Shame… greed… never mind the facts February 17, 2011 FILM INSIDE JOB Cert: 12A THIS much-hyped look at the financial crisis has already won the best documentary award from the Directors Guild of America and is seen as a strong contender to take an Oscar. So it’s a shame that a would-be fearless exposé of a supposedly rogue industry is a rehash of old [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND February 17, 2011 FILM BIG MOMMA’S: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Martin Lawrence wheels out his fat suit once more. CONFESSION Japanese psychological drama about a vengeful bereaved mother. JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER (3D) Never. Never never never never never. In a million years. DVD THE SOCIAL NETWORK The founding of Facebook, one of last year’s best. RED [...]
HERTFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE February 17, 2011 MANGROVE ROAD Price: £525,000 A roomy four-bedroom Edwardian family home, ideally positioned for Hertford’s town centre and just a stone’s throw from the Simon Balle School – a top comprehensive. The landscaped garden has an exotic flavour, with a beach-style hut, a summerhouse, and an ornamental pond with an accompanying bridge. Contact: Steven Oates: www.stevenoates.comlucks.co.uk [...]
INTERIORS February 17, 2011 HEAD DESIGNER OF APD INTERIORS WWW.APDINTERIORS.COM Q.I have recently moved into a new build apartment, and it is very stark and bland, how can I make it feel more personal? A.The personal touch – especially in new builds – is all about colour and flooring. Wood can be quite hard and loud and by adding [...]
PROPERTY NEWS February 17, 2011 BLOCK MANAGEMENT REVOLUTION A computer programme called “Blockcare”, designed to manage the administration of small apartment blocks, has been launched by managing agent Ringley Group. The software could significantly lower the fees that leaseholders are charged by traditional managing agents – up to 90 per cent over the course of a year. There is a [...]
Style, charm and quiet in Marylebone February 17, 2011 THE idea of owning a luxurious home in central London is the sort of thing lots of upwardly-mobile urbanites aspired to. But given the chance, where and what do you go for? One of central London’s primary characteristics is the sheer range of localities, architectures and atmospheres all crammed into it. Grand apartment in Knightsbridge? [...]
A passionate novel depicting a turning point for women February 16, 2011 HALF OF THE HUMAN RACE BY ANTHONY QUINN Jonathan Cape, £12.99 BRAVO to Anthony Quinn, proving that men can write a perfectly passionate, convincing novel about women standing up for their rights, in this case kicking off amid the turmoil and violence of the beginning of the suffragette movement. His heroine Connie Callaway is a [...]
OUT OF OFFICE: CHELTENHAM IN THE CITY February 16, 2011 ONE of the City’s great hospitality jamborees, the Cheltenham Festival, kicks off in just under a month. It’s centenary year for the festival this time round, but you don’t have to be in Cheltenham – or squashed round a telly in the pub on your lunch break – to enjoy the action. On 15 March, [...]
The intelligent C4 February 15, 2011 ACCORDING to Citroën, cars can be stationary for as much as 30 per cent of the journey time during commuting – unless you’re on the M25, of course. This is why stop/start technology is a major feature on the carmaker’s new eco version of its C4 model – it stops the engine in traffic and [...]
CAR TALK February 15, 2011 Autobiography Ultimate Edition The most luxurious Range Rover ever is to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The Autobiography Ultimate Edition has an interior hand-finished in Kalahari wood, leather and aluminium, a yacht-inspired teak load floor and a cabin which includes a rear console with a machined aluminium laptop table, drinks chiller, and [...]