By Michael McNulty Released in 1960 and based on José Giovanni’s novel of the same name, which chronicled his involvement in a real life escape plan from Parisian prison La Santé, Le Trou was Jacques Becker’s 13th and final film. He died during the films post-production leaving his son, Jean, to finish the project. Claude Gaspard (Marc Michel), a mild mannered car salesman pending conviction for allegedly attempting to murder his wife, is introduced into a new cell occupied by...

The Penguin Essentials 'are essential reads' that include 'some of the most important books from the last 100 years – with covers designed by contemporary artists so that they feel fresh and unexpected, appealing to a new generation of readers.' (Including the super-stylish Dave Eggers cover above!) Titles range through the Classic canon with Brideshead Revisited, The Great Gatsby and A Passage to India, through to modern meta-revisions of Classics with Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea (reimagining Jane Eyre) and J...

By Linda Marric There is something rather familiar about the new Jamie Foxx vehicle Sleepless, and it isn’t just because the film has been adapted from a far superior French movie. What is familiar about it is its attempt at emulating the highly successful Fast and Furious franchise; it’s big, it’s noisy and has more guns and cars than you can shake a stick at. Yes, it is a predictable, and yes it is as hollow and as meat-headed a...

By James McAllister Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt) is Mindhorn… or rather he was Mindhorn, back in the 80s. Armed with a robotic eye that allowed him to “literally see truth”, Detective Bruce P. Mindhorn was the Isle of Man’s answer to Bergerac; a treasured TV sleuth with dapper looks and a seductive charm. The ladies loved him, his co-stars envied him, and audiences adored him. Fast-forward 25 years, however, and Thorncroft’s career is in a critical condition. Overcome by his...

Matthew Mole of Scanners has a new album as ARVI and not only is it rather good, he's also given TLE Music a sneak preview of ARVI's debut album The Law - see below, as well as the first video to Anything You Want. The album features many of the accomplished, lush melodies of Scanners' dark transatlantic pop, but in more contemplative, acoustic compositions. "This album is very different to Scanners in that the sound is much more acoustic," Matthew told TLE Music. "It's softer and...

It was with a certain sense of delight that I received a news release this morning noting a potential price hike on olive oil following environmental factors that put 19.8 per cent on the price back in 2015. Granted I use olive oil in most of my cooking, but coupled with the news that avocado prices are set to rise and zesty fruits such as lemons and limes may also be in for a price hike we could finally be getting rid of the "foodie...

Paranoid? She might well be. However, accusing the EU of trying to affect the UK election could be seen as an attempt to create hate figures, and rally nationalism across the UK, in, ironically, a cynical ploy to affect the UK election result. Exactly what she says the EU is trying to do. Is she battling for Britain or just to increase her majority in the House of Commons? May accused European politicians of making "threats" against Britain to try...

A London fine-dining institution, lunch at Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle, behind Spitalfields, is an absolute delight. Instead of serving an exclusive menu of (often pompous) haute cuisine, the restaurant offers some of the best French gastronomic delights available in London, alongside one of the most stunning settings. The grade II listed location of brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin’s third restaurant has a long colourful history. At the end of the 19th century, the building was used as the parish of Bishopsgate and...

A restaurateur concerned by the plight of rough sleepers in his city converted a shipping container into a temporary home for people needing a bed for the night. Jasper Thompson, 58, was moved by the numbers of people he saw sleeping on the streets and put his mind to doing something to help. The result bears similarities to the pre-fab homes built in refugee camps by IKEA in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which provided...