Death of England review: Rafe Spall dazzles in this timely portrait of the resurgent far-right February 14, 2020 Rafe Spall asserts his credentials as one of the finest stage actors around in this percussive, often hilarious one-man play about working class racism. He plays Michael, an Essex flower-seller whose oily patter masks a vast well of toxic emotion. He’s the guy in the pub who’s all smiles until he’s kicking the life out [...]
Want to buy art but don’t know where to start? Try Collect, the more accessible design fair February 14, 2020 Kicking off the calendar of high-end art fairs of 2020, Collect is still London’s only fair of contemporary craft and design presented by gallerists. This year, it’s moved from the Saatchi Gallery to its new home in the softer and more decorative venue of Somerset House, swapping stark white walls for the charm of 18th-century [...]
Sonic the Hedgehog review: Everyone’s second favourite videogame mascot’s gotta go faster than this February 14, 2020 There’s a point about halfway through the Sonic the Hedgehog movie in which Sonic farts unexpectedly, forcing the viewer to reckon with the notion that he has a functioning anus. I’m no prude – farts are one of the most sophisticated forms of humour there is – but being made to conceptualise the sphincter of [...]
Far Away review: Chilling Caryl Churchill drama staged in 45 minutes is a breath of fresh air February 14, 2020 In our current theatrical landscape, where three-hour plays are the norm and two-part, seven-hour epics are the height of sophistication, there’s something thrilling, almost transgressive about the sentence “45 minutes, straight through”. Caryl Churchill’s 2000 play Far Away is a poster-child for short-form story telling, trimming every ounce of fat, wasting not a single word. [...]
Emma film review: Stylish Austen adaptation is lacking in substance February 14, 2020 Not unlike a cabinet reshuffle, Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma follows a group of largely unlikeable people being shunted around in different permutations, at the whim of an aristocratic blonde who’s used to getting their own way. In this case it’s in the pursuit of matchmaking, something in which the titular character, 21-year-old provincial heiress [...]
Rescue this: Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts you can buy in the City February 14, 2020 You’ve left it late, but there’s still time. Here’s where to find everything you need for Valentine’s Day this year without leaving the Square Mile. Windsor Flowers 25 Old Broad Street; windsorflowerslondon.co.uk Nothing says Valentine’s Day quite as succinctly and warmly as a good bunch of flowers. Not your wilting supermarket affair that looks like [...]
The high streets paved with gold: Flat prices are skyrocketing on these London roads February 14, 2020 The Great British High Street has a lost a bit of its lustre in recent years. Handfuls of household-name retailers have hit the rocks, thanks to customers gravitating away from big chains in favour of local independents, as well as being seduced by the ease of online shopping. But while shops are floundering, the market [...]
DEBATE: Could AI ever win an Oscar? February 11, 2020 Could AI ever win an Oscar? John Gikopoulos, global head of AI and automation at Infosys Consulting, says YES. It’s entirely possible, and plausible, that artificial intelligence (AI) could soon win an Oscar. With the South Korean film Parasite winning Best Picture this year — the first ever foreign language film to do so — [...]
Weekly Grill: Barboun’s Fez Ozalgan on vomiting chicken hearts and cooking steak February 10, 2020 Who are you and what do you do? My name is Fez Ozalgan. I’m the head chef of Barboun on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch. Tell us about Barboun It’s an Eastern Mediterranean grill restaurant, specialising in dishes cooked over open fire. The menu features a lot of fish and vegetables but, in my opinion, a [...]
Fitness advice: How to avoid these five common pitfalls in your bid to lose weight February 10, 2020 Getting fit isn’t a one-size-fit-all deal. There are at least as many strategies as there are people, and what works for me might be a disaster for you. The key is pinpointing the weak links in your quest to get healthy and finding solutions. I’ve worked with thousands of clients over the years and I’ve [...]