This Week We Have Been . . .

… riding shotgun in an LAPD car, thanks to the docu-style of David Ayer’s End of Watch, following two officers caught on the wrong side of a Mexican drug cartel. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are engaging as the lead roles, making the film as much a study about brotherhood as it is a cop thriller. Okay, so we could’ve done without the ‘found footage’ shaky-cam styling, but we can’t deny that when it gets going, it’s an intense ride and you really feel like you’ve been on the streets of LA. Well worth a watch!

… drifting away on a tropical pop vibe. On Tuesday night we were lucky enough to brave the cold and venture East to see the brilliant Hollie Cook play live at Cargo. With Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook as her dad and Boy George as her godfather it’s no surprise Hollie is a super slick song writer and performer. She was joined on stage by the mighty producer Prince Fatty who is responsible for her recent dub remix album and brings a bit of magic to the set with the dub, ska and reggae beats and rapping which he weaves into her beautiful melodies. She also rocks it in the fashion stakes wearing an African print jumpsuit teamed with silk shirt and neon old skool Nikes…our new music and style crush Hollie cooks up a storm.

… getting our laughs in at the premiere of Sightseers against the back drop of the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. This new black comedy from director Ben Wheatley is a dark rom-com that sees characters Chris and Tina set off on their first holiday together – caravanning across the UK to a backdrop of quintessentially British sights – and the holiday soon brings out the darker side of Chris as his killer tendencies come in to play. Gory scenes mixed with black humour ensue and all wrapped up in under an hour and thirty, making it the perfect bite-size piece of mid-week distraction and laughter!

… discovering hidden gem Bonnie Gull, a charming little seafood treasure nestled in the hustle and bustle of central London, Fitzrovia to be exact. On the outside the restaurant looks like a British seaside joint with its stripy awning and cutesy bright white tables and chairs. Inside it’s small, cosy, dimly lit and the decor is as you would expect … blue and white themed, seaside crates stacked up, oysters on ice … perfect! So onto the most important part … THE FOOD! We tasted and devoured a whole heavenly Devon cock crab with shack mayo and potato gnocchi with spinach, walnut, caramelised onion & colton bassett stilton. GO – trust us you won’t be disappointed!

And finally…

…winning more awards! On Wednesday night, our sister agency Things With Wings were at the Emirates Stadium for the Social Buzz Awards. Nominated in the “Best Use of Community” category for their work with Sniper Elite V2 by 505 Games, they developed and managed a social media campaign running across multiple platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the official game forum. And at exactly 34 minutes past 10, they found out that they WON! Naturally, celebrations were had and there were a few sore heads in the office the morning after! At only two (and a bit) years old, this is absolutely fabulous news – well done Things With Wings!