The Infernal Machine review: Guy Pearce in sparse psychological tussle movie review The title and poster for The Infernal Machine, featuring the face of lead star Guy Pearce lined by fire, could be mistaken for an apocalyptic sci-fi movie. Instead, it’s an ambitious but flawed exploration of paranoia and infamy. Pearce plays Bruce Cogburn, a reclusive author who has been off the map since his best-selling book, The [...]
Lynch/Oz: A fun documentary about David Lynch and the Wizard of Oz documentary review What makes a movie influential? Is it the story, the visuals, the cultural moment, or all of the above? It’s a topic explored in Lynch/Oz, a fascinating new work all about the link between filmmaker David Lynch and seminal 1930s movie The Wizard of Oz. Documentarian Alexandre O Philippe has made interesting retrospectives on film history [...]
Violent Night is a manic but enjoyable Christmas movie Christmas movie Prior to playing everyone’s favourite Sheriff in Stranger Things, David Harbour was a versatile character actor who has shared the big screen with everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Dwayne Johnson. Now that his face is more recognisable he’s moved into leading man territory, although Violent Night certainly isn’t a cookie-cutter leading man role. He plays [...]
Othello at the National Theatre is a savage take on race and masculinity December 4, 2022 It seems absurd that the first black man to play Othello at the National Theatre was David Harewood, as recently as 1997. A young Clint Dyer, visiting the National in the 1980s, was horrified by the theatre’s – and every other theatre’s – continuing use of blackface, even defacing a photograph of Laurence Olivier playing [...]
Drag Race’s Miz Cracker on her new London show Who’s Holiday December 2, 2022 Forget the London Palladium: if you want a camp Christmas show with drag in it you’d better head to the Southwark Playhouse this season. One-woman show Who’s Holiday is an adults-only comedy kicking off on 16 December and starring RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Miz Cracker. She placed fifth in the tenth season of Drag Race in [...]
Top boozy advent calendars to count in Christmas December 1, 2022 Christmas is coming! Count down the days with one of these drinks-based advent calendars, putting a grownup spin on a festive childhood tradition. WHISKY EXCHANGE SPIRITS ADVENT CALENDAR The Whisky Exchange has assembled a veritable smorgasbord of spirits for the holiday season. Each day will bring a new surprise, with this diverse collection consisting of [...]
What to do in London for Christmas, from carols to food and drink December 1, 2022 Whether you’re after carols in a cathedral or a knees-up in a brewery, we have the perfect Christmas outing for you. CHRISTMAS CAROLS AT ST PAUL’S Short of getting a ride in Santa’s sleigh, there can be little more festive than singing Christmas carols in the stunning surrounds of St Paul’s Cathedral. This year there [...]
World AIDS Day: stigma about HIV and AIDS is damaging lives and productivity in the City December 1, 2022 Harun Tulunay lost his job when he was first diagnosed with HIV because he wasn’t aware he was legally protected in the workplace, and stigma around his condition meant it wasn’t easy to speak with his HR department. He is one of many Londoners who has been treated unfairly despite people living with HIV being [...]
It’s truly the best of British to dine at Restaurant St. Barts Smithfield November 30, 2022 Stepping into Restaurant St Bart’s is like walking into the most luxurious Shepherd’s hut you could imagine. With an emphasis on stone and wood, the space is so calm I half expected to be ushered to the spa for a massage. We began the meal on cosy, candlelit sheep-skin covered chairs with a wax-sealed menu [...]
Fabulous Christmas cheese and wine to stun dinner party guests November 30, 2022 How to perfect your Christmas cheese and wine servings this year Flavour is fine, but when selecting items for a cheeseboard, the key is to think about weight, texture, and intensity. A creamy bloom cheese such as a brie or camembert, for instance, is perfectly paired with the effervescent bubbles and acidity of a champagne [...]