Blocky, crazy and rather excellent October 14, 2012 SHRIEKING and shouting and lots of people under two foot running amok is not your typical hotel reception experience. But then neither is a giant smoke-puffing dragon, pits of Lego that you can swim in (if you so desire) and giant square-headed characters rolling around the premises. The Legoland Hotel, which opened slap bang in [...]
Lech has all the goodness of the Alps without the crowds October 14, 2012 LECH is what Aspen wants to be when it grows up,” is how I’ve heard Austria’s Alpine region described. Now, I’m no skier (hate the cold and don’t have great balance) but this statement alone made me want to visit Lech. So, full of Olympic fatigue and eager for a change of scenery, I headed [...]
On the Road is a sprawling, messy journey October 12, 2012 FILM On the Road *** By Steve Dinneen Filming a book as iconic as On the Road is no mean task – especially after 55 years have elapsed. In the event, director Walter Salles captures some of the atmosphere but little of the spirit of Kerouac’s novel, leaving me with a nagging feeling that the [...]
A fascinating, brutal and, in this case, very personal look at a post-Leveson media landscape October 11, 2012 THEATRE ENQUIRY Barbican | *** Being close to the subject of a play doesn’t necessarily make you any better equipped to review it. A soldier may be on first name terms with the horrors of war but that doesn’t always make him the best person to appreciate the artistic merits of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse [...]
Theatre: Damned by Despair and Scenes from an Execution October 11, 2012 THEATRE DAMNED BY DESPAIR The National Theatre | By Naomi Mdudu ** THE LAST time I saw Oliver award-winning actor Bertie Carvel he was playing Miss Trunchbull in childhood classic, Matilda: The Musical. Last night we were reacquainted as he took to the stage as Enrico, a similarly vile character, in Frank McGuinness’ take on Tirso [...]
Don’t forget the batteries this Xmas October 10, 2012 Angry Birds Mega Smash £24.99 The latest creation from the makers of the all conquering smartphone game sees you destroying real-life pigs. Smashing fun. www.toysrus.com Leap Frog LeapPad 2 £89.99 Over 200 cartridge and downloadable games make learning fun for ages 3-9 – and ensure your kids are kings of the tablet generation. www.leappad2.co.uk Web [...]
Property firm PointPark eyes a London float October 9, 2012 EUROPEAN warehouse operator PointPark Properties yesterday announced plans to raise £250m in a float on the London Stock Exchange, marking the first IPO in the real estate sector for two years. The property group said it plans to use the proceeds to buy a €760m (£612m) portfolio of properties that it currently manages on behalf [...]
Aston Martin strikes the right balance October 9, 2012 “It’s the best car we’ve ever made,” says Dr Ulrich Bez of the new Vanquish. I resist the temptation to ask Aston Martin’s boss whether its new flagship GT is better than the £1.2m-plus One-77 hypercar or the less extreme, but almost as exclusive, V12 Zagato now on sale. To be fair, Bez isn’t referring [...]
Car talk October 9, 2012 The new Volkswagon Golf Volkswagen has released prices for the new seventh-generation Golf. Starting from £16,330, it will be sold with a choice of four petrol engines and two diesel engines. All will have seven airbags, semi-automatic air-con and a touchscreen entertainment system with DAB radio that’s teed up for your bluetooth phone, MP3 player [...]
Get ready for the Simons effect October 9, 2012 When it comes to setting the agenda, Dior’s Raf Simons leaves YSL in the shade The tents are down, brands have packed up and press and buyers have finally retreated back to their respective cities; fashion month is well and truly over. And with everything coming to an end, people’s attention has quickly moved from [...]