The 5th Wave review: This hollow sci-fi action flick is a weak emulation of The Hunger Games January 22, 2016 Dir. J Blakeson | ★★☆☆☆ Chloe Grace Moretz made her name as Hit Girl, the sweary child assassin in Kick-Ass, who was just as comfortable dropping c-bombs as she was dropping actual bombs. Now, she’s old enough to be getting her nun-chucks into some bad-ass lady roles, but instead she’s stuck with soppy teenagers like Cassie [...]
Ex-Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond’s daughter Nell takes on the business world with luxury interiors company Hill House Home January 21, 2016 Former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond has moved from banking to blog-design according to his daughter Nell, who this week launched a startup selling high-end bedding in New York. “My dad’s area of expertise obviously isn’t e-commerce and retail, but he’s so excited I’ve gone this route as an entrepreneur,” said Diamond Junior, speaking exclusively to [...]
Darbaar restaurant review: Indian fine dining inspired by the banquets of the Indian Royal Court January 20, 2016 Darbaar Snowden Street, EC2A 2DQ WHAT? A smart and upmarket new solo venture from a former Cinnamon Club head chef, Darbaar is an Indian fine dining restaurant with a menu of contemporary dishes inspired by the fancy banquets of the Indian Royal Court. WHERE? A five minute stroll from Liverpool Street station, on the ground [...]
Darkhorse Stratford restaurant review: more nag than stallion January 20, 2016 I'm calling January 2016 as the moment the restaurant template that's dominated London for the last five years finally jumped the shark. Far too many new openings appear to have been cobbled together, Inception-style, from my memories of other restaurants, from the interior design to the locally sourced, modern European menus. There's a cynicism to the uniformity. It's a formula that [...]
“There’s something very special about running at the Olympic Stadium”: Martin Lewis on the return of Diamond Relays to London’s Olympic Park January 20, 2016 Money saving expert Martin Lewis: I really hope to take part this year Money saving expert Martin Lewis is perhaps better known for finance rather than fitness. But as a keen runner and a self-confessed athletics nut, he was one of the first to sign his office up for the Diamond Relays corporate run at [...]
Range Rover Sport SVR motoring review: is it as brilliant as it is brawny? January 18, 2016 The Oxford English Dictionary defines a sports car as, “A low-built car designed for performance at high speeds”. That makes the modern “sports utility vehicle” – high, heavy and often cumbersome – seem a contradiction in terms. However, not all SUVs are created equal, and the 162mph Range Rover Sport SVR is faster and more [...]
The amazing comeback of Mexico’s most exclusive retreat January 18, 2016 Mexico has many faces. Anyone with half an eye on international news this week will have noticed the furore surrounding the recapture of mega drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and the murder of Temixco Mayor Gisela Mota after only one day in office. However, none of this seems to have put people off going [...]
Room review: a woman and her son are held captive by her psychotic abuser January 14, 2016 Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | ★★★★☆ Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, Room is a screenplay adaptation of the gut-wrenchingly bleak story of Joy (Brie Larson), a young woman kidnapped and imprisoned by her psychotic abuser. She shares the tiny, soundproofed space with her spirited and oblivious five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whose severely limited understanding of [...]
The Revenant film review: Inarritu’s masterpiece about the resilience of the human spirit January 14, 2016 Dir. Alejandro G. Inarritu | ★★★★★ Cast your minds back to this time last year, and Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman was only a few weeks away from winning the Best Picture Oscar. A claustrophobic, wordy film that charted the breakdown of a washed-up actor, the action largely took place inside, the camera winding its way around [...]
Champagne Life review: Our verdict on the Saatchi Gallery’s first all-female art exhibition January 14, 2016 Saatchi Gallery | ★★★☆☆ Taking its name from one of the pieces on display, Champagne Life at Saatchi Gallery presents the work of 14 emerging female artists from a diverse set of backgrounds. It’s the first all-woman exhibition in the gallery’s 30-year history, somewhat surprisingly, but rather than attempt to offer an ambitious and all-encompassing commentary [...]