Life&Style

Unwind with City PM's Life&Style section

World Cup final: Lionel Messi and Argentina triumph on penalties after epic with France

December 18, 2022

Lionel Messi claimed the only major honour to have evaded him as his Argentina side beat France on penalties after a thrilling World Cup final ended 3-3 in Qatar on Sunday. Messi opened the scoring with a penalty after a foul on Angel di Maria, who added the second with one of the all-time great [...]
Gareth Southgate to stay on as England manager until 2024, FA confirms

December 18, 2022

Gareth Southgate has decided to stay on as manager of the England men’s team until 2024, the Football Association has confirmed. The announcement ends speculation over his future, after Southgate hinted that he might walk away following last week’s World Cup quarter-final elimination by France. “We are delighted to confirm that Gareth Southgate is continuing [...]
The Revenant and Birdman director returns with an inscrutable journey into his own past

December 16, 2022

Six years after The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu returns for an esoteric dive into his own past in the semi-autobiographical Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. Daniel Giménez Cacho plays Silverio Gama, an experimental filmmaker who has recently won a prestigious American award (can you see the connect yet?). Travelling to his home [...]
Shakespeare comes to @shohplace with this all-singing, all-signing As You Like It

December 16, 2022

For a new theatre like @sohoplace, the first handful of productions are foundational. They form an idea in the mind of audiences about what kind of place this is, and who it’s for. Last month’s Marvellous, a low-fi biopic of Staffordshire clown Neil “Nello” Baldwin, seemed a little leftfield but was a shrewd choice, having [...]
Avatar: The Way of Water is a dull sequel to the most forgettable success story in cinema history

December 16, 2022

The sequel to the most successful film of all time comes out this week, but despite very little competition at the multiplex, the hype has been muted. For years, Avatar has gained a reputation as an anomaly: the most successful film no one remembers, it’s rarely in any best-of lists, or even talked about when [...]
World Cup final is Argentina v France, Messi v Mbappe and past v future

December 16, 2022

More than decade of Qatar’s multi-billion-pound investment in football will reach a crescendo on Sunday afternoon when two stars of Paris Saint-Germain, the club owned by the Gulf state’s investment arm, face off at the Lusail Stadium in the World Cup final. But while it is seen as an ideal outcome for Qatar’s rulers, a [...]
Quins postpone showpiece Big Game over rail strike chaos

December 16, 2022

Premiership rugby club Harlequins’ cash cow showpiece event of the season – Big Game – has been cancelled due to the fall out from South Western Rail’s strikes over the Christmas Period, as reported first by City PM yesterday. The game – which regularly attracts over 70,000 fans to Twickenham Stadium across the winter festive [...]
Ollie Phillips: European rugby, McGuigan and Laporte

December 16, 2022

The opening round of European Champions Cup action left me slightly confused; there were some cracking matches but also some really disappointing results. The SA Sharks’ win over Harlequins down in South Africa was proper entertainment, as was Lyon’s loss to the Bulls on the African continent. But Leinster’s demolition of Racing 92 was disappointing [...]
It’s all change at the Rugby Players Association come the new year

December 15, 2022

It’s due to be all change at the Rugby Players Association come the new year with a raft of new non-executive directors and a new general secretary of the union coming in. Having dealt with the impact of the pandemic on its members, the RPA has recently had to spring into action following the downfall [...]
Piazza at the Royal Opera House is perfect for festive fun

December 15, 2022

London is beautiful at Christmas and one of the most festive corners of our city is Covent Garden. Opening to the general public for the first time, Piazza is the fifth floor restaurant in the iconic Royal Opera House, boasting a huge terrace with panoramic views over Covent Garden’s holiday wonderland. The dining room is [...]