Uncovering unexpected luxury in the flat heart of Norfolk April 8, 2016 THE WEEKEND: A luxury long weekend might conjure images of business-class flights to NYC or the Eurostar to Paris, but have you considered a trip to Norfolk? While it may rest in the public consciousness as the home of Alan Partridge, Bernard Matthews and Colman’s Mustard, it’s a beautiful part of the country and, if you [...]
Why rising London house prices have got parents buying homes for their school-age children April 8, 2016 Every week, Morning Wire invites an industry professional to write about an emerging trend in the property market. Over the past few years, given the exceptional price growth London has seen, the role of “the bank of mum and dad” in house sales has evolved considerably. No longer restricted to parents helping their 20-something adult children finishing [...]
Boulevard, Robin Williams’ last movie, is a muted tribute April 7, 2016 Dir. Dito Montiel | ★★★☆☆ While not the last film he shot, Boulevard has the sad distinction of being the late Robin Williams' final on-screen role, arriving just over 18 months after the actor’s death. He plays Nolan, a married bank employee whose existence has become a simple, sad matter of plodding through the days, [...]
Timothy Spall excels in The Old Vic’s The Caretaker April 7, 2016 The Old Vic | ★★★★☆ Harold’s Pinter’s first big hit, The Caretaker, is a frenetic comedy about three social outcasts, all woefully incapable of communicating with each other. This claustrophobic play takes place inside a leaky loft conversion strewn with lofty piles of newspapers and a host of unfinished DIY projects. It’s exhausting just looking [...]
X at the Royal Court review: a terrifying, claustrophobic space horror that comes unravelled April 7, 2016 Royal Court | ★★★☆☆ The best science fiction is virtually always a vehicle for social commentary, a metaphor for talking about the here and now. Alien can be read as an advocation of abortion; Dune reflects the geopolitics of the Cold War-era oil industry; Dawn of the Dead is a critique of consumerism. But, crucially, you [...]
From Doctor Who penthouses gothic three-beds, here are the new builds hitting the London property market this week April 7, 2016 Queen’s Wharf, Hammersmith Four penthouses are on sale atop a riverside scheme in Hammersmith. Named Clark, Dixon, Appleby and Thorne after four key figures in the construction of Hammersmith Bridge, the penthouses have three bedrooms and a private roof terrace each. Prices start at £4.2m and they’re due to be finished in 2017. The scheme [...]
Whistler at the Fine Art Society shows an artist who was rightly considered thoroughly radical April 7, 2016 James McNeill Whistler is best known for his painterly concern for harmony of tones and mood, rather than overtly symbolic or moral content. This is famously evident in his Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1 of 1871, commonly known as Whistler’s Mother. What is less known is that he was also an extraordinary pioneer both [...]
Eight of the best bottles of tequila, including George Clooney’s latest venture Casamigos April 7, 2016 In childhood, we form sensory memories that can last a lifetime: the smell of baking might remind you of your grandmother’s home, for instance. It can also work in a negative way – for many, the taste of tequila reminds them of overpowering nausea and vicious hangovers. But this spirit, made from the blue agave [...]
Mechanical doesn’t mean medieval: the most advanced traditional watches April 7, 2016 You don’t have to make too many circuits of the Silicon Roundabout and its environs to notice that, even at the heart of the tech community, there’s more to wristwatches than those prefixed with the word “smart”. In fact, the traditional wristwatch is one of the most technologically advanced gadgets to have ever appeared, and [...]
Three of the world’s most advanced trainers April 7, 2016 New production methods are paving the way for a whole new generation of advanced sneakers that are not only more comfortable than ever: they're also helping to save the planet. APL Blade APL, or Athletic Propulsion Labs, was founded in Los Angeles by identical twins Adam and Ryan Goldston who wanted to enable athletes to [...]