The historic Islington mansion at the heart of London’s brick boom September 5, 2014 Before the Giraffes, Byrons and Starbucks, before the lawyers moved in with their taste for organic food and artisan delis, the area we now know as Angel was famed for something altogether more prosaic: bricks. As urban London expanded in the early 18th century, local merchants took advantage of the sturdy outer-London soil and built [...]
Film Review: Before I Go To Sleep September 4, 2014 ★★ It’s always the same. She awakes startled in what she thinks is a stranger’s bed, creeps into the bathroom and looks in the mirror. The face she sees is hers, but different: lined, framed by hair that’s thinning, a little dry with middle-age. She screams and runs from the bathroom back into the bedroom [...]
Theatre review: Little Revolution September 4, 2014 ★★★★ Is there anything left to say about the riots? Despite the avalanche of think-pieces chewing over possible causes – from the left: poverty, racism, a lack of opportunities; from the right: irresponsibility bred by welfarism and failures in state education – no one provided a wholly satisfactory diagnosis. The riots were simply too big, [...]
Aaron Swartz: Reddit founder and internet’s own boy in new documentary August 27, 2014 "He was the internet’s own boy and the old world killed him”. This eloquent epitaph is provided by journalist Quinn Norton, an ex-girlfriend of Aaron Swartz and one of many who talk tearfully of Swartz in a documentary, The Internet’s Own Boy, released this weekend. Swartz was indeed the internet’s boy but it was his [...]
Edinburgh Fringe comedy awards nominations: Remember these names August 20, 2014 The largest arts festival in the world is preparing to wrap for another year. Thousands of performers have taken to hundreds of stages over the course of the month-long event, which will go out with a bang on bank holiday Monday. Originally a theatre festival, the fringe now encompassed comedy, theatre, dance, cabaret, magic and [...]
Film Review: The Expendables 3 August 14, 2014 “Why don’t you cut me loose and I’ll open your meat shirt and show you your own heart” – In another universe this could be poetry. In actual fact the line comes from the resolutely unpoetic gob of Mel Gibson, who sits trussed-up in a military plane flying somewhere over “Uzmenistan”, a fictional country dreamt [...]
Something for the Weekend: how to fill your days off August 14, 2014 To pay tribute: Dead Poets Society Secret Cinema Secret Cinema’s organisers have had their hands full with the Back to the Future event, but they’ve found time to honour Robin Williams with a screening of Dead Poets Society this Friday. £25, visit eventbrite.co.uk To dance: Jazz Festival Canary Wharf Some soul is [...]
48 Hours in… Panama City August 1, 2014 Where to stay Panama City isn’t exactly lacking in hotels but the five star Bristol stands out among a wealth of good options. With 125 comfortable rooms offering views of Panama City’s great architecture, it’s the ultimate choice if money is no object. Visit thebristol.com Where to go With the Pacific to the west [...]
Theatre review: A Streetcar Named Desire July 31, 2014 ★★★★★ Is there room in that hot, sweaty, studio-flat for more than one great performance? Gillian Anderson runs away with it in this, Benedict Andrews’ brilliant, sultry, disorientating, modern dress production. There are strong supporting turns from Vanessa Kirby and Ben Foster but Anderson owns the stage with a captivating interpretation of the fantasist Blanche [...]
The future of the commute July 30, 2014 Driverless cars are poised to go mainstream. But what of the other modes of transport beloved of science fiction? DRIVERLESS CARS (likelihood: 100%) Science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote a short story in 1953 called Sally that takes place in 2057 and features cars controlled by “positronic” brains. The cars don’t require human drivers and communicate [...]
