Theatre review: Speed the Plow October 10, 2014 Speed the Plow | The Playhouse Theatre | ★★★☆☆ There’s something very patronising about the coverage of Lindsay Lohan’s stage debut in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow. “Didn’t she do well for turning up?”, “Didn’t she do well for only forgetting one line?”, “Didn’t she do well for not being absolutely freaking terrible?” We should, perhaps, give [...]
Film review: Annabelle October 10, 2014 ★★☆☆☆ Annabelle, a creepy, possessed Victorian doll, was one of the stars of last year’s horror hit The Conjuring, despite only appearing in a handful of scenes. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that she takes centre stage in this prequel, which plays like a Buzzfeed list of fright-movie cliches. Creepy children, moving dolls, enclosed spaces, [...]
Film review: The Rewrite October 10, 2014 ★★★☆☆ The Rewrite opens with Hugh Grant playing a charming yet socially inept Englishman abroad, trying to pitch script ideas to film studios. He’s not having much luck because his character Keith Michaels hasn’t written a hit since his Oscar-winning debut Paradise Misplaced. Depressed and nearing bankruptcy, he takes up a creative writing professorship in [...]
Something for the Weekend: City A.M.’s picks for your days off October 10, 2014 For a bite to eat: BBQ Lunch at Stepney City Farm Top chef Ben Tish cut his teeth at Salt Yard bar and charcuterie and this Saturday he’s bringing his meaty treats to Stepney City Farm for a charity barbecue. On the menu will be burgers from his successful new restaurant Ember Yard. Booking [...]
Art review: Tracey Emin, The Last Great Adventure Is You October 9, 2014 ★★☆☆☆ The title of Tracey Emin’s latest exhibition – The Last Great Adventure is You – is misleading in two ways. Firstly, by “you” she means “me”; once again, Emin is her own muse. Secondly, it’s less of a “great adventure” and more of a casual skip around the parameters of the self. Manifest [...]
Lindsay Lohan answers critich in new play Speed the Plow October 9, 2014 Theatre: Speed the Plow ★★★☆☆ There’s something rather patronising about the coverage of Lindsay Lohan’s stage debut in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow: “Didn’t she do well for turning up?”, “Didn’t she do well for only forgetting one line?”, “Didn’t she do well for not being absolutely freaking terrible?” We should, perhaps, give her a [...]
Thriving Cambodia isn’t just for backpackers October 9, 2014 By Nick Pulley When I first went to Cambodia, the journey from the capital Phnom Penh to the temples of Angkor was a 12-hour (if you were lucky) minibus ride from hell. That was 20 years ago, a time when friends might look at you as if you’d taken leave of your senses for venturing [...]
Enjoy a tranquil escape down the Mekong in Laos October 9, 2014 By David Leck It’s a short journey from Chiang Rai in Thailand to the north-eastern corner of Laos – and to a border crossing that evokes the days before the onslaught of soulless airports and mega-brand domination. Despite the recent opening of the “Friendship Bridge” spanning the Mekong River the small town of Houeyxai is [...]
Prince William’s favourite island retreat October 3, 2014 Malta is a hot ticket right now. Even Prince William paid a visit last month to mark its 50th year of independence. While he was there, he may have noted the red, 1940s postboxes that still line the streets, embossed with the letters RG (Rex George), and smiled at the thought that they will be [...]
The West Norwegian Fjords: where to stay October 3, 2014 Fjords are Norway in the same way that pyramids are Egypt. You go there to experience their epic presence: seascapes of glacier-carved waterways surrounded by landscapes of snow-capped mountains. Fjords are everywhere in western Norway; all you need is a hired car and tolerance of slo-mo ferries. When it comes to choosing a place to [...]