Film review: Clouds of Sils Maria May 15, 2015 Cert 12a | ★☆☆☆☆ Clouds of Sils Maria takes the acting profession so seriously the entire script could be printed off and submitted to Private Eye’s Luvvies column. Juliette Binoche plays a fading Hollywood star, Kristen Stewart her assistant, and together they hit every cliché short of air-kissing and telling each other they’re marvelous. [...]
Film review: Pitch Perfect 2 still hits the right notes May 15, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★☆☆ If you haven’t heard of Pitch Perfect, it’s probably because you’re not a girl under the age of 25. But this comedy about rival acapella choirs became a cult hit in 2012, largely due to breakout performances from the sickeningly talented Anna Kendrick and offbeat Australian comedian Rebel Wilson. Simply [...]
Mario Draghi: Beware risks from surge in money printing May 14, 2015 Printing money can cause turbulence in financial markets, and could cause wealth inequalities to rise, European Central Bank (ECB) boss Mario Draghi warned yesterday. But the ECB President said that failing to act could be even more dangerous, and promised to carry on with ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easing “as long as needed for [...]
The workplace designs that combat ageism: Floating desks and a paperless environment won’t suit the whole team May 14, 2015 There has been much hype recently about what makes an office “cool”. Respondents to a survey from a design company ranked a slide, personal barista and a puppy/kitten room as the top three “cool” requirements. These may appear on the wish lists of so-called millennials, but are they likely to represent the views of employees [...]
Mad Max: Fury Road is the best action film of the year – film review May 14, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★★ Mad Max: Fury Road is the most surprisingly brilliant, gloriously demented film of the year. It’s a carnival of the grotesque that combines Hollywood sheen with a heart of pure, unadulterated pulp. What’s just as extraordinary is that the only other movies director George Miller has worked on since the millennium [...]
Chelsea FC have received over £1bn Roman Abramovich loans in 12 years May 14, 2015 Roman Abramovich's loans to Chelsea have risen above the £1bn mark. Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner has loaned a total of £1,041,243,000 to Fordstam, the company through which he owns the Premier League champions. According to Fordstam's latest accounts for the full financial year ended 30 June 2014, Abramovich's loans to the club rose by £60m [...]
A reasonable valuation? May 13, 2015 Duncan Cheatle, The Supper Club founder, explains how companies can make sure that they’ve got a sensible valuation when listing on a crowdfunding platform ONE OF the most valuable things that someone seeking funding can do is put themselves in their investors’ shoes. Until recently, I had always been on the money side of the [...]
Andrew Strauss explains Kevin Pietersen England exclusion – full transcript May 13, 2015 England’s new director of cricket Andrew Strauss and Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), faced journalists yesterday to explain why they would not be recalling Kevin Pietersen for this summer’s Ashes, despite the maverick batsman advancing his case with a triple century for Surrey this week. Here is [...]
Frida Kahlo’s life in things: New exhibition celebrates the most famous female artist of all time May 12, 2015 When Frida Kahlo wasn’t breaking ground as a leading member of the Mexican avant garde art movement, she was sleeping with Trotsky, befriending Picasso and entrancing the world with her androgynous charisma. Her life was every bit as earthily sexual as her paintings: one of the first artists to have a reputation that truly preceded [...]
The real secrets of Silicon Valley May 12, 2015 Beneath the magical veneer, there are business principles everyone can learn from SILICON Valley has become something of a mecca for talented entrepreneurs looking to make their mark. As a professor teaching them, I have had a ringside seat as some of the most driven businesspeople on the planet slug it out. Life here is [...]