My Cultural Life - London

Mike Leigh’s latest film, 'Happy Go Lucky', has been received with enthusiasm as review pages proclaim: Mike Leigh does happy! Karen Ball wondered if she was the only film viewer who found the film’s heroine annoying. But then she decided, that may have been the whole point...

Alan Bennett is a national institution. Does his new film make another great addition to the work of Camden’s most famous resident?

We live in an age where physical attractiveness and material wealth are celebrated, but real glamour has run for the hills. Thanks to the likes of Heat magazine, we all know exactly where our A-listers go to top up their fake tan and how to spot the scars from their breast enhancement surgery. Today's stars are made of cheap tin, but The Great Gatsby inhabits an entirely different world of heartbreaking beauty, argues Karen Ball.