HotelTonight, the app for last-minute hotel stays, launches new destinations

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Frostie

HotelTonight, the app for last-minute or spontaneous hotel stays,

launches new destinations in France, Italy, Spain and Mexico

HotelTonight, the first ever last-minute hotel booking app, has recently added more than fifteen new destinations to its roster of vibrant cities worldwide. This brings the total reach of the app to 12 countries and 100 destinations worldwide.

To tie in with the peak travel season in Europe, HotelTonight is adding popular European destinations, including Lille, Lyon, and Marseille in France; Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga/Costa del Sol in Spain and Florence, Rome and Milan in Italy. The last minute hotel booking app is also offering its over five million global users new destinations in Ireland, Mexico and for those who prefer holidaying closer to home, HotelTonight has added Brighton to its list of best UK hotel deals.

This recent international expansion is part of its pledge to be ubiquitous and accessible to all last minute travellers and follows last week’s global announcement of new features including “Snap Your Stay” which allows customers to photograph and share images of their hotel with friends and other HotelTonight users, and the “HT Price Guarantee,” which guarantees its rates against competitors’ offerings.

HotelTonight is now partnering with almost 2500 hotels across the globe in the ‘hip’, ‘luxe’, ‘charming’ and ‘solid’ categories. Hotels include the stunning 5 Star The First Luxury Hotel in Rome, and the charming Palazzo Vecchietti in Florence, the Kempinski Hotel Bahia Estepona on the Costa del Sol and the hip Music Hotel in Marseille. These hotels and others across Europe are perfect for an impromptu weekend break. There are also many more hotels more on the mid to basic level which are perfectly suited to business travellers’ needs.

At the same time as adding these new destinations, the company has also expanded its European operations, relocating to a new, larger office in London’s Covent Garden and building out the team with new Country Managers for Italy and Spain.

The Hotel Tonight app offers unbeatable deals on hand-picked hotels, with bookings opening at midday and closing at 2AM. Last minute travellers can book a hotel in less than ten seconds with three taps and a swipe, starting that day for one night or more.

Visit www.hoteltonight.com for more information and to download the free app.

For staycations, in the UK, cities include Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Manchester.

Radisson Blu Edwardian Book Club | Things To Do

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

Out of all of my favourite things to do in London, the book club at the Radisson Blu Edwardian is certainly near the top. The beautiful surroundings, intelligent and sophisticated people, and the tea are the perfect backdrop for a book club. It makes you feel connected to history. If that was not reason enough, in May Radisson Blu Edwardian, Bloomsbury Street, is also giving guests a free copy of The Great Gatsby as part of the book club.

This May escape into a world of excess as the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Bloomsbury Street invites you to enjoy Jay Gatsby’s parties, fast cars and mint juleps. The 4-star hotel in the heart of literary London has teamed up with publisher Pan Macmillan to bring its guests a classic celebrating the much anticipated movie premiere of the year. Guests will be able to pick up a complimentary copy of the ‘official film edition’ of The Great Gatsby during their stay.

Jay Gatsby’s parties are legendary. Full of the rich and the beautiful, his mansion is the place to drink and dance. But, underneath this air of opulence, lies an obsessive desire for the one thing he really wants but can never have.

Set in the roaring 1920s, The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story which shows readers the dangers of believing what you see.

The Baz Luhrmann film interpretation of the book, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire, is in cinemas on 16 May.

Set in the heart of Bloomsbury – an area which was home to literary legends Virginia Woolf and E.M Forster – the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Bloomsbury Street Hotel is the first hotel to host its very own book club. Every month guests are invited to enjoy the hotel’s recommended book and take away a complimentary copy to enjoy at their leisure.

Radisson Blu Edwardian, Bloomsbury Street Hotel,

9-13 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3QD

+44 (0)20 7636 5601

http://www.radissonblu-edwardian.com/bloomsburybookclub

6 Best Celebrity Designers of 2013

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Shaun Chatman

Which designers are the celebrities clamoring after for 2013? Now that most designers have revealed their creations for spring, summer, and fall, it’s clear the cream rises to the top. Here are the designers celebrities are wearing and what’s so special about their 2013 collections.

1. Anna Sui

Anna Sui

Image via Flickr by CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK

Anna’s designs are frequently spotted on A-list celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens, Ashlee Simpson, Fergie, Nicole Richie, and Miley Cyrus. This spring, Sui introduced her self-titled line “Anna’s Garden.” Though the collection is unmistakably Sui, with her favored Art Nouveau prints (all designed in-house), she’s taken this year’s line to a new level of floral prints. She mixes colors and whites superbly, and the looks she creates are never overdone. Sui creates the perfect fit for celebrities wanting to be on the cutting edge of fashion, but not over the top.

2. DSquared2

DSquared2

Image via Flickr by br1dotcom

The team of Dean and Dan Caten currently outfit the likes of style setters Jessica Simpson, Selena Gomez, Alicia Keys, and Halle Berry. For 2013, the design team pays homage to the jazz clubs of Paris in the 1940’s. They combine masculine tailored suits with ultra feminine silk dresses, the epitome of luxury. The ensembles feature basic grays and neutrals as a backdrop for bold, fanciful colors, ideal for the sophisticated Halle Berry’s of Hollywood.

3. Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen

Image via Flickr by Romana Correale

McQueen’s collection for 2013 took ideas from the most feminine designs all the way to erotica, so it’s no surprise to see an interesting mix of celebrities donning the outfits. Of course, McQueen was the honored designer to clothe Kate Middleton for her wedding seen ’round the world, but his designs are also popular with the likes of Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, and First Lady Michelle Obama. It’s the perfect balance of modesty to add to your collection of variety of sexy costumes.

4. Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana

Image via Flickr by @Saigon

Enjoyed by starlets Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Claudia Schiffer, and Madonna, no list of top designers would be complete without Dolce and Gabbana. This year, the collection pays tribute to the festivals of Sicily, featuring raffia flour sack dresses, hair scarves, dresses and chandelier earrings adorned with street theater puppets, and separates bearing designs of Caltagirone vases and dishes.

5. Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Image via Flickr by OiMax

As McQueen, Prorsum ventured into the deep world of sexy this year, yet came out with a good reputation. This collection, enjoyed by Victoria Beckham, Donna Air, Sarah Jessica, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and others, showcases the joy of erotica. Capes and corsets are the backbone of the collection. Prorsum employs an array of autumn shades with colors hailing from 1930’s era lingerie, such as shell pinks and oyster. These muted colors against bold jewel tones absolutely pop. Satin and cotton sateen fabrics lend a soft touch to the looks.

6. Emporio Armani

Emporio Armani

Image via Flickr by FuFuWolf

Another staple in top designer lists, Armani dresses celebrities like Lea Michele, Penelope Cruz, Anne Hathaway, and Katie Holmes. This year, the Emporio Armani collection borrowed from all the most relevant fashion eras and brought back the very best, such as drop waist dresses and cloche hats from the Roaring 20’s. The line features faded and pastel shades, which lend femininity to the clean lines and soft shapes of the collection. Even the more tailored pieces are crafted with soft fabrics, creating the illusion of being made of fur.

With these superb collections, it won’t be any problem for celebrities to hit the streets looking runway ready.

This post was written by Shaun Chatman, who is a well published author on many authority sites. He lives in Dunedin, FL, and spends his free time playing with his kids or advising friends on everything from tech and gadgets to finance and travel.

The Big Easy Restaurant Review

Posted on May 5, 2013 by James Yardley

The Big Easy is a popular American style crabshack on the King’s Road. We went at lunch time and it was still busy. The decor is fun and relaxed. You immediately get the feeling of a great American atmosphere.

Fresh Atlantic Crab Claws

‘Colossal Organic Shrimp Cocktail’

Passion Fruit Margarita

Lobster fresh from Maine

We started with some Margaritas. I have a strawberry one, it was refreshing and delicious, the perfect way to start a meal. We also have a passion fruit Margarita. It comes in a large jar with a handle. Not something I’ve seen before but it means you get even more Margarita which can only be a good thing.

For starters we have the organic shrimp and crab claws. My shrimp were huge! Apparently they come from Nigeria. It’s immediately clear that the restaurant goes to a lot of effort to source the very best ingredients. The prawns are big, juicy and succulent and go very well with the spicy sauce they come with.

The crab came with a honey mustard sauce. Again the quality of the fresh meat was delicious.For mains we went for a 2lb lobster and a half lobster and fillet steak combo

Monster claws from my 2lb Lobster

You know you’re in a proper crabshack when they give you a bib

2lb Lobster

Wow this is where the meal got really special. My lobster was juicy and succulent and simply delicious. American lobster is just so much better than European varieties in my opinion and it really showed in this delicious feast. The claw meat was particularly special.

The lobster are flown in weekly from Maine, the lobster capital of the world. They are kept alive until they’re ready to cook to ensure there incredibly fresh.

Our Lobster was 2lb but if you really want one and can afford it they go all the way up to 6lb! However if you go up to that size it probably won’t be quite as tender as the smaller lobsters. Personally I think 2lb is about the perfect size I certainly wouldn’t have been able to manage much more.

The creamy, buttery, opulent lemon sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the Lobster. The chips were chunky and tasty. The salad was disappointing but it didn’t matter a jot.

The fillet steak was a good portion cooked exactly as we asked (medium rare). The meat was excellent. The other half lobster was also just as good as the 2lb one.

For pudding we share a chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream. It was chocolaty, crumbly and not too rich. We also had a Pirates of the Caribbean milkshake which was excellent and certainly tasted ‘piratey’ with its coconut cream and mint flavor It was the perfect way to finish a great meal.

This was a great restaurant and a wonderful experience. We will certainly be returning to sample the grande sundae (which we were advised against having because of its size). The restaurant is friendly, fun and has a great American atmosphere.

Pirates of the Caribbean Milkshake

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Everything down to the ‘restroom’ signs are authentic.

The whole focus is on great ingredients and this restaurant certainly had that. The cocktails were also superb.

The ‘Big Easy’ was good value and one thing I really liked is you can really spend as much money as you want to. A 2lb lobster with chips, salad and sauce with a margarita is just £19.99. Not bad considering this is on the King’s Road. But it you want you can get a 6lb lobster for £60. Also look out for their events such as all you can eat BBQ’s on Monday nights.

Although we went at lunch I’m told the restaurant can get very busy in the evening so you should definitely book in advance. Also look out for the new three hundred seater restaurant coming to Covent Garden in October.

Fashion Fabulous Party | Social Diary

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

I went along to the launch of the third edition of the Fashion Fabulous book. I was joined by actor/director Jack Bowman and his wonderful girlfriend Mary Burt. I also met the team behind new blog The London Index, Joseph and Leah-Jade. Check them out. Some of their photos are below.

I had a flick through the book and it is brilliant researched. I talked to Tracy and she said that she goes to every single shop and restaurant. Everything is checked to make sure it is of the highest quality. Tracey is also a hat designer and the hat she was wearing was spectacular.

Sarah Eckersley + Leah-Jade Verasammy + Mary Burt + Jack Bowman + Guest + Catherine Balavage

Frost editor Catherine Balavage with actor and director Jack Bowman.

Fashion Fabulous London returns with new guide for 2013

The results of an extensive mystery shop uncover the capital’s Top 200 retailers.
London’s best shopping districts revealed. Shoreditch and Shepherd’s Bush among up-and-coming areas pushing North Kensington out of the top 10.
Customer service in Prada rated equally to Primark.

London’s number 1 independent shopping guide, Fashion Fabulous London launched its new guidebook for 2013 on the 24th of April, and it is out now.

The third edition of the consumer guide picks out and reviews the top shops in London. The shopping equivalent to the Michelin Guide, the new edition of the book is a must-have for the style-conscious London shopper.

Fashion insiders Tracy Rose and Russell Rose have once again compiled the book by making mystery shopper visits to one thousand retailers across the capital. This year’s updated guide highlights the best shops visited by the couple with in-depth reviews of the hottest outlets.

This year’s Top 200 retailers named in Fashion Fabulous London include new entries from designer-run boutique Antoni & Alison in Farringdon and rising vintage outlet Emporium in Greenwich.

Once again, the West End tops the list of London districts with the most retailers in the Top 200, but new neighbourhoods have arrived in the Top 10 shopping districts. Shepherd’s Bush, boosted by the presence of fashion destination Westfield London, now sits in the Top 10 ahead of Camden and Islington. Shoreditch has cemented its position as a fashion hotspot by ousting North Kensington from this year’s Top 10.

The changes in the guide’s Top 10 shopping districts reflect the increasing spread of quality retailers across London. Tracy Rose comments, “The West End remains London and the UK’s retail heart. However, we found from our visits across the city that lavish outlets and high-end service is far from limited to the boutiques of Bond Street and Savile Row. We are finding that retailers further afield in the capital are increasingly improving the quality of the customer experience, even in the current economic climate.”

Shops that offered a personal touch to customers were highly commended by the pair. Tracy states, “We particularly enjoy the experience offered by designer-run boutiques, where the customer can meet the creators of the items on sale. Being myself both a fashion designer and an avid shopper, I appreciate how much consumers value knowing about how their clothes were made.”

Each of the top retailers reviewed in Fashion Fabulous London receive a rating out of 5 shopping bags on choice, service and wow factor. Every store was re-evaluated this year with many receiving new ratings: In service, Bond Street’s Prada store lost its five shopping bag rating while Primark on Oxford Street improved on its one shopping bag rating – both now having two shopping bags in the 2013 edition.

Readers of Fashion Fabulous London will discover personal accounts from Tracy and Russell from their visits to each outlet. Tracy recounts the story of a showdown with shoppers in the Alexander McQueen store, with one envious customer snatching a shoe from her grasp. In another review, Russell gets to know Camden’s leftfield Cyberdog shop by trying on a yellow laser print ‘Talk to the Hand’ T-shirt.

Russell Rose comments, “We hope that this year’s guide will be the perfect companion for fashion-lovers looking for either high-end or high street shops. Whether you’re looking for shoes or handbags, we’ve taken the leg work out of finding the best stockists.”

Fashion Fabulous London will be on sale from 30 April 2013 at leading retailers nationwide including Harrods, Selfridges and Waterstones, and online from Amazon.

Top 10 London shopping postcodes

The top 10 districts in London ranked by the number of Fashion Fabulous London’s Top 200 shops in each district.

2013Rank	Postcode	District	2012Rank
1	W1	West End	1
2	SW1	Belgravia	2
3	W11	Notting Hill Gate	4
4	E1	Brick Lane /Spitalfields	3
5	SW3	Chelsea	6
6	E2	Bethnal Green	7
7	WC2	Covent Garden	5
8	W12	Shepherd’s Bush	=11
9	N1	Islington	8
=10	EC2	Shoreditch	=11
=10	NW1	Camden	10

Wabi London | Restaurant Review

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

I love Asian food. So reviewing Japanese restaurant Wabi was a highlight of my week.

Wabi is a tranquil, stylish and classy restaurant that feels like it is a million miles away from the hubbub and stress of London. It is two minutes walk from Holborn station. I really love the relaxing and elegant decor. The waiter has worked at other Japanese restaurants in London and says that the chef at Wabi is better and more original. They are trying to do something different and create an experience. So far they are achieving it. Now for the food and drinks.

We arrived and have a cocktail each. I have the Mexico Sixty Six (Passion Fruit, Cabrito Reposado Tequilla, Vanilla, Black Pepper infused Shochu) and my colleague has the Sugarplum (Honey, Akashi-tai Umeshu, Thienot Brut Champagne) The cocktails are delicious and look amazing. Wabi would be a great place to come and have cocktails with friends or even business associates. The Mexico Sixty Six has the Japanese version of cola in it and packs a peppery punch. It is tasty and different and the ingredients work well together. The Sugarplum is soft and subtle in an ice cold glass. Tasty and refreshing. We then go on to the 10 course tasting meal.

Otsumami/Snacks

Fire roasted edamame, smoky scratchings & sweet and sour nasu

We start with these wonderfully fire roasted edamame. I love edamame anyway but these are extra delicious and come with pork scratchings and a great sweet and sour nasu. A really great sauce.

We had Weegmullen 2009 Riesling Mandelring at the start of our meal. An interesting German white wine which you might think was sweet but isn’t. It was brave of the waiter to recommend this as it makes you think first and then you like it. It was an excellent choice that went well with the meal.

Crunchy Temaki Cone

Toro, Wasabi Cream and Charcoal Onions

These are amazing. The waiter tells us to take a cone with some sauce and then dip it in the volcanic salt. Yum. A great mixture of taste and texture.

Seabass Sashimi

Served with home-made yuzu koji

The seabass was perfect. I have had a lot of seabass in restaurants and this is high in quality and wonderful. It was exciting to tr y the homemade Koji. Koji, if I’m not mistaken, is fermented cooked rice and or soya beans. Koji is at the heart of Japanese cuisine and is used to make soya sauce, miso and sake. Hear it added a nice kick to the seabass and chef should be rightly proud of his/her creation. It was an original and new experience.

Yellowtail Sashimi

Smokey Nasu and Yuzu Bubbles

This is one of Wabi’s most popular dishes. I can see why. It is just so different. For one, it’s fizzy on top, which is the Yuzu bubbles. This is definitely something to try. It tastes great and so is the texture. That along with the bubbles on top make it a wonderful dish. This dish shows that Wabi are original and are always trying to excel. I am impressed by their bravery and originality.

‘Lobster and Chips’

Kombu/butter poached Lobster with Uni, Vegetable Chips and Yuzu-Truffle-Egg Dip

Lobster and Chips. Just really good food. The lobster was amazing, great quality and as for the chips, who doesn’t love chips? These ones are just beautifully cooked and crispy. I could eat this every day. You only get a few chips but it is enough and also comes with Roe. The Roe does that satisfying thing of popping in your mouth.

Warm Loch Duart Salmon

With Lemon Miso, Green Chilli Salsa and Burnt Cedar

This salmon was perfect. It was soft and tender. It came away beautifully when you put your fork in. The salmon comes with mushrooms and a sauce which both contribute to the dish. Yummy. Asian food at it’s best.

Aged Rib-Eye Ishi-Yaki

Black Beer Marinated Beef, served sizzling with Japanese BBQ Sauce
(£15 supp for Wagyu)

This beef was the best I have ever tasted in my life. It is tender and soft. It is the Australian version of Kobe beef. The cows have a better life than some humans and are massaged with beer. It was sizzling and came with a excellent sauce. Just beautiful. The sauce is sticky and salty.

We went on to a beautiful and rich Pinot Noir for the beef.

Todays Sushi: Tuna with Garlic and Green Pepper, Salmon with Celery and Scallops.

This was a real treat. The tune was perfect, great quality, and the scallops and salmon were also of the highest order. They were all already marinated so did not need to come with any sauce. A real triumph of cooking. (or not cooking?)

Calpico Sorbet with Slow Gin Jelly

This was so wonderfully different. The sorbet was great and the slow gin was a great touch. Wonderful.

Green Tiramisu with Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

This highly original tiramisu was a great way to end the meal. It was refreshing delicious. It looked great too.

We then had some green tea which was also tasted great.

Wabi are a great restaurant. The food is amazing, the drinks are great and the service is excellent. This along with the sophisticated and calming decor makes Wabi a great place to eat in London. Frost loves.

The tasting menu is £75. Price range is reasonable, medium to high depending on what you order.

Wabi London
36-38 Kingsway
Holborn
London
WC2B 6EY
Phone: 0207.400.5400

Nearest Tube: Holborn.

In a World Film Review | Sundance London 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Daniel McCarthy

In A World… takes it’s title from the unforgettable catchline of the late Don LaFontaine, the
voice actor whose deep, thunderous delivery of said line became synonymous with the film
trailers and advertisements we know today. Over news footage of his passing and industry legacy
we are introduced to Carol Solomon (Writer, director and star Lake Bell), a struggling vocal
coach eeking out a career in the Los Angeles vocal performance community and attempting
to emerge from the shadow of her father ‘Sam Sotto’ (Fred Melamed of A Serious Man), the
current ‘King Of The Voiceover’ after LaFontaine’s death. When a major production company
decide to bring back the ‘in a world’ tag to promote their new fantasy blockbuster franchise
Carol decides to throw her hat into the ring of competition against her father and hideously
chauvinistic upstart Gustav Warner (Ken Marino). May the best voice win…

The brilliantly droll trailer for Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedian aside (Google it, trust me) the world of
film trailer voiceovers sound likes an unexpected and unlikely source for a comedy yet it proves
an inspired choice that owes a lot to the talents of it’s leading lady/helmer. In A World… toes
the line with a cliche triumph of the underdog story arc yet breathes fresh life into the formula
with it’s unique spin of genre tropes and uncanny industry insight. It’s a world where words
don’t just speak louder than actions; they are the action and Bell has a lot of fun with the daily
grind of voice artists, their obsessive commitments to their trade (Carol is constantly armed
with a tape recorder for capturing sound bites from various passersby) and even a hysterically
OTT Rocky style training montage. Fledging these ideas out to a 90 minute running time sounds
like an awful stretch but it’s a testament to not just Bell’s handling of the material but to her
central performance that it works as well as it does. Charm can be an easy word to throw around
but she quite frankly radiates the stuff. Carol faces down a lot of problems that seem recurrent
in comedies of this ilk (a fumbling romance with a sound designer is an amusing subplot) yet
Bell never allows her to be swamped by them or cowed into submission. She breezes across the
screen with an elegant but spikey energy that is infectious, spouting off an acerbic, un-PC wit
that gets laughs by the plenty. She’s ably supported by fellow performers, many of them her own
friends and fellow collaborators, who revel in the brilliant, partly improvised dialogue.

In A World… is not breaking any major new ground and if there are faults to be found it is when
the film strays closest to the formula it is gently ribbing. There are no major surprises to which
way Carol’s professional and romantic endeavours will play out and some may bemoan the
seemingly signposted turns her relationship with her father pop up, though frankly the chemistry
between Bell and the wonderfully bemused Melamed is a joy to watch. A climactic monologue
about the role of women in the industry and ‘finding your voice’ is admittedly quite on the nose
though frankly Bell deserves all the credit she gets for creating one of the most likeable leads of
recent memory and not bowing down to the dull and conformed roles that many actresses have to
submit to in the romcom genre. She picked up a Waldo Salt Screenwriting award for her work at
Sundance Utah earlier in the year and hopefully on the basis of this, it won’t be the last accolade
to come her way.

Touchy Feely Film Review | Sundance London 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Daniel McCarthy

With a number of small breakout films (Humpday and Your Sister’s Sister the most recent) and an episode of Mad Men to her name Lynn Shelton is establishing quite the name for herself

on the American independent film circuit. Her latest work Touchy Feely brings together a cast

of established character actors for a comic drama concerning physical and spiritual health and

fragile family and emotional ties. The plot revolves around two middle aged siblings; Abby

(Rosemarie DeWitt), a carefree massage therapist and Paul (Josh Pais), an uptight and painfully

shy dentist. Both are unmarried; she is passionately in love with her new boyfriend (Scoot

McNairy), he is desperately clutching onto his relationship with his sullen daughter Jenny

(Ellen Page) who spends her time assisting her father at his steadily declining family dentistry.

Dynamics shift when shortly after her boyfriend asks her to move in with him, Abby becomes

completely physically adverse to human contact rendering her useless at her job and wracked

with self doubt. At the same time Paul finds that he is suddenly able to ‘cure’ his patients

crippling tooth pain with seemingly no effort at all…

Touchy Feely attempts to find laughs in what is fairly niche subject matter for comedy films.

The state of your soul and body is a pretty existential place to search for mirth but the film does

make a decent stab at it in its first acts. The performances radiate with a quiet, unfussy naturality

that you can only expect from such a fine ensemble of character actors. Rosemarie DeWitt in

particular is charming and appealing in the latest of small but winning performances including

the titular role in Rachel Getting Married and Josh Pais is great as melancholy personified.

His Paul shuffles, mumbles and grimaces through proceedings to terrifically funny and oddly

moving effect. It’s a role that incorporates a surprising amount of comic physicality into it but all

the better for it. The rare occasions when he manages to force a smile resemble some form of

nervous, childlike glee and he injects a much needed boost of life into the proceedings.

The main issue with the film is it’s elusiveness; everytime you try to close your hand around it

you catch nothing. Shelton’s typical style of character establishment first and improvisation on

behalf of her performers has done her well in the past when focusing on a small, tight band of

characters. Yet in her first ensemble, there’s simply too much for her loose freestyle aesthetic to

cover up. Are we meant to laugh at the portrayal of new age therapy or be in quiet awe of it’s

supposed restorative qualities? The plot threads appear to tie themselves up without getting into

much detail on the subject. We get a substantial supporting role from Allison Janey as Abby’s

fellow healer/confidante in what like and effort to get more of the concepts across but this is

too underplayed to have impact. Whatever you think of new age therapy yourself, watching the

characters fumble loosely with this for 90 or so minutes can’t keep the attention rapt. Matters

aren’t helped by an undercooked subplot concerning Jenny’s misjudged crush on Abby’s

boyfriend. A final act revelation seems to have wandered in unexpected from another film

altogether (although the scene is beautifully shot) and a bonding, out of body experience between

brother and sister seems terribly neat and convenient.

Shelton is a great talent and it’s good to see that her scope is expanding yet she needs to maintain

a firmer hand on her material and a balance between the humour and the maudlin in order not

to fall again into this frustratingly ‘grey area’ of tone. Hopefully this is merely a blip in her

otherwise impressive filmography.

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Tag Archives: London.