Film review: Suite Francaise March 13, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★☆☆ Suite Francaise is a handsome adaptation of the Irène Némirovsky novel Dolce, written during the Second World War before she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. The unfinished work was eventually published by Némirovsky’s daughter in 2004, and became a critical and commercial phenomenon. While the film doesn’t live up to [...]
Champions League: How Premier League clubs’ finances have been affected by European failures March 13, 2015 After Chelsea’s failure to beat a 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday left it looking increasingly likely that the Premier League will have a representative in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, English clubs’ deficiencies in Europe have once again been thrown under the spotlight. English clubs have not only been made to appear [...]
Savage Beauty: A triumphant celebration of Alexander McQueen’s life work March 13, 2015 Victoria and Albert Museum | ★★★★☆ First things first: right the wrong. New York may have held the first major posthumous Alexander McQueen exhibition, but London was the city whose rhythms and edges gave life to the designer’s clothing. Savage Beauty opens with a room entitled “London”, which reaffirms the UK capital as the “epicentre” [...]
Theatre review: Clarence Darrow is Kevin Spacey’s triumphant farewell March 12, 2015 Old Vic | ★★★★★ Kevin Spacey’s eyes glisten as he delivers his valedictory line: “Mercy is the highest attribute of man.” Mine glistened, too. For a moment, the audience knew how a jury in a case presided over by Clarence Darrow must have felt: captivated, moved and above all, persuaded. From this curmudgeonly war horse [...]
Something for the weekend March 12, 2015 LEARN! FUTURE FEST This weekend will see a series of speeches and performances addressing the future and our place in it. The schedule will include talks from Edward Snowdon (via web-link, of course), Vivienne Westwood and Jon Ronson. Weekend tickets cost £80. futurefest.org WATCH! BACKYARD CINEMA Backyard cinema is literally going up in the world, [...]
Cricket Comment: Demoting Moores and ditching stats could help boost England March 12, 2015 IT would be unfair if England head coach Peter Moores was sacked. He hasn’t had a huge amount of time to prove himself and he was thrown in at the deep end slightly with a World Cup coming so soon after his appointment last April. But looking at the style of cricket England have played [...]
Spitting actions of United’s Evans branded disgusting by FA panel March 12, 2015 THE actions of Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in spitting at Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse were branded disgusting by the Football Association (FA) panel which found him guilty. Evans and Cisse were both charged after allegedly spitting at each other during Manchester United’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park earlier this [...]
Scotland ring changes in bid to end Twickenham victory jinx March 12, 2015 SCOTLAND head coach Vern Cotter has shuffled his pack and made five changes to his starting XV ahead of tomorrow’s Six Nations tussle with England at Twickenham. Back-row David Denton, centre Matt Scott, winger Dougie Fife and lock Jim Hamilton have been drafted in, while fly-half Finn Russell returns having missed Scotland’s last match through [...]
England set for Ashes misery, insists McGrath March 12, 2015 FORMER Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath believes England’s current form shows all the hallmarks of prompting another humiliating Ashes whitewash during this summer’s series. England folded in the final Test match at Sydney to compound a dismal 2013/14 series during which England were hammered 5-0 by Australia – only the third whitewash in Ashes history. [...]
Terry defends Chelsea in row as Valencia suffers cup shock March 12, 2015 CHELSEA skipper John Terry has staunchly defended the conduct of his side during their Champions League demise at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Talismanic Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for a foul on Oscar and branded Chelsea players “babies” for swarming around referee Bjorn Kuipers in a [...]