity Fair spread on sex robots. A guy in California runs a factory that makes life-size erotic automata. You can buy them “natural” or hairless, busty or flat-chested.

Harper Lee This article is more than 7 years oldHarper Lee: an American novelist deserving of serious attentionThis article is more than 7 years oldElaine ShowalterHer contribution to American literature was a singleton, but the reclusive author managed to capture the zeitgeist twice Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) came out just ahead of the civil rights movement, anticipating its moral fervour and many of its important racial victories.

How to cook the perfect ...PieIs steak and ale pie enough to tempt you off the January detox wagon, or maybe even ensure you never climb aboard?I admire people who embark upon a "detox" programme at this time of year. It sounds so glamorously scientific – like one of those shampoo adverts with the cartoon molecules and unpronounceable names – and certainly far more exciting than a plain old diet. But the fact remains that January is a drear month at this latitude, and there's only so much salad one can stomach in the rain before you find yourself reaching for the Creme Eggs.

‘The Islamic fundamental of marriage is that a woman should feel safe’… Dr Amra Bone hears a divorce request at Birmingham Central mosque. Photograph: i-Images‘The Islamic fundamental of marriage is that a woman should feel safe’… Dr Amra Bone hears a divorce request at Birmingham Central mosque. Photograph: i-ImagesSharia lawSharia councils say they offer Muslim women a way out of religious marriage but critics argue this parallel legal system can leave vulnerable people trapped in abuse.