ALSO OUT November 25, 2010 FILM MACHETE Robert Rodriguez does a blood-spattered, star-studded pastiche of cheapo Mexican films. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS’ NEST Third and final part in the Stieg Larsson trilogy adaptation. WAITING FOR SUPERMAN Passionate documentary about America’s troubled education system. DVD TOY STORY 3 The third Toy Story film is as gloriously enjoyable as its [...]
Kinnect with the family this Christmas November 24, 2010 FORGET the Xbox you know: the Xbox of Halo and Assassin’s Creed. Instead, try to imagine an Xbox full of giant furry animals, soothing raft rides and cute dance moves to get you in shape. Now add a slick new peripheral that detects your motions without the need for a manual controller and you have the [...]
Keep an eye on all your friends, and lots more too November 24, 2010 WE’RE well into the festive drinking season and mobile social media could help you crash all the right places. They say that Smartphones give you social networks on the go. So you can keep tabs on all your friends (and enemies) as they move from bar to bar. They don’t tell you what a pain [...]
REVIEW: BLACKBERRY BOLD 9780 November 24, 2010 Following the much-hyped launch of RIM’s flagship touch-screen Torch, the emergence of its new BlackBerry Bold 9780 has been an altogether quieter affair. The Bold has, almost through osmosis, become the City-type’s phone of choice, an elegant, practical solution to checking and replying to emails on the go. At a glance, there is little to [...]
Vegging with M. Ducasse November 24, 2010 THE legendary chef settles into his plush chair in the Dorchester’s tea salon with his iPad tucked under his arm and some tissanes before him. He looks the picture of scary Gallic grandeur in his chef whites, his little round glasses perched on his nose, his mouth pursed. A pleasant feeling, then, knowing that we [...]
Brewing up a storm in SW11 November 24, 2010 AMID the gloom afflicting the pub industry right now, one chink of light has been the relative success of real ale. Perhaps due to the way its homely, hearty image seems more attractive in recessionary times, ale has increased its share of the beer market and grown its drinker base in the past year, according [...]
Christmas hampers for gourmets November 24, 2010 Fortnum & Mason The Classic Christmas Hamper (£150) is a veritable box of delights, containing a Christmas pudding, cognac butter, cognac marmalade, mulling spices, assorted English creams and, er, a musical biscuit tin (it plays Jingle Bells, natch). www.fortnumandmason.com British Fine Foods Online shop BFF takes the effort out of shopping for the big day [...]
A car that could be a fighter jet November 23, 2010 What exactly is the definition of a supercar remains a contentious issue. If a sports car is a powerful car designed for high speed with great handling and flashy looks then what is a supercar? And if a supercar is an exotic sports car with superior performance and a price tag to match, what is [...]
CAR TALK November 23, 2010 NISSAN MURANO CROSSCABRIOLET It’s fair to say that automotive history is not exactly littered with convertible SUVs so it’s a niche that remains broadly unexplored by most manufacturers. Still, Nissan has just shown its convertible crossover SUV at the LA Motor Show and here it is. It remains to be seen whether the only place [...]
Gifts with a sense of history November 22, 2010 IT’S no coincidence that the recession has overlapped with a surge in the popularity of all things old fashioned. If our confidence in a bold, sparkling future has faltered, our interest in the aesthetics of the past – and the values of quality, provenance and craftsmanship that go with it – has rocketed upwards. 1940s-themed [...]