Family drama is a surefire future classic March 27, 2014 FILM THE PAST Cert 12a | By Alex Dymoke Five Stars NAMING a film after a big, weighty abstract noun like “the past” demands something serious and monumental – The Past is just that. It’s a slow-burning, intelligent and unexpectedly gripping family drama about the power exerted by the past over the present, and the [...]
Line, colour and an encyclopedia for modern life March 27, 2014 ART OBJECTS OF OUR TIME Alan Cristea Gallery | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars IN THE 1970s and 80s, Michael Craig-Martin’s output earned him a reputation as the most hated man in British art. His brazen conceptualism infuriated the critics. One particularly memorable piece was “Oak Tree” – a glass of water on a plinth [...]
Fashion biopic more style than substance March 20, 2014 FILMYVES SAINT LAURENTCert 15 | By Simon ThomsonTwo Stars THERE just isn’t enough of a story to support a biopic of Yves Saint Laurent. The first half, addressing his early career and emergence as an independent force in the fashion industry, is an underpowered French remake of Mad Men. The second, where he descends into [...]
These excursions put the treat into corporate retreat March 20, 2014 Forget the cringeworthy connotations of team-building, these outings are team-tastic TeamSport go-kartingFrom £24.99 per driver, team-sport.co.ukBoost your employees’ competitiveness and drive by pitting them against one another on a race track. TeamSport has just opened a new 800m track in Charlton, and they’ve bought up a shiny fleet of 270cc LPG karts that can reach [...]
Where to Drink: Your guide to London nightlife March 20, 2014 Sometimes it’s more palatable to pitch up at a restaurant bar to get a feel for the ambience rather than committing oneself to an entire meal, and with many of the most oversubscribed eateries boasting better drinking facilities than your local boozer, it can be a good bet for starting a night out. Roka Mayfair [...]
Scarlett fever: Under The Skin is a classic March 13, 2014 FILMUNDER THE SKINCert 15 | By Alex DymokeFive Stars IF YOU were considering the filmic potential of Scotland, first to come to mind would probably be the highlands; the dramatic barrenness of the western isles, the bronze light that illuminates the Grampians every evening. You probably wouldn’t think of Asda, Tescos, or obscure ring-roads on [...]
Wes Anderson’s Hotel is well worth a stay March 6, 2014 FILMTHE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTELCert 15 | By Steve DinneenFour Stars OF ALL the directors working in Hollywood today, Wes Anderson has the surest grip on his material. Every frame bears his unmistakeable indie stamp; he owns every costume, every carpet and cushion, every trundling tracking shot, every expression and intonation. His films feel like they’ve [...]
The Oscars according to City A.M. February 27, 2014 JUDGING PANEL: ANNABEL PALMERSTEVE DINNEENALEX DYMOKE BEST PICTURE • NOMINEESGRAVITY DALLAS BUYERS CLUB12 YEARS A SLAVETHE WOLF OF WALL STREETPRISONERS• WINNER12 YEARS A SLAVE SIMON THOMSON: "Steve McQueen directs with utter surety and the delicacy with which the film is composed, and the natural beauty of its Louisiana setting, reinforces the pervading sense of grinding terror. [...]
Vampire films never get old… or do they? February 20, 2014 FILMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVECert 15 | By Steve DinneenThree Stars ONLY Lovers Left Alive is a movie with vampires in it, but it’s not really a vampire movie. It hemorrhages introspection and indie sensibility rather than horror panache. There’s hardly any blood in it. If I were the kind of writer who used bad puns, [...]
Internet dating – literally… February 13, 2014 FILM HER Cert 15 | By Alex Dymoke Five Stars HER is set in a hazily utopian Los Angeles of the not too distant future. At night the city is lit up like the milky way. During the day it looks like a Google advert, with streets full of serene, handsome people gliding along in [...]