Souad review – a sobering Egyptian coming-of-age tale August 25, 2021 There are a lot of dramas that make you question the number of times you look at your phone in a day. For her debut narrative feature Souad, Egyptian director Ayten Amin takes the familiar posts and emojis of social media and put them in the contexts of her homeland. Set in a strictly religious [...]
The Nest review – Jude Law is brilliant in this yuppie horror story August 25, 2021 The career of Jude Law took an interesting turn as the actor entered his forties. While he’s maintain his movie star looks, age has allowed him to move away from heartthrob roles and into the darker characters that announced his arrival in the 1990s. He was despicable in the overlooked satire Vox Lux, a super [...]
Harlot: The inside story of England’s most controversial new wine August 24, 2021 Harlot. Whatever that word brings to mind, it’s probably not an English sparkling wine recently launched by MDCV, which is causing consternation among wine circles. Harlot’s “playful branding” involves sticking “two fingers up at the status quo” and “refus[ing] to conform”. So is this the Pussy Riot of the wine world? Not according to those [...]
The sparkling kombucha that wants to be champagne for the moderation movement August 24, 2021 East Anglia is the county for Grand Cru kombuchas, and 2021 is a particularly exciting vintage for living tea. The kombucha wave doesn’t seem to have crested and certainly hasn’t crashed yet, with two seaside breweries collaborating to produce the first sparkling “rosé” kombucha. Suffolk-based producers Adnams and LA Brewery, have launched Suffolk Blush, made [...]
Culture club: Ally MacIndoe CA on her role as Finance Director MENA at the British Council and the UK’s continued cultural clout August 24, 2021 | City Talk This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. The UK has always had huge cultural clout. By connecting people through innovative education and the soft power of the English language, Ally MacIndoe CA, Finance Director MENA at the British Council, is keeping it that way Many readers, whether in the UK or abroad, will have heard [...]
How Takamaka rum went from garage grog to a top tipple August 23, 2021 Would you drink rum that started life in a swimming pool? The former manager of a Soho dive bar and a drag club in Camden thinks you’d be mad not to. Richard Cohen is the only non-national working for the Seychelles rum brand Takamaka, which has just arrived in the UK in the form of Rum [...]
Mezcal is here and The Lost Explorer is the ideal place to start August 23, 2021 Mezcal has been on the verge of breaking into the UK’s mainstream spirits market for some time now, with some excellent and accessible brands knocking on the door of discerning drinkers. And there is perhaps no better, more successful small batch mezcal available on these shores right now than The Lost Explorer. Launched in late [...]
Bentley Mulliner builds first examples of bespoke Bacalar and reborn Blower August 23, 2021 Bentley’s Mulliner personalisation department has hand-finished the first examples of the exclusive Bacalar and Blower models.
Two winemakers changing the world, one rosé at a time August 20, 2021 English rosé is a rapidly diversifying wine category, with the smallest boutique vineyards producing standout wines. The first vines were planted at the Off The Line Vineyard in Hellingly, East Sussex in 2014. The wines are made on site in a purpose-built red wine only winery by Kristina Studzinski and her partner Ann-Marie Tynan. Studzinski, the [...]
Pig review – Another unexpected Nicolas Cage triumph August 20, 2021 Where do you even begin with Nicolas Cage? Once a respected Oscar winning star, he’s now largely known for two things: his eccentricity, and his output. He makes an awful lot of films, most of which are low budget dross, but every now and again the intense actor makes a movie that succeeds in spite [...]