Rapid responses October 18, 2012 Greek reform [Re: Greece must stop hitting snooze and wake up to economic reform, yesterday] Although Matthew Melchiorre is right to criticise Greece’s politicians for failing to reform their state, he misses a bigger issue. Politicians aren’t operating in a vacuum. Much of the Greek public – quite unlike the Estonians or Irish – doesn’t accept [...]
Burton is back to his best with horror romp October 18, 2012 FILM FRANKENWEENIE Cert PG **** Only TIM Burton could have got away with making Frankenweenie. I can just hear the pitch: “I want to shoot a feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog”. Frankenweenie, though, is undoubtedly the most lovingly crafted feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog ever [...]
London launch boom rolls on October 18, 2012 Autumn’s boom of London launches continues apace, with Barbarella set to open on the Fulham Road this week. Formerly one of the go-to spots for London’s luminaries, Groucho Club maestro Jack Freud has enlisted clubland’s foremost names and undertaken a £2m refurbishment to restore Barbarella to its former glory, with dinner, drinks and dancing featuring [...]
Ginger and Rosa is an interesting but flawed film that doesn’t quite deliver October 18, 2012 FILM GINGER AND ROSA Cert 12A *** Ginger and Rosa weaves a rather implausible coming of age tale about two teenage friends with the post-war fear of The Bomb, resulting in a film with a veneer of sentimentality but a surprisingly cynical heart. Ginger is a bright girl from a bohemian family who is terrified [...]
The best of the fest: must see flicks this weekend at the 56th Annual BFI London Film Festival October 18, 2012 THE 56th Annual BFI London Film Festival was has been a showcase for some of the world’s hottest young directors, as well as some more established personalities such as Tim Burton, whose Frankenweenie, reviewed above, opened the event. The festival is bigger than ever this year, with new venues being added in locations including Shoreditch, [...]
Dig deep for this lame movie October 18, 2012 FILM BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Cert 12A ** Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of those films that will split opinions. Having heard about the great splash it made at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, I was expecting something special. Instead I got a film that required me to dig deep [...]
Racing gears up to say farewell to Frankel at QIPCO British Champions Day October 18, 2012 RARELY has racing been simultaneously so excited and disappointed as it will be around 4.00pm tomorrow at Ascot for QIPCO British Champions Day, when Sir Henry Cecil’s magnificent Frankel takes to the turf for what will almost certainly be his final race. In two wonderful seasons the son of Galileo has staked his claim to [...]
Frankie’s Thoughts October 18, 2012 I HAD my finest hour in the saddle at Ascot and it always holds a special place in my heart. But Frankel is the star of the show in tomorrow’s QIPCO British Champions Day, not me! As we all know, he is an absolutely incredible horse and nothing will beat him. I ride the German-trained [...]
Blues criticised for secrecy over Terry race row punishment October 18, 2012 CHELSEA were denounced last night by equality campaigners for refusing to come clean over their punishment of captain John Terry for his race-row confrontation with QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. The European champions said they had taken disciplinary action against Terry, in addition to his four-match ban and £220,000 fine from the Football Association, but would keep [...]
Barritt keen for Racing victory when Sarries travel to Brussels October 18, 2012 SARACENS centre Brad Barritt believes that he and his team-mates will relish competing at the unique location of the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels at ‘home’ to Racing Metro on Saturday and that a win in the Heineken Cup fixture is “imperative”. Both teams have won their previous matches and are among the tournament’s strongest [...]
