What's On by Francesca & Polly

From university halls to becoming flatmates, to glamorous jobs in glossy magazine publishing and beauty, Francesca and Polly have been best-of-friends since their late teens. Tune in to find out about what's on in London and around the country at the moment…

Francesca is the production coordinator for Tatler, loves swimming (especially in the sea), her home county Dorset and Itsu's frozen yoghurt (yes it's actually fat free!), and has an addiction to Green&Blacks chocolate. She likes ASOS, Net-a-Porter & Topshop.

Polly works for a luxury beauty company in brand management and stylist education. Her favourite things are walking in the great British countryside, log fires, French cuisine, her Roberto Cavalli handbag and her newly-wed husband (not necessarily in that order)! Her must-shop online sites are Jo Malone, Net-a-Porter and Look Fantastic for all her Dermalogica goodies.

What's On

Published on Monday 25th January 2010

Film - Avatar in 3D

Showing now

'When I first saw a trailer for Avatar and heard all the hype about it, I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea. Blue people and techy futuristic storylines don't normally float my boat, but after being dragged along I can honestly say I was totally mesmerized. This film is like nothing you've ever seen before. Visually stunning, the cinematography is on a whole other level. The balance and mix of real life and CGI is totally seamless and there are so many tricks on the mind being in 3D you really do feel you are in another world. I loved the mix of real people with the futuristic 'avatars'. I laughed, cried and loved every moment of this film and with its deeper comments on world politics and the nature of the human race, it will leave you reeling.’ - P

See screening times at www.AvatarMovie.com

Paid Exhibition - Decode: Digital Design Sensations

Victoria and Albert Museum 8 December - 11 April 2010

'Far from your conventional gallery going experience, Decode shows off art at the forefront of contemporary technologies and interacts and includes the viewer in a really entertaining and intelligent way. The sensory experience begins on entry through a dark mass of illuminated cables resembling plants that respond to your every movement and touch. Screens of video footage change and move to your sound, movement and contact, and a lot of the works incorporate images of yourself through digital real time technology. My favourite piece was Mehmet Akten's piece 'Body Paint', where when I 'threw' my arms at the 'painting', large splashes of colour would appear which I could then move and manipulate with my arms without touching anything at all. A tree projected onto the wall moved and responded to the wind outside the museum in real time and leaves fell to the museum floor as light, which I was able to kick around the room. Extraordinary!’ – P

Tickets available at www.VAM.ac.uk

Free Exhibition - Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs

British Library until March 7th

‘Points of View documents photography throughout the 19th Century from the first early photographs up until the end of the century, reflecting the changes in society from scientific to industrial development. I found seeing the photographs of London then and now particularly interesting, the difference is incredible! And clearly the Victorians were as celebrity obsessed as we are today, taking photos of their modern day celebs such as Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens. Avid fans even used to wait for Dickens in the street trying to take his picture! Not just an exhibition for budding photographers but for anyone interested in photography and history. A definite must see!’ - F

Tickets available at www.BL.uk

Coco Before Chanel

DVD Release

’As a huge fan of Chanel, I was really excited about seeing this film. Obviously I knew about the brand (who doesn't?!) but I didn't know much about the great designer, Coco herself. The film depicts the history of Coco Chanel from her early years spent in an orphanage to becoming a dress maker and opening her first shop. A grittier version of an essentially rags to riches story. For me, the most interesting part was seeing the fashions of the day and how Coco sought to change the fussy style, opting for simple tailoring. Audrey Tautou as Coco was flawless and showed great depth to her character. However I did find the film rather slow paced and drawn out. I think it would have been more interesting if the film broadened its focus and showed Coco through to old age. It would have then addressed some of the more controversial issues surrounding her life such as her affair with a Nazi Officer. I'm glad I didn't pay to see this at the cinema, it's definitely best reserved for a rainy Sunday afternoon.’ - F

Order now at www.Amazon.co.uk