Enjoy the glut of new openings near the City September 20, 2012 This Month has seen an unprecedented number of openings across the capital, particularly in the City. The first that warrants attention is NeNe, which is located nearby the lovely, and formerly lonely, Eight Club Moorgate and in the same building as L’Anima. NeNe adjoins Chrysan, the first international venture from the Japanese visionary Yoshihiro Murata. [...]
Hysteria is a coy toothless cartoon September 20, 2012 FILM HYSTERIA Cert 15 | * Hysteria, the story about the invention of the vibrator in Victorian London, could have been the perfect companion piece to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sexually-charged 2002 movie, Secretary. It promises to be an exploration of female desire, a subject that remains something of a taboo in mainstream cinema. Instead, we get [...]
Now is Good… But it ain’t great September 20, 2012 FILM NOW IS GOOD Cert 12A | *** Now is Good is a mawkish but ultimately effective teen weepie. It follows the last months in the life of terminally ill 17-year-old Tessa (Dakota Fanning) as she ticks off a list of things she wants to experience before death. One of the things on the list [...]
Pitt’s latest is blunt, violent and zingy as hell September 20, 2012 FILM KILLING THEM SOFTLY Cert 18 | **** Killing Them Softly has the kind of script that, in lesser hands, and with lesser actors, could have been laughably bad. But director Andrew Dominik, the man behind the excellent The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, never blinks as he unfurls this ultra-violent, [...]
These contrasting dramas have their moments but are sunk by insurmountable flaws September 20, 2012 FILM SAVAGES Cert 15 | ** Oliver Stone’s latest follows the progress of cannabis farmers Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and the beautiful beach bum girlfriend that they share, O (Blake Lively). Bound by a mutual devotion to O and getting stoned, Ben and Chon live in hazy harmony in their massive cannabis [...]
Madoff victims in line for $2.48bn payout September 20, 2012 Victims of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme will receive a $2.48bn (£1.53bn) payout to help cover their losses, the trustee liquidating his firm said today. This is in addition to $1.15bn recovered earlier, with total victims’ distributions currently at more than $3.6bn. Cheques for $1,784 up to $526.9m were sent yesterday to the 1,230 victims of [...]
Retail sales slump in August September 20, 2012 UK retail sales fell in August as consumers stayed at home to watch the Olympics rather than spending on the high street, official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed today. Overall sales fell 0.2 per cent over the month, although year-on-year, the ONS recorded an annual rise of 2.7 per cent. Non-store [...]
FTSE 100 down on weak Chinese data September 20, 2012 The FTSE 100 fell in early trading this morning, as the miners that rose on the blue chip index yesterday fell on weak manufacturing data from China, which spurred concerns about demand for the oil and metals market. Miner Ferrexpo, steelmaker Evraz and Aquarius Platinum led the fallers, down 5.5, 5.37 and 4.92 per cent [...]
United Utilities confident on targets September 20, 2012 Waste and water group United Utilities said in a trading update today that it is on course to deliver good financial performance for the year. The firm, which is currently the target of takeover bid speculation, said current trading is in line with group expectations. Revenue in the year to the end of March 2013 [...]
Deutsche Bank to sell BHF to Kleinwort Benson September 20, 2012 Deutsche Bank has agreed the sale of its BHF Bank unit to private equity investor Kleinwort Benson for €384m (£307m). The deal still needs to be approved by the German regulator BaFin and is subject to closing purchase price agreements. RHJ International, the parent company of Kleinwort Benson, and Deutsche Bank agreed on the major [...]
