Latest news with #PedroAlmodóvar
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Rukmini Iyer's quick and easy recipe for watermelon and tomato gazpacho with rosemary croutons
I can't make gazpacho without thinking of Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you do, and not just for the iconic spiked gazpacho scene. This version is also spiked, but more tamely with watermelon, which lends a wonderful sweetness. You can go as simple or as extra as you like with the toppings: I, of course, like to go extra with cherry tomatoes of varying colours, ice cubes, micro basil, finely cubed cucumber and a swirl of my best extra-virgin olive oil to finish. Green pepper haters, you really must include a quarter of one here – it adds the necessary slight bitterness to offset the sweet tomatoes and watermelon. Prep 20 min Cook 20 min Chill 1 hr+ Serves 4-6 For the gazpacho350g cherry vine tomatoes 650g roughly cut fresh watermelon, rind and seeds removed150g cucumber ½ small red onion 2 small garlic cloves¼ green pepper5 slices good-quality white bread, challah ideally 60ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving1 tsp sea salt flakes For the croutons5 slices good-quality white bread, again, challah ideally, cut into 1½cm cubes1½ tbsp olive oil ½ tsp sea salt flakes Tips of 6 rosemary sprigs To serve (all optional)Halved cherry tomatoes – a mix of yellow and orange looks niceDiced strawberries Finely chopped cucumber Ice cubes Sprigs of roasted rosemary Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. For the croutons, tip the cubed bread into a baking tray with the oil, sea salt and rosemary, mix well to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Meanwhile, tip all the gazpacho ingredients into a food processor and blitz smooth. (I hate to add an extra step, but if you transfer this in batches to a high-speed blender and blitz again, you will get more soup and less pulp after the sieving process.) Strain the soup in batches through a coarse sieve into a clean bowl – use a wooden spoon and really push all the liquid through, leaving the bits of pepper skin and tomato seeds in the sieve. Once all the gazpacho has been sieved, chill the lot in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve in shallow bowls topped with your choice of halved cherry tomatoes, diced strawberries, finely chopped cucumber and ice, along with the croutons and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Rukmini Iyer's quick and easy recipe for watermelon and tomato gazpacho with rosemary croutons
I can't make gazpacho without thinking of Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you do, and not just for the iconic spiked gazpacho scene. This version is also spiked, but more tamely with watermelon, which lends a wonderful sweetness. You can go as simple or as extra as you like with the toppings: I, of course, like to go extra with cherry tomatoes of varying colours, ice cubes, micro basil, finely cubed cucumber and a swirl of my best extra-virgin olive oil to finish. Green pepper haters, you really must include a quarter of one here – it adds the necessary slight bitterness to offset the sweet tomatoes and watermelon. Prep 20 min Cook 20 min Chill 1 hr+ Serves 4-6 For the gazpacho350g cherry vine tomatoes 650g roughly cut fresh watermelon, rind and seeds removed150g cucumber ½ small red onion 2 small garlic cloves¼ green pepper5 slices good-quality white bread, challah ideally 60ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving1 tsp sea salt flakes For the croutons5 slices good-quality white bread, again, challah ideally, cut into 1½cm cubes1½ tbsp olive oil ½ tsp sea salt flakes Tips of 6 rosemary sprigs To serve (all optional)Halved cherry tomatoes – a mix of yellow and orange looks niceDiced strawberries Finely chopped cucumber Ice cubes Sprigs of roasted rosemary Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. For the croutons, tip the cubed bread into a baking tray with the oil, sea salt and rosemary, mix well to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Meanwhile, tip all the gazpacho ingredients into a food processor and blitz smooth. (I hate to add an extra step, but if you transfer this in batches to a high-speed blender and blitz again, you will get more soup and less pulp after the sieving process.) Strain the soup in batches through a coarse sieve into a clean bowl – use a wooden spoon and really push all the liquid through, leaving the bits of pepper skin and tomato seeds in the sieve. Once all the gazpacho has been sieved, chill the lot in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve in shallow bowls topped with your choice of halved cherry tomatoes, diced strawberries, finely chopped cucumber and ice, along with the croutons and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
National Post
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Director Pedro Almodóvar inspires furniture collection
Article content The visual language of Pedro Almodóvar is bright and saturated, rich in emotion and punctuated with exclamation marks. The Spanish director has for decades infused the aesthetic into his films, to considerable success. He's been nominated for nine Oscars and won two, for All About My Mother (1999) and Talk to Her (2002). Article content Now his cinematic sensibility has inspired a limited-edition furniture line. Almodóvar teamed up with French brand Roche Bobois for the Cromática Collection, which debuted in April during Milan Design Week. Article content It launches mid-September in Canada — just in time for the Toronto International Film Festival — at select Roche Bobois showrooms. Spanning furniture, rugs, lighting and accessories, the collection reinterprets notable Roche Bobois pieces through Almodóvar's ebullient lens. Article content 'The colours and patterns I've chosen reflect an intense joie de vivre,' said Almodóvar in a news release. 'I believe that waking up and walking on that rug, or sitting on one of these pieces, will give you a sense of optimism.' Article content The approach is in line with the dopamine decor trend of the past few years, which incorporates vibrant colours, playful patterns and an emphasis on individualism. Postmodernism is also prevalent, with elements of maximalism. Article content The centrepiece of the Cromática Collection is a reissue of the Lounge modular sofa, a precursor of Roche Bobois' Mah Jong sofa. Hans Hopfer designed it in 1971 and only 50 numbered and signed editions were released. Film stills and poster art from Almodóvar's oeuvre span the upholstery of the new Lounge — which is released in only 50 numbered copies that are signed by Almodóvar. Article content There's also a fresh version of the Bubble armchair originally designed by Sacha Lakic. It comes in four custom colours inspired by The Room Next Door (2024): sky, moss, sun and red. The sofa version of the Bubble had a cameo in the movie — keen-eyed viewers can spot it in a scene at a gym. Article content The Rondo sideboard, meanwhile, has graphic panels that draw on Almodóvar's movie posters as well as his own still-life photos. And various rugs and cushions reference Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), High Heels (1991) and Volver (2006). Article content 'This collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar is a celebration of colour, emotion and creative boldness,' Éric Amourdedieu, the executive director of Roche Bobois Group, told The New York Times. 'His unique perspective has breathed new energy into iconic Roche Bobois pieces, creating a vibrant collection inspired by the artist's singular use of colour.'
The Guardian
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Room Next Door to Cairo Conspiracy: the seven best films to watch on TV this week
Pedro Almodóvar's latest divided the critics at last year's Venice film festival – though not the jury, who awarded it the Golden Lion. Some felt his first English-language feature awkwardly transplanted his Hispanic melodrama to a Manhattan setting, in which terminally ill war photographer Martha (Tilda Swinton) reaches out to her old friend, bestselling author Ingrid (Juliette Moore). Others reckoned it was just as lush and seductive as ever, a third entry after Pain and Glory and Parallel Mothers in a death-preoccupied run of work. What can't be disputed is how it rages against the dying of the light, both on a personal and planetary level, led by a cadaverous Swinton orchestrating her own exit. Sunday 3 August, 7.35am, 10.10pm, Sky Cinema Premiere Peter Dinklage heads up this impressively bleak neo-western, as a bounty hunter on the trail of a kidnapped girl. Ostensibly in the same redemptive vein as The Searchers, it's closer in flinty spirit to something like The Revenant. His high body count decorating the snowy wilderness, Dinklage is as formidable as usual – but almost outmatched by Juliette Lewis as Cut Throat Bill, the misleadingly named varmint he's pursuing. Director Elliott Lester goes in hard on seedy saloon atmospherics and a Darwinian survivalist vibe. Saturday 2 August, 9.20am, 6.05pm, Sky Cinema Premiere Where many films have dwelt on papal intrigue, this is a rare and gripping glimpse into the Islamic equivalent from Swedish-Egyptian director Tarik Saleh – the Muslim version of Conclave. A young fisherman and aspiring clergyman (played by Tawfeek Barhom) is caught up in the deadly power struggle during the election of a new grand imam at Cairo's Al-Azhar University. The second in Saleh's soon-to-be-completed trilogy of unstinting films about the exercise of power in Egypt, Cairo Conspiracy is a finely tuned thriller and cynical in the very best of ways. Saturday 2 August, 9.30pm, BBC Four A stirring, classy adaptation, scripted by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, of the Michael Morpurgo novel about a shipwrecked child who encounters a Japanese war veteran on a remote island. Recalcitrant lad Michael (voiced by Aaron McGregor) is bugging his parents on their sailing trip – but once washed ashore with his dog, learns his place in the scheme of nature courtesy of the enigmatic Kensuke (Ken Watanabe). With its rich hand-drawn animation, it hews close to the purist likes of The Red Turtle – without an anthropomorphised talking animal in sight. Sunday 3 August, 3.35pm, BBC One Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Dirty Harry director Don Siegel's 1964 remake of the 1946 noir classic strips away the shadowy romanticism of the high noir era and streamlines it into a lean heist pic. It starts with headstone-faced hitman Charlie (Lee Marvin) set to assassinate former race-car champion Johnny North (John Cassavetes). Deemed too violent to be shown on TV as originally planned, its unvarnished mayhem and brisk direction looked ahead to the gritty urban crime epics of the coming decade. Sunday 3 August, 9pm, Legend Xtra More purposeful than Munich, Steven Spielberg's 2005 film on the same subject, Tim Fehlbaum's thriller is a journalist's-eye perspective on the killing of 11 Israeli athletes by a Palestinian terror group at the 1972 Olympics. Peter Sarsgaard is the ABC sports president intent on milking the unfolding horror for higher ratings, Ben Chaplin his more circumspect head of operations focused on the human cost. Filmed in fluent Paul Greengrass-style docudramese, it leaves just one question to the viewer: the relevancy to current events in the Middle East. Thursday 7 August, 7.50am, 9.50pm, Sky Cinema Premiere Moral panics over technology aren't anything new: radio is the youth-corrupting influence in Woody Allen's chirpy 1987 comedy, filling the head of narrator Joe (voiced by the director and played by Seth Green) with revved-up superhero fantasies. But that's only one aspect of its communal power here, connecting human lives in a string of vignettes uniting Joe's Jewish and radio families (Dianne Wiest, as his lovelorn aunt Bea, and Mia Farrow as an aspiring announcer, are the respective standouts) in 30s and 40s Rockaway Beach. Thursday 7 August, 11.10pm, Talking Pictures TV
Local France
25-07-2025
- Business
- Local France
Not just Ikea: where you can buy furniture in France
Although Ikea does of course exist in France if you like flat-pack furniture and a cheeky cinnamon bun, there are other options for you to peruse. Maisons du Monde French-owned furniture store Maisons du Monde is a decent option, if you're looking for solid, non-flatpack furniture in a range of different designs. It offers vintage, exotic, classic chic, seaside, modern, country, and industrial styles for whatever type of look you're going for. Be aware that not all products on their website are sold by Maisons du Monde itself and different providers offer different quality. Look for the Maisons du Monde brand to ensure the quality. La Redoute The one-time mail-order homewear catalogue company has transformed over the decades into one of France's leading and well-respected furniture brands. It promises a range of stylish and well-put-together furniture at a price that's not out of reach for many people. And it does clothing, too. Advertisement AM/PM Look out, too, for AM/PM furniture stores, which has stores in major cities across the country and is owned by La Redoute. Think stylish and contemporary. But also premium – it's a touch more expensive than its parent business. Roche Bobois For high-end furniture, this luxury Paris-based store is for you. It works with well-known designers and cultural icons (it recently collaborated with Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar) and has a very distinct and sophisticated style. A go-to for anyone looking for something a bit special, and with the funds to pay for it. Alinea Founded in Avignon in 1989, and committed to sustainable and responsible home decoration, Alinea draws its inspiration from the landscapes of its southern birthplace. So, expect things to be a bit more relaxed in style. Habitat From 1960s London to 21st-century France, via liquidation and rebirth. In March this year, a boutique reopened in Paris. By the end of 2025, Habitat will offer its products on the shelves of several 'partner' stores as part of a slow relaunch. It has an online presence, now, so you could Conran your crib from anywhere in France, if you so desire. Conforama This is probably the French equivalent of Ikea, selling mostly flat-pack furniture but also things like sofas and electrical items for a reasonable price. It represents 16 percent of the French market (just behind Ikea on 19 percent and ahead of But on 13 percent) and has stores in most French towns. It offers a delivery service and some stores will also hire out their own vans, at a discount price, between the hours of 12 and 2pm (when drivers are taking their lunch break), so you can take larger items home. But Very similar to Conforama is But which also has a presence in most French towns, usually on the large trading estates on the outskirts. It too sells mostly flatpack furniture at reasonable prices. Advertisement Ikea We know that this article is about alternatives to Ikea, but it does exist as a furniture option in France and offers a good range of affordable furniture and household items. In larger cities the brand is rolling out city centre stores - these allow you to browse all the items, sit on the sofas, test out the desk chairs etc, but they don't actually have a huge warehouse of beds, sofas etc. Instead you pick what you want and then order it online for delivery. The stores themselves still have smaller items to buy though, such as mirrors, picture frames, kitchen utensils and of course 100-pack bags of small candles. The bigger Ikea stores on the outskirts of town allow you to buy large items to take home in your car, although they too have a delivery option. Advertisement JYSK JYSK is similar to Ikea in terms of affordability and Scandinavian roots, so expect lots of natural wood and neutral tones. It has a few dozen stores in France, mostly in the northern half of the country, but it is expanding into the south. You can find clean and unfussy furniture here to fill every room of the house from the bedroom and the dining room to the lounge and even the home office. Kave Home Kave Home is a Spanish company with stores in France. The style is generally Mediterranean with a touch of Nordic and mostly solid wood products. They sell everything from sofas and chairs to dining tables, beds, lighting and home decor. Leroy Merlin Leroy Merlin is better known for home improvements, selling everything from tools and lighting to wall paint and tiles – but they do sell no-fuss mostly bedroom, office and outdoor furniture. You won't find most of the furniture in store, however so will have to rely on online photos and reviews. Check out, too, other DIY outlets like Mr Bricolage. There will be one on the outskirts of most reasonably sized towns. Advertisement Selection M An online store that sells everything from dishware to antique furniture. It's not cheap, but if you have the money and a thing for what those in the know term 'slow deco', and what everyone else might call 'timeless', this might be the place for you. White goods Furniture stores such as Conforama and But also sell the usual array of household electricals and white goods, like fridges, freezers and cookers. You could also seek out a Boulanger store, or a Darty. Or a fnac, or a CDiscount. All have online stores, and deliver. Products bought from any one of these will have the advantage, too, of coming with the right plug for your French home. Local furniture stores The furniture stores listed above may offer good choices and have websites that you can easily browse for products, but don't underestimate the possibility of finding what you need from local magasins de meubles (furniture stores) – which range from the monstrous BHV Marais in Paris to a family owned store in a small town. Many cities in France have furniture warehouses on the outskirts, so it's worth seeking them out. For white goods, watch out for discount outlets, sometimes called 'entrepots'. Second-hand furniture The pre-loved furniture market is very much a thing in France – just ask the people behind Selection M. But you could find bargains aplenty online, by looking at well-known classifieds website leboncoin , for example. But also consider looking out your nearest Emmaus store, where donated goods are sold for charity, or any one of the 'troc' outlets. Then there's brocantes , which sell second-hand/vintage/antique items. There are some brocante stores but also regular market-style events in towns and cities across France that offer a huge range of items from real junk to genuine bargains on old furniture. Vide grenier are more like car-boot sales/yard sales are tend to offer smaller items and not much furniture, but you may also see signs locally for a vide maison or house clearance, which may have some bargains. READ ALSO : Vide grenier and brocante: The written and unwritten rules of France's second-hand sales✎
