Cinema Sunday: Martin Scorsese's 'After Hours' (1985)

Cinema Sunday is where I share shots from movies that I think are good and everyone else should see. Bonus points if they have good costumes and set design. Them's the rules.

Martin Scorsese's 1985 film, After Hours, isn't that well known but is worth getting to know. It is a funny, malevolent story of a fresh faced NY word processor (apparently that was a job once) who goes out into Soho looking for a little action and ends up being persecuted by a selection of misfits, burglars and crazy ladies. Every offer of help in getting back uptown and home turns into another danger.  One surreal thing after another happens to this poor yuppie. He also leaves a trail of destruction in his wake; a selection of blondes, bartenders and burglars who are out of pocket, locked out or out cold.

The 'hero' Paul, reminds me a lot of the main character from the Coen Brothers' new film, Inside Llewyn Davies, only in that they are both slightly charming but quite unpleasant guys who get put through ordeals that you might not feel entirely sorry about.

If a twisted story about 80s New York isn't enough to tempt you, then you should know that After Hours is very enjoyable just for its style, from 80s office life to the kooky studio apartments and lofts of the women Paul meets along the way.  Click below for more pictures or watch the trailer here.

Jad Grill - Lebanese food on Tower Bridge Road

Figuring out the best neighbourhood takeaway should always be priority number one when moving to a new area.  When we moved to Tower Bridge Road three years ago we embarked on a mini-crusade to find the best Chinese, Indian and pizza within walking distance.  Since that first flush of excitement we've really gotten quite lazy and keep hanging around the same places, so as we were on our way back from drinks in Peckham the other evening and nothing else was open, we thought we'd finally pay a visit to Jad, a Lebanese takeaway/restaurant just opposite our flat.

If only we'd done it years ago! For £7.50 each we got foot-long, charcoal grilled lamb flatbreads, about the weight and warmth of a cat. They contained succulent lamb (and lots of it), hummus, salad, pickles and garlic sauce all in a home made flat bread.  Just what you want after a night out.




Thank god we were close enough to home to take them inside and eat them on plates. I wouldn't want to tackle one of these babies while walking.

We didn't stay in and eat, but you can, and there was a really nice atmosphere even late on a Saturday night. A couple of kids were sitting down to lamb and rice, the proprietor's daughter was sitting with her friend and alternating a good chat with popping up to answer the phone and make sure everyone had everything they wanted.

I'll definitely be back for a sit down meal and some mint tea.

Jad Grill
88 Towerbridge Road, London SE1
(020) 3620 8347
@jadgrill

Well, Spring

The first month of 2014 is already gone! Looks like this will be another year that will go by in a flash.

Taking a leaf out of Michelle's book, here are a couple of things I want to do this year to make the most of the Spring before it runs away with me.

• Read more books: When I work up the willpower to put away the internet and get away from distractions I can read incredibly fast.  On my year studying abroad when I had no wireless for the first four months, I read a huge amount of classic literature and have been trading off it ever since. This time I need to make a real effort to get more proper political/history/current affairs reading done instead of just assuming I can just get a grasp of everything from my newspaper addiction.

• See the great and famous paintings of London: A client visiting from Dallas recently spent almost every free evening going to the big galleries to see London's 'famous' paintings. it made me realise how lucky I am to be in city that not only has amazing art, but where the majority of it is free to see.  It seems crazy that I've been to the Tate Modern countless times but haven't seen the Old Masters at the National Gallery. 

• Be more of a cheapskate: I bleed an awful lot of money on pointless small luxuries like sandwiches and magazines and never have enough saved up to buy the big things I want like Adobe Illustrator or an Eames lounger. No more!

Are you making any Spring resolutions?