It’s big, but it’s just not funny or a bit clever July 9, 2009 FilmBRUNOCert: 18I LIKED Borat, I did. I laughed out loud, enthusiastically, throughout. I like Ali G too. I get Sacha Baron Cohen’s shtick and I see his genius. At least I did until I sat through Bruno. It was the slowest 80 minutes of my life (rivalled only by the removal of my top left [...]
NOW SHOWING FOUR OF THE BEST July 9, 2009 JEFF KOONS AT THE SERPENTINE – One of the most influential American artists of recent times is on great form at this absorbing show. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC AT THE GARRICK – A spectacular revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 musical. THE FOURTH PLINTH – Don’t miss the human volunteers that make up Antony Gormley’s installation [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS July 9, 2009 FILM FIRED UP – Two high school guys decide to ditch football camp for cheerleader camp. SOUL POWER – A documentary on the legendary soul music concert staged in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974. 25 SHOTS OF RUM – French film about the complex relationship between a father and daughter. DVD BRONSON – Grisly tale about [...]
Bringing summer to the office July 9, 2009 IT’S a question that bothers all professional ladies in the summer months. How can we dress in a summery way but also appropriately for work? Summer dresses are a world of potential professional pitfalls – exposed flesh galore, stubbly legs on view, cleavage and the general appearance of being headed for a beach party rather [...]
HOW TO BE A BEACH BABE WITH EASE July 9, 2009 Sara HollambyStyle CounselIT’S so easy for all sense of style to get washed away in the waves on holiday, when you’re hot and sticky and covered in a fine layer of salt, sand and pink patches. I always admire those women who go to the beach with matching accessories, sleek hair cleverly “thrown” up in [...]
Q&A: BUYING July 9, 2009 Camilla DellMANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q. Dear Camilla, I’m trying to buy a property in London but every time I find something that I like I keep getting gazumped. What can I do?A. Your problem is not an uncommon one. In the UK, until you’ve exchanged contracts, another buyer can come in and offer [...]
A banker’s bash at philosophy is short on logic July 8, 2009 GOOD VALUEBy Stephen GreenALLEN LANE, £20 SAMUEL JOHNSON famously opined about watching a dog walk on its hind legs: it is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all. Something of the same reaction seems to be behind the excitement generated by this book. It is laudable that Green, the [...]
OUT OF OFFICE BY ZOE STRIMPEL July 8, 2009 ARCADIA AT DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRETom Stoppard’s unforgettable 1993 drama wittily looks at life, mathematics and, well, everything. Set in a country house in both 1809-11 and 1989, it consistently and wittily catches at two ends of the same stick, be it Fermat’s Theorem or a paperweight. David Leveaux’s production is right on the money [...]
It’s summer time and the boozing is easy … and delicious July 8, 2009 WHEN was the last time you really felt you were drinking a perfect drink? The right glass, the right temperature, the right mixture, composition, a veritable wash of refreshment and taste? Chances are, most of the time you knock back whatever is on offer – be it in the pub, or from your fridge at [...]
The hard-core soft-top July 7, 2009 IF this road test ends abruptly, it is because I’ve been skewered by a BAE Hawk T1A aircraft flown by one of the Red Arrows display team, which as I am writing are rehearsing for the first day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Or the even more earsplitting Eurofighter Typhoon, which is now overhead [...]