Ugly Lies the Bone at the National Theatre review: War vet VR drama a rare flop for the NT March 3, 2017 A perfect storm of poor acting, casting, script and execution beats all life from this under-powered story about a soldier dealing with the mental and physical effects of war. Jess returns home horribly scarred and in chronic pain, barely able to move her twisted body. In a bid to regain her lost freedom she embarks on a form [...]
Logan is the bloody and bold Wolverine film fans have been waiting for, and a perfect end to the series March 3, 2017 While not every outing was a gem, Hugh Jackman’s seventeen years as Wolverine have made him a superhero movie icon. Taller and prettier than the comic book character, he nonetheless won over the nerds during his six-film run (plus two cameos). The missing ingredient (“X factor”, if you will), however, has always been edge; his [...]
Hamlet at the Almeida: Sherlock star Andrew Scott brings a twitchy charm to the Danish prince March 3, 2017 King Lear has overtaken Hamlet as the most performed of the Bard’s work, but this outstanding production shows why the Danish prince is still king. The setting is thoroughly contemporary. Hamlet’s world of mid-century modern furniture and 24-hour news is seamlessly woven into the text; if you were watching the play for the first time [...]
Kong: Skull Island review: The daddy of all monster movies reimagined as a Vietnam war film March 3, 2017 Kong: Skull Island takes the daddy of all monster movies and reimagines it as a Vietnam war drama. Set in 1973, references to Apocalypse Now are thrown around so liberally it makes you wonder if director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ (whose only previous feature film is the coming-of-age indie film The Kings of Summer) wanted to make [...]
The best pint bar none: Camra names Yorkshire local Britain’s pub of the year March 3, 2017 A Yorkshire pub that was saved from extinction by local villagers has been crowned Britain's pub of the year. The award from the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) was given to the George & Dragon pub in Hudswell. The pub closed in 2008, and the local community was left with just a village hall. But, [...]
Monica Galetti interview: The MasterChef judge talks about her imminent restaurant launch, the pressures of television and why she hates being interviewed March 2, 2017 Monica Galetti speaks quickly and without hesitation, racing towards the next full stop like she’s in the conversation equivalent of a relay race. The sooner she finishes speaking, the sooner I can move on to my next question, and the sooner she can get back to doing absolutely anything that isn’t talking to me. To [...]
How to profit from the Chinese art market and bag some cutting edge paintings while you’re at it March 2, 2017 Which country has the world’s largest art market? Hint: if you’re thinking anything other than “China”, then you’re wrong. Art information website artprice.com estimates that in the first half of 2016, China accounted for 35.5 per cent of the $6.53bn global art sales. Someone out there is making a killing from the Chinese art market, [...]
These are the five hottest new phones from MWC 2017 March 1, 2017 Nokia 3310 Around £40 nokia.com This unexpected reboot of Nokia’s iconic late 90s handset blew the minds of every 30-something year old at MWC. Made by HMD (the Finnish startup that bought the rights to the Nokia name) this homage to the 3310 roughly mimics the original design while making a few concessions to modernisation. [...]
Sexy Fish review: An intensely glamorous tribute to pan-Asian dining February 28, 2017 Richard Caring’s curiously named fish restaurant opened last year to much fuss and fanfare, a knowingly ostentatious, very shiny and intensely glamorous tribute to pan-Asian dining that feels out of place in London, even at its Berkeley Square address by the Bentley showroom. But while Sexy Fish still feels like it belongs on the [...]
As The Ivy turns 100, chef Mark Hix recalls the dish customers would order without even looking at the menu February 28, 2017 Back in my days at Le caprice I inherited a dish called bang bang chicken which Chris Corbin discovered in a Chinese restaurant in Earl’s Court. He experienced a particularly disgusting example but with a bit of jiggery pokery it became a Caprice classic that never came off the menu (customers would order it without [...]