Car review: Going topless with the BMW 2 Series Convertible is as liberating as ever March 2, 2015 BMW’s rebranding of its motors continues with the arrival of the 2 Series Convertible. So, what used to be the old 1 Series Convertible is now the shiny new 2 Series drop-top. Got that? Good, because despite the rather iffy weather, the UK is a strong convertible market for BMW. This 2 Series will fit [...]
Not convinced? March 2, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 200 AMG SPORT PRICE: £34, 750 0-62MPH: 7.3 secs TOP SPEED: 149mph CO2 G/KM: 158g/km MPG COMBINED: 41.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 1.8 TFSI S TRONIC SPORT PRICE: £30,745 0-62MPH: 7.8 secs TOP SPEED: 150mph CO2 G/KM: [...]
From cocks to horses: Introducing the tenth artwork on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth – Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse March 2, 2015 From the innuendo-baiting giant blue cock that’s stood proudly atop the Fourth Plinth for the last year or so, to Marc Quinn’s moving marble rendering of artist and phocomelia sufferer Alison Lapper, artworks on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth have provoked admiration, derision and debate for 16 years. Now onto the tenth commission, the Fourth Plinth [...]
A stunning glimpse into Japan’s past along the magnificent Nakasendo Way March 1, 2015 Japan’s sleek Shinkansen has been the country’s fastest mode of transport since it launched 50 years ago, its aerodynamic nose slicing through the rugged landscape. Before that, if you wanted to quickly traverse the country you would take the Nakasendo Way, one of five ancient highways built during the Edo period (1603-1868). Winding through the [...]
48 hours in… Gothenburg March 1, 2015 WHERE TO GO Cars aren’t allowed on the southern part of the Gothenburg archipelago – the 20 islands offer uninterrupted natural beauty with bijou villages and stunning beaches a short ferry journey from the city centre. Seal safaris, boat rides and fishing are just some of the activities available on the islands. goteborg.com WHERE TO [...]
Theatre review: Closer is going through the motions February 27, 2015 Donmar Warehouse | ★★★☆☆ Patrick Marber’s Closer, which debuted at the National Theatre in 1997, is a caustic, bitter, sometimes hilarious exploration of modern relationships and the perils of lust. Those parts of us we keep hidden away – petty jealousies, nagging doubts that the grass is greener somewhere else – are laid bare, opened [...]
Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime at the Wellcome Collection – art review February 27, 2015 Wellcome Collection | ★★★★☆ After a £17.5m rebuild, the Wellcome Collection reopens with another stomach-churning exhibition for the “incurably curious”. The Institute of Sexology made visitors blush with an extensive collection of risqué artefacts, while Death: A Self-Portrait chilled them to the bone with ghoulish exhibits. Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime has more in [...]
Film review: It Follows is terrific, horrific fun February 27, 2015 Cert 18 | ★★★★☆ The last decade hasn’t been kind to the slasher movie. Its heyday came in the late 1970s and early 80s, with John Carpenter’s iconic Halloween, which paved the way for the likes of Friday 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Then Wes Craven reinvigorated the genre with 1996’s Scream – a [...]
Theatre review: The Nether at the Duke of York’s Theatre February 27, 2015 Duke of York’s Theatre | ★★★★★ In the near future, the internet has evolved into the Nether, a construct of increasingly convincing fantasy realms, where ever more people choose to escape the costs or privations of the real world. A man known as Sims (Stanley Townsend), has created a private realm called the Hideaway. It [...]
Theatre review: Tour de force Ralph Fiennes steals the show in Man and Superman February 26, 2015 Lyttelton Theatre | ★★★★☆ Whew, how he does talk!” So exclaims the commodore from Don Juan, listening in as Ralph Fiennes’ garrulous Juan debates with the Devil. The same applies to Jack Tanner, Juan’s descendant and the protagonist of this supremely wordy play. First performed in 1905, George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman may be [...]