Agadir review: Yto Barrada’s exhibition at the Barbican leaves out the hopeful part of the story February 8, 2018 The Barbican is the perfect location for this exhibition by Morrocan artist Yto Barrada. The utopian housing estate, built after the trauma of WWII, has much in common with it subject, Agadir, a modernist city that was rebuilt in a similar Brutalist style following an earthquake in 1960. It’s a shame then, that we only [...]
The 15:17 to Paris review: Casting real world heroes as themselves is the weirdest thing Clint Eastwood’s done since shouting at an empty chair February 8, 2018 How on earth did this film get made? The 15:17 to Paris is a retelling of the time three American men, two of them off-duty soldiers, beat a would-be terrorist senseless on a train to Paris. Directed by actor, filmmaker and renowned heckler of empty chairs Clint Eastwood, the film is notable for starring [...]
Fitness advice: Why focusing on a ‘healthy’ diet may be stopping you from losing weight February 6, 2018 When I was growing up, food didn’t come with information about calories or salt or sugar content. You just used a bit of common sense, a bit of guess work and left a bit to chance. Now it’s a legal requirement for any supermarket food to have nutritional information attached. Look at any label [...]
Working Lunch at Temper City: This steak and curry house is hot in every sense of the world February 6, 2018 Temper city 2 Angel Court, EC2R WHAT AND WHERE? Temper City is the second restaurant from Neil Rankin, the barbecue king behind Pitt Cue and Smokehouse, set in a warehouse-style hideaway in Angel’s Court. If you’re familiar with the tacos and tortillas of Soho, this one shakes it up for the City slickers with [...]
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Shoot Them: We went on safari with Kenya’s top photographer February 2, 2018 Normally at hotels I’m rather picky about who joins me for breakfast, but this time I made an exception. Or as much of an exception you can claim to make when a herd of wild Rothchild’s giraffes wander over uninvited to pop their necks through the lodge’s windows in search of a bite to eat. [...]
Focus On Vauxhall: Donald Trump might not be keen on it, but international investors dig these skyscrapers south of the river February 2, 2018 Vauxhall got dragged through the mud by no less a figure than the President of the United States recently. The US Embassy’s much touted move to the “off location” was supposedly the reason behind Donald Trump’s cancelled visit to the UK, even though the new building has its own moat. Clearly, tech behemoth Apple didn’t [...]
Phantom Thread review: Daniel Day-Lewis bows out with fantastically creepy period drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson February 2, 2018 There are few more enticing prospects than Paul Thomas Anderson, one of our greatest living filmmakers, directing Daniel Day-Lewis, one of our finest actors. Throw into the mix the frisson of extra excitement that comes with Day-Lewis’ claim that this will be his final acting role, and you have the ingredients for something unmissable. [...]
Roman J Israel Esq review: Denzel Washington shines but can’t quite save this messy law drama February 2, 2018 Roman J Israel Esq lines up its ducks – a star actor on blistering form, a timely dissection of racial bias in the US legal system, a distinctive visual style – yet manages to come home empty handed. It’s the second feature from Dan Gilroy, following 2014’s chillingly nihilistic Nightcrawler. And while that was [...]
Property of the Week: The former Johnson family home has been done up and is now on the market for £11.25m February 1, 2018 Looking for a home that’s fit for a foreign secretary? This five storey Victorian townhouse on Regent’s Park Road was the childhood home of Boris, Rachel and a whole host of Johnsons, including jungle-botherer and father of the thatched brood, Stanley. 60 Regent's Park Road, Primrose Hill, £11.25m Legend has it that he lived in [...]
Ocean Liners: Speed and Style review: A new V&A exhibition is showcasing the glamour days of cruise liner lifestyle February 1, 2018 For about a hundred years ocean liners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel. First they ferried immigrants across the Atlantic in their huddled masses, then became vital troop transport during the First World War, before finally evolving into the luxurious art deco hotels on waves we recognise from our favourite period nautical dramas [...]