Azerbaijan’s majestic scenery is refreshingly untouched by global tourism October 19, 2015 ‘Azerbaijan border – Good luck,” read the sign at the Georgian frontier town. I gulped, hoisted my backpack and reached for my passport. Ominous cautions from its neighbours notwithstanding, Azerbaijan is trying to court people like me. It’s not, on the face of it, an easy sell. Human Rights Watch recently noted “Azerbaijan’s government has [...]
Tate Modern exhibition: Turbine Hall’s Empty Lot is too timid for this imposing space October 15, 2015 Tate Modern | ★★☆☆☆ The Turbine hall has its first new installation since Damien Hirst filled the biggest gallery space in the country with a human skull. Abraham Cruzvillegas piece, Empty Lot, is more thoughtful, less immediate and, at least for now, a whole lot uglier. It’s a giant wooden terrace raised on salvaged scaffolding, [...]
Theatre review: Measure For Measure October 15, 2015 Young Vic | ★★★★☆ The Duke wades through a pile of blow up sex dolls, kicking plastic bodies out of his way. He pauses and says, “I love the people.” These inflatable citizens are no lewder than those who inhabit the city of Vienna in Shakespeare’s barmiest play. Often referred to as a “problem play”, [...]
Pan movie review: Director Joe Wright’s origin story employs all the tired cliches October 15, 2015 Cert PG | ★☆☆☆☆ When you were a child watching the Disney version of Peter Pan and you saw him fly through the window of the Darling household, all chilly in his tights and green tunic, did you ever think, “Who ARE you, Peter? Where do you COME from?” Me neither. No one cares. But for some [...]
Crimson Peak movie review: Guillermo del Toro’s gruesome gothic fairytale brings the art of darkness to the screen October 15, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ Guillermo del Toro set out to create a haunted house drama to rival the very best in the genre – the Exorcists and the Shinings of the world. He succeeds with the haunted house part, but not so much the drama. Part gothic horror story, part ethereal fairytale, Crimson Peak follows Edith Cushing [...]
Teddy Ferrara review: a tangled play exploring homophobia, bullying and hate in the wake of tragedy October 15, 2015 Teddy Ferrara is a play that manages to say a very small amount about a great many things. It’s set around an American campus on which a dizzyingly comprehensive catalogue of LGBT issues are being tackled in the wake of a student suicide. To unpack, Christopher Shinn’s play explores homophobia in both its standard and [...]
Just a Lidl bit: How the discount supermarket conquered the wine world October 14, 2015 Don’t tell anyone, but the other day I paid a visit to my local Lidl. I must be the first person to go there and spend more than I expected. There’s been a lot of hype about Lidl’s recently launched Wine Cellar collection. Still, I was sceptical, expecting to find wines that were cheap but [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
Jamaican restaurant Rudie’s doesn’t fail: Dalston’s Caribbean food rivals the best of West London October 13, 2015 RUDIE'S 50 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XB FOOD ★★★★☆ VALUE ★★★★☆ ATMOSPHERE ★★★★☆ Cost for two with wine: £100 Is Dalston over? Have the new-media types migrated to farther-flung locales to write their articles for Vice about taking ketamine at Center Parcs? I have no idea. I’m well into my 30s and no longer hip enough to gauge [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]