Extraordinary Wise Dan the star man in Breeders’ Cup Mile October 31, 2013 Bill Esdaile previews the Breeders’ Cup and the best of the jumps action THE BREEDERS’ Cup has had its fair share of criticism recently, but there is still some top class racing to enjoy tonight and tomorrow evening. I’m going to leave the Classic alone as it’s a very difficult race to get a handle [...]
Take Pine Creek to strike at Ascot off low weight for in-form Ferguson October 31, 2013 IF WETHERBY are planning any pre-racing entertainment tomorrow, surely they’ll decide to blare Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ through their PA system. With Long Run and At Fishers Cross both lining up on Charlie Hall Day, this is the first meeting of the season when the big boys come out to play. [...]
A Marvel-ous second outing October 31, 2013 FILM THOR: THE DARK WORLD Cert 12a | Four stars ONCE every five thousand years the nine realms align, and the dark elves use the opportunity to plunge the universe into darkness. To do this, they need the Aether, an ancient force of evil which – for inexplicable plot reasons – has possessed the body [...]
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 [...]
Capital One Cup: Friedel ends Tottenham’s 19 years of penalty woe October 30, 2013 AT WHITE HART LANE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 v HULL CITY 2 AET, Tottenham win 8-7 on penalties TOTTENHAM manager Andre Villas-Boas revealed some of his penalty heroes had not taken a spot kick for four months before last night’s thrilling win ended his team’s 19-year run of misery in shoot-outs. Goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who scored [...]
Stadium ban for Toure race abuse October 30, 2013 EQUALITY campaigners last night welcomed the decision to impose a partial stadium closure on CSKA Moscow after some of their supporters racially abused Manchester City’s Ivory Coast star Yaya Toure. European football’s governing body Uefa charged the Russian club after Toure and City complained of the problem in last week’s Champions League fixture in Moscow. [...]