A real indie gem October 31, 2013 FILM SHORT TERM 12 Cert 15 | Four stars SHORT Term 12 has already won both the Grand Jury and Audience prize at this year’s South By South West festival: that’s some billing to live up to. It draws you into the tortured world of a temporary foster home for troubled teens. The various trials [...]
Modern drawing room farce disappoints, despite strong cast October 31, 2013 THEATRE RAVING Hampstead Theatre | Two stars I THOUGHT you didn’t agree with stereotypes?” says Keith to his wife Briony. “You’ve restored my faith in them,” she fires back, stingingly. Actor and playwright Simon Paisley Day obviously has plenty of faith in them, too – the whole of Raving is built on them. Keith (Barnaby [...]
Musical hits the right notes October 31, 2013 THEATRE THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS The Young Vic | Four stars THE Scottsboro Boys tells the story of a real-life miscarriage of justice that caught the imagination of pre-Civil Rights America. In 1931, nine black teenagers – some as young as 13 – were frogmarched off a boxcar they were riding and accused of raping two [...]
A moving and funny acting master-class October 31, 2013 FILM PHILOMENA Cert 12a | By Daniel O’Mahony Four stars PHILOMENA is inspired by true events, though there are moments so heart-rending you wish the source material were fictional. It tells the story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), a working-class Irish woman who became pregnant as a teenager in the 1950s. Sent away to a [...]
Where to Drink: Feeling the chill? Warm the cockles with a delicious sperm whale cocktail… October 31, 2013 IT’S THE time of the year to retreat to a cosy, warm bolthole to stave off the cold. Good thing, then, that there are plenty of places that fit the bill, such as Drakes Tabanco, new to Fitzrovia. Get a taste of Iberian sunshine from the peasant-y design, nodding to the well-worn and wooden bodegas [...]
A hipster’s paradise at 100 Hoxton October 29, 2013 RESTAURANT 100 HOXTON 100-102 Hoxton Street, N1 6SG Tel: 020 7729 1444 FOOD Three stars VALUE Four stars ATMOSPHERE Two stars Cost for two with drinks: £70 OUTSIDE, a young woman draws on a cigarette, her waistline not much thicker than the rim of the spectacles worn by boys who glance at her as they [...]
Aussie wine isn’t all big and loud – there are fine bottles to be found October 29, 2013 Bottle.opener@cityam.com THOSE of us of a certain age will always remember our first Australian wine. They burst onto a fairly turgid scene in the 1980s and turned everything on its head. They were brash, fruity, powerful and, let’s face it, astonishingly cheap compared to the snooty French competition. OK, they were also brutally one-dimensional but [...]
Swap booze for boos this Hallowe’en October 29, 2013 Whether you’re looking for somewhere to keep the kids happy this Hallowe’en or a haunt for adults to get into the spooky frame of mind, London has something for you. So come out from behind the sofa and get down to some of these gruesome events. RAM Training’s Zombie bootcamp If the idea of being [...]
The A3 compact saloon vs the hatch October 28, 2013 Audi is taking a punt on this new-ish segment. We find it has bags of character, if not the “oomph” factor IF THERE’S a niche to be filled in the car market, Audi is often the first there. And so it is with the new compact Audi A3 Saloon, the 47th model in Audi’s line [...]
Not convinced? October 28, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BMW 1 SERIES COUPE 120D PRICE: £24,145 0-62MPH: 7.6 SECS TOP SPEED: 142MPH CO2 G/KM: 124G/KM MPG COMBINED: 60.1MPG THE VERDICT: DESIGN Two stars PERFORMANCE Three stars PRACTICALITY Three stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three stars MERCEDES CLA 220 CDI SPORT PRICE: £29,355 0-62MPH: 8.2 SECS TOP SPEED: 143MPH CO2 G/KM: 117G/KM MPG COMBINED: 62.8MPG THE [...]