By Stephen Mayne Is it possible to escape the past and do we ever really want to? Now on their sixth feature together, Christian Petzold and Nina Hoss turn to the dark depths of Germany’s recent history to delve into a noir infused world of blind hope and half-truths. As Hoss’ concentration camp survivor struggles to reconcile new and old lives, Phoenix, hinging on a clever conceit, steadily picks up momentum towards a subtly powerful conclusion. The film opens with Auschwitz...

By Stephen Mayne  It was film that brought me to Elliott Smith, and it’s in film that director Nickolas Dylan Rossi finds him again. I was 15 and in search of something when I first came across the scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Luke Wilson tries to take his own life. Playing over it is Needle in the Hay, a devastating song off Elliott’s second solo album. The intense pain and beauty had me hooked. That’s how it is with...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP) have created an infographic to demonstrate the role political parties play in enabling a flourishing life. With the impending General Election just two days away, the group of leading academics have completed an audit of the political parties’ manifestos in order to assess their stance on UK and global poverty. The results showed the Green Party goes the furthest in their stand against poverty with a score of 3.9 out of...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) It’s been a while since we last heard music from London based singer-songwriter Michael Baker. His earlier singles, released a couple of years ago now, actually make up a sampler of 'Keys To The Kingdom'. Although he’s been quiet on the release front, he has been exceptionally busy on the tour circuit with various appearances around London, a stopover show in Cologne and most recently a trip down to Brighton at the Night House. Opening track...

By William Cooper Art books don’t often attain cross-discipline popularity, but David Balzer seems to have achieved just that with his discussion on the rise of curating, a book which is becoming almost as prolific as its subject matter. Not since the YBAs of the 90s have books about art captured the wider public’s imagination and intrigue (Julian Stallabrass’s High Art Lite springs to mind here) as powerfully. Back then we were interested in the lifestyles and characters behind an unmade...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Best known for his simplistic style of cooking, attempting to make the kitchen an approachable environment for even the least competent of cooks, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has recently introduced a new Sunday menu to the mother ship of his restaurant empire – Fifteen. Proving a welcome break from the a la carte menu that’s on offer throughout the week, Jamie’s Sunday roast menu provides a reasonably priced, informal dining experience, while the food...

By Jack Peat, TLE Editor  Nasal, uncharismatic and incapable of eating a bacon sandwich in public, Ed Miliband has been the target of vitriol personality attacks since winning the Labour party leadership contest against his brother in 2010. One of the lines that has become synonymous with the election is, “I could vote Labour, but not Ed Miliband”. Curious logic given the nature of party politics and, well, democracy, but perhaps not surprising given that political engagement has become about switching...

If the Inca Trail is too passé and yoga retreats in Goa are old news, there are more novel holidays for the active holidaymaker to consider. Experimential travel start-up trip4real gives us seven ideas to try out this year, with some of their newest novel experiences. 1. Scrambling in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park Climb the impressive granite rock formations of La Pedriza or the Penalara ridge, tailored to your skill and strength levels. A great, heart-pumping outdoor adventure just one...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  The Labour Party has ramped up the battle of the video in the run-up to the General Election, releasing another video featuring an A class celebrity. Steve Coogan is the latest celeb to appear in a Labour Party video, urging voters to side with Labour in order to prevent further privatisation of the NHS. He said: “Now this election is on a knife-edge but if you want a government that believes in working families, in a better...