This is 40 minutes too long February 14, 2013 FILM THIS IS 40 Cert 12A ** Half-way through Judd Apatow’s latest, This Is 40, a woman accuses Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd) of looking like a couple from a bank advert. Its one of the better jokes, not least because it highlights the fundamental problem with the film. Debbie and Pete are [...]
A Good Day to Die Hard is a ludicrous, outdated relic February 14, 2013 FILM A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD Cert: 12A ** John McClane is a family man. When he purged that New York tower block of eastern European terrorists in 1988, he wasn’t doing it out of patriotic or professional duty – he was doing it for his wife who was trapped in the building. A [...]
Great Expectations, below par results February 14, 2013 THEATRE GREAT EXPECTATIONS Vaudeville Theatre ** The Vaudeville seems a fitting space to stage Great Expectations. It was founded in 1870, just ten years after Dickens finished serialising his much loved classic, and Dickens himself – who loved theatre deeply – might have visited had he not died in the year it was completed. Like [...]
Underground success story February 14, 2013 EXHIBITION POSTER ART 150 London Transport Museum **** In this excellent new exhibition at the London Transport Museum, 150 posters have been selected from a collection of more than 3,300. Not only are the posters striking pieces of art, they also offer a unique insight into the history of the transport system that most of [...]
The white shirt: it’s a classic for a very good reason February 13, 2013 Since MAD Men’s Don Draper breathed new life into the white shirt back in 2007, it has been a wardrobe staple for the distinguished man about town. But picking the right one isn’t easy. Few people expect to walk into a shop and immediately find a suit that fits – the same goes for shirts. [...]
Team IT with these top accessories February 13, 2013 John Lobb Oxford shoes, £655 mrporter.com Bottega Veneta Curved intrecciato cufflinks, £270 mrporter.com Mulberry Heathcliffe leather briefcase, £895 mulberry.com
The future looks cloudy for this Sauvignon Blanc February 12, 2013 [email protected] Once the wine of choice, Cloudy Bay now has some real competition Whatever HAPPENED to Cloudy Bay? A few years ago the release of the new Cloudy Bay Sauvignon vintage was greeted with excitement amongst wine lovers. After all, this was a wine to celebrate – a taut yet ripe Sauvignon Blanc with real [...]
A cynic’s solution to not loving Valentine’s day February 12, 2013 Morning Wire’s cocktail expert Call ME a cynic, but there is only one thing worse than being single on Valentine’s Day and that is being forced to sit with your significant other in a bar or restaurant, spending hand over fist in a vain attempt to quantify your affections. And every year the expectations for [...]
The new Mini might be the best yet February 11, 2013 BACK WHEN most cars could still be relied upon to regularly break down, racing and rally car constructor John Cooper invented the original pocket rocket. He race-tuned the astonishing BMC Mini to create the Mini Cooper. It earned iconic status by dominating saloon car and rally racing in the 1960s. It won the Monte Carlo [...]
Rivals worth considering February 11, 2013 The BMW M1235i, from £29,995 At this price the bigger and more practical, rear-wheel drive BMW M135i might be worth considering. There’s a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine pushing out 316bhp from under its understated bonnet. It can accelerate from zero to 62mph in just 4.8 seconds and is a far better everyday driver than past [...]