Mile 22 review: Maybe Mark Wahlberg needs a little more time in his cryo-chamber September 14, 2018 What a wonderful time to write about Mark Wahlberg. He announced this week that he wakes up at 2.30am every morning to squeeze in workout after workout, allowing for recovery sessions in his own, personal cryo-chamber; he enjoys “family time” when his kids are at school; he luxuriates in the shower for 90-minutes at a [...]
Crazy Rich Asians review: Razor sharp and sassy rom-com September 14, 2018 Working class New Yorker Rachel (Constance Wu) falls for a mega-rich Singapore bachelor Nick (Henry Golding) in a ground-breaking Hollywood production with a distinctly retro feel. The glitz and spectacle of old Hollywood flows through this smart, sassy rom-com, with the action flitting between glamorous parties, nouveau rich mansions and exotic getaways. Consisting of multiple [...]
Crazy Rich Asians review: Razor sharp and sassy rom-com September 14, 2018 Working class New Yorker Rachel (Constance Wu) falls for a mega-rich Singapore bachelor Nick (Henry Golding) in a ground-breaking Hollywood production with a distinctly retro feel. The glitz and spectacle of old Hollywood flows through this smart, sassy rom-com, with the action flitting between glamorous parties, nouveau rich mansions and exotic getaways. Consisting of multiple [...]
Explore Ontario with the First Nations – Manitoulin Island offers an insight into Canada’s rich cultural heritage February 9, 2018 Flags line the terminal as I land at Toronto Airport, celebrating ‘Canada 150’, the official birthday of the nation. My trip to a remote part of Ontario, however, would reveal that there is much more to the country’s history than the past century and a half. This was my first time in Canada, and as [...]
Embracing Italy’s culinary heritage on a journey from Florence to the stunning Riviera March 17, 2017 As welcomes go, my arrival into Genoa airport will take some beating. In my experience, airport transfers usually involve a 45 minute purgatory of cabs or shuttle buses. However, there I was, driving along dream-like coastal roads with a soundtrack of classic Italian standards. An appropriately bespoke introduction, given I would spend the next week [...]
Elle film review: a bizarre but effective revenge comedy as black as the sky on a moonless night March 10, 2017 The recent gaff at the Oscars meant a number of films and performances were lost amid the noise. One of them was Elle, which gained a Best Actress nomination for French star Isabelle Huppert. A favourite of film makers including Michael Haneke, she takes the title role in Paul Verhoeven’s (RoboCop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall) [...]
Logan is the bloody and bold Wolverine film fans have been waiting for, and a perfect end to the series March 3, 2017 While not every outing was a gem, Hugh Jackman’s seventeen years as Wolverine have made him a superhero movie icon. Taller and prettier than the comic book character, he nonetheless won over the nerds during his six-film run (plus two cameos). The missing ingredient (“X factor”, if you will), however, has always been edge; his [...]
The Great Wall film review: It’s a shame, but this Chinese film plays like a bog standard Hollywood movie February 17, 2017 Dir. Zhang Yimou Hero director Zhang Yimou’s expensive opus sees Matt Damon play a mercenary taken prisoner on the Great Wall of China, during the Song Dynasty. He discovers the wall was built to protect the country from invading alien monsters, and joins the fight to keep them at bay. The film represents a landmark [...]
Hidden Figures film review: This timely story is important, if a tad sentimental February 17, 2017 Dir. Theodore Melfi One of the films vying for Best Picture at next weekend’s Oscars, Hidden Figures tells the fascinating story of three African-American women (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) who overcome prejudice to be vital in NASA’s first missions to space. The issue of racism within the space programme is handled [...]
The Founder film review: the story of Ray Kroc, the man behind McDonalds’ fast food empire, is a fascinating watch February 17, 2017 Dir. John Lee Hancock The story of Ray Kroc and the birth of one of the great corporate empires is a fascinating watch. Set in the 50s, a struggling milkshake machine salesman (Michael Keaton) stumbles across a small burger shop named McDonald’s, with two brothers setting out a system to deliver the perfect burger quickly. [...]
