What does it really take to win the title Master of Wine? September 7, 2021 There are only 419 living Masters of Wine in the world, and a further 77 who are no longer with us, which means that more people have been in space than have successfully passed this rigorous test of wine academia. This total includes the three Masters of Wine who joined the ranks just last month, [...]
Opportunity International opens outdoor photo exhibition September 6, 2021 Opportunity International last week opened its new outdoor photo exhibition by award-winning photographer Kate Holt in the Southwood Garden of St James’s Church, Piccadilly. Featuring a series of lifesize photographs of the refugees Holt encountered in Uganda, the exhibition invites visitors to “spend an evening walking amongst the remarkable individuals,” which Opportunity International says it [...]
Sotheby’s Jamie Ritchie on the future of wine auctions September 3, 2021 If Jamie Ritchie were on Desert Island Discs, which is not beyond the realms of possibility, his luxury item would be his gavel. “In 1994, as part of Sotheby’s 250th anniversary celebrations, I was given a wooden gavel. It has been the only gavel I have ever used. It has required some occasional re-gluing as [...]
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was worth the wait September 3, 2021 A new hero emerges in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with opponents both on the screen and in real life. Shang-Chi has endured pushback from China, a large market and a country understandably sceptical about a comic book with a history of disrespectful depictions of Asian people being adapted. While work has been done to modernise [...]
Rockets and Blue Lights at National Theatre review September 3, 2021 First performed in March 2020 at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Rockets and Blue Lights ran for just three weeks before the pandemic yanked down the curtain. Now this strange, urgent, flawed, exasperating and occasionally brilliant play finally opens in London on the National Theatre’s Dorfman stage. Winsome Pinnock’s play focuses on the legacy of [...]
Cinderella review – Amazon’s enthusiastic but forgettable fairytale September 3, 2021 An unspoken rule of Hollywood is that a new version of Cinderella has to be attempted at least once a decade. Brandy (97’s Cinderella) and Drew Barrymore (Ever After) gave it a go in the 90s; while Anne Hathaway (Ella Enchanted) and Hilary Duff (A Cinderella Story) gave the tale a modern spin in the [...]
Wildfire film review – an understated family affair September 3, 2021 Generating some buzz through last year’s festival circuit, Wildfire comes to cinemas followed by sadness both on and off screen. Just as the sisters in the story live with loss in their lives, a dedication at the end alludes to the passing of star Danika McGuigan shortly after the film’s completion, aged just 33. There’s [...]
Gentlemen do wear plaid: How to sport the tartan September 2, 2021 I spent the bank holiday weekend in Glasgow. I hadn’t visited the former second city of the Empire for a couple of years, but from its suburbs spring my roots and I always feel a degree of comfort—admixed with wonder and bewilderment, it is true—when I step into the throngs on Buchanan Street or Argyle [...]
Misha and The Wolves review: A stunning mystery documentary September 2, 2021 Winning fans at Sundance this year was Misha and The Wolves, a documentary that covers a story that gained a lot of press coverage, but may be new to a number of viewers. It’s the 90’s, and an American publisher Jane Daniel believes she struck gold when she comes across the story of Misha Defonseca, [...]
What If…? episode 4 catch-up – grief takes a Strange turn September 2, 2021 We’re approaching the halfway point of What If…?, and so far the glimpses of an alternative Marvel Cinematic Universe have been positive. Peggy Carter heroically took up the mantle meant for Steve Rogers, T’Challa proved he would be a hero whatever galaxy he is in, and even if the original Avengers were wiped out, Nick [...]
