Bruce Labruce has consistently stuck two middle fingers up at the status quo ever since he and G.B. Jones first began churning out queer punk zines and experimental movies in the late ’80s. As his directing career progressed from a Toronto basement to film festivals and beyond, the co-father of Queercore put those two middle fingers — and the other eight as well — to increasingly subversive use.
Films like “The Raspberry Reich,” “Otto, Or Up with Dead People,” and “L.A. Zombie” (which was banned by Australian censors in 2010) pushed the envelope with their explicit blend of taboo-busting sex and violence. Twincest, amputee fetishism, zombie porn… Nothing’s off the table for one of cinema’s most daring provocateurs, and that’s true again of his latest feature, “The Visitor,” which started out as a London art exhibition before washing up on German shores to premiere as a film in this year’s Berlinale.
Films like “The Raspberry Reich,” “Otto, Or Up with Dead People,” and “L.A. Zombie” (which was banned by Australian censors in 2010) pushed the envelope with their explicit blend of taboo-busting sex and violence. Twincest, amputee fetishism, zombie porn… Nothing’s off the table for one of cinema’s most daring provocateurs, and that’s true again of his latest feature, “The Visitor,” which started out as a London art exhibition before washing up on German shores to premiere as a film in this year’s Berlinale.
- 2/18/2024
- by David Opie
- Indiewire
Call The Midwife Season 12 Episode 1 Photos – It is now 1968 and there are changes in the air. Enoch Powell’s infamous speech criticizing immigration casts a long shadow over the borough. The atmosphere quickly changes for the worse creating serious tensions in Poplar, especially when a group of dockers march to parliament in support of Powell. Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) and Lucille (Leonie Elliott) are especially distressed by what happens. s12e01 12×01 12.021 s12e1 call the midwife episode Call The Midwife – Nonnatus House welcomes a new member of the team, Sister Veronica (Rebecca Gethings), who has recently qualified as a health visitor. She has boundless energy and swiftly makes her mark. Everyone is impressed by her except for Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) who doesn’t really believe in Health Visitors. On the district nursing round, Nancy (Megan Cusack) and Trixie (Helen George) provide terminal care for an elderly lady. Nancy’s eyes...
- 3/19/2023
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
Call the Midwife isn’t going anywhere. The BBC has renewed the long-running drama, which airs on PBS in the U.S., for seasons 14 and 15. Call the Midwife was previously renewed through season 13, with season 12 set to premiere in the U.S. in March.
‘Call the Midwife’ renewed for two more seasons
? Somebody Call The Midwife – we’re expecting Two further series!
The announcement of series 14 and 15 means that the multiple award-winning drama will now be on air until 2026, with series 13 commencing filming in the spring
*Spoiler alert!*
More https://t.co/PUuEMuAlnt pic.twitter.com/aTmBDOt332
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) February 13, 2023
The BBC confirmed that two more seasons of Call the Midwife are on the way. The renewal will keep the show on the air through at least 2026.
“I’m overjoyed by the news that the doors of Nonnatus House will be open for a few more years! Call the Midwife...
‘Call the Midwife’ renewed for two more seasons
? Somebody Call The Midwife – we’re expecting Two further series!
The announcement of series 14 and 15 means that the multiple award-winning drama will now be on air until 2026, with series 13 commencing filming in the spring
*Spoiler alert!*
More https://t.co/PUuEMuAlnt pic.twitter.com/aTmBDOt332
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) February 13, 2023
The BBC confirmed that two more seasons of Call the Midwife are on the way. The renewal will keep the show on the air through at least 2026.
“I’m overjoyed by the news that the doors of Nonnatus House will be open for a few more years! Call the Midwife...
- 2/13/2023
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
PBS will bring back six series and premiere two period dramas in 2023, which includes the debut of Tom Jones on Masterpiece that’s based on the 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling.
“PBS continues to bring dramas that appeal to the entire family, from mysteries like Miss Scarlet and the Duke on Masterpiece and Vienna Blood to coming-of-age stories like Sanditon on Masterpiece and La Otra Mirada. This season’s lineup of period dramas is our most extensive to date, with hours of captivating storytelling from January to May,” says Maria Bruno Ruiz, Vice President Program Scheduling at PBS. “Not only do we have returning seasons of our most anticipated dramas, but we also have two new premieres that audiences are sure to fall in love with: Tom Jones on Masterpiece and Marie Antoinette. Both bring incredible new talent to PBS. I can’t wait for audiences to watch!
“PBS continues to bring dramas that appeal to the entire family, from mysteries like Miss Scarlet and the Duke on Masterpiece and Vienna Blood to coming-of-age stories like Sanditon on Masterpiece and La Otra Mirada. This season’s lineup of period dramas is our most extensive to date, with hours of captivating storytelling from January to May,” says Maria Bruno Ruiz, Vice President Program Scheduling at PBS. “Not only do we have returning seasons of our most anticipated dramas, but we also have two new premieres that audiences are sure to fall in love with: Tom Jones on Masterpiece and Marie Antoinette. Both bring incredible new talent to PBS. I can’t wait for audiences to watch!
- 12/28/2022
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
A new documentary, Rebel Dread, will examine the influence of Don Letts, the British filmmaker, and musician who captured some of the most significant footage of punk’s first wave and cofounded Big Audio Dynamite with the Clash’s Mick Jones.
“Punk rock’s a living thing,” Letts says in the film’s trailer. “It’s about turning problems into assets. And as a first-generation, British-born Black, that’s something I know a lot about.” The 30-second clip features footage of the Clash and England’s Black community in the Seventies.
“Punk rock’s a living thing,” Letts says in the film’s trailer. “It’s about turning problems into assets. And as a first-generation, British-born Black, that’s something I know a lot about.” The 30-second clip features footage of the Clash and England’s Black community in the Seventies.
- 9/28/2022
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
The tragic life of the poet and soldier is revisited with melancholy and theatricality in a bleak, and often hard to watch, biopic
Terence Davies’s uncompromisingly sombre film about Siegfried Sassoon reminded me of how Enoch Powell, at the nadir of his political self-pity, would moan to anyone who would listen: “I wish I had been killed in the war.”
Related: Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain movies head to Toronto film festival...
Terence Davies’s uncompromisingly sombre film about Siegfried Sassoon reminded me of how Enoch Powell, at the nadir of his political self-pity, would moan to anyone who would listen: “I wish I had been killed in the war.”
Related: Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain movies head to Toronto film festival...
- 9/12/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
When Steve McQueen was curating the narratives for his Amazon Prime Video anthology “Small Axe,” the year 1968 felt like the best place to start.
This was because it was a year of mass strikes in France, a year in which Conservative politician Enoch Powell made his infamous “rivers of blood” speech and a year in which Frank Crichlow (played by Shaun Parkes in the “Mangrove” installment) named his restaurant and fought to keep its doors open in the face of repeated police raids.
“Small Axe” is one of several among this year’s limited series and TV movie contenders, including Lifetime’s “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Jackson” which tell full, nuanced stories of Black people achieving their goals, despite facing oppression from racist institutions.
McQueen describes having “a must, a need, a want” to put the acts of “Small Axe” on screen, and to show working-class Black men and women...
This was because it was a year of mass strikes in France, a year in which Conservative politician Enoch Powell made his infamous “rivers of blood” speech and a year in which Frank Crichlow (played by Shaun Parkes in the “Mangrove” installment) named his restaurant and fought to keep its doors open in the face of repeated police raids.
“Small Axe” is one of several among this year’s limited series and TV movie contenders, including Lifetime’s “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Jackson” which tell full, nuanced stories of Black people achieving their goals, despite facing oppression from racist institutions.
McQueen describes having “a must, a need, a want” to put the acts of “Small Axe” on screen, and to show working-class Black men and women...
- 6/14/2021
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Sheffield DocFest is spotlighting and celebrating Black British screen culture this month with a Retrospective titled “Films belong to those who need them – fragments from the history of Black British Cinema.” The Retrospective brings together a wide and diverse range of films that have been largely overlooked and undervalued in film history and criticism.
To give breadth to the selection, the films have been selected by guest curators. They are film exhibition company We Are Parable’s Anthony Andrews and Teanne Andrews; writer and director Campbell X; British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and filmmaker David Olusoga; filmmaker George Amponsah; filmmaker Judah Attille; curator and cultural historian Mark Sealy; and a group of film studies/screenwriting and film students from Sheffield Hallam University as part of a partnership project led by principal lecturer in film studies Chi-Yun Shin.
For example, the We Are Parable program – titled “Remember / Re-evaluate / Review” – examines the portrayal of...
To give breadth to the selection, the films have been selected by guest curators. They are film exhibition company We Are Parable’s Anthony Andrews and Teanne Andrews; writer and director Campbell X; British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and filmmaker David Olusoga; filmmaker George Amponsah; filmmaker Judah Attille; curator and cultural historian Mark Sealy; and a group of film studies/screenwriting and film students from Sheffield Hallam University as part of a partnership project led by principal lecturer in film studies Chi-Yun Shin.
For example, the We Are Parable program – titled “Remember / Re-evaluate / Review” – examines the portrayal of...
- 6/2/2021
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
British filmmaker Steve McQueen is known for tackling heavy hot-button issues in film, from political strife in Northern Ireland (“Hunger”) to sexual addiction (“Shame”) and slavery in America in “12 Years a Slave,” which netted three Oscars, including for best picture and supporting actress. Among the film’s nine total noms, McQueen received one for directing.
McQueen’s latest project, BBC’s “Small Axe,” carries equal dramatic heft. The Golden Globe-nominated five-part anthology series, which chronicles London’s West Indian community between 1968 and 1982, is a deeply personal one for the filmmaker, this year’s recipient of Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing award.
McQueen will be honored on Feb. 26 as part of its virtual 10 Directors to Watch event with the Palm Springs Intl. Film Society.
Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos says, “In less than a decade, Steve McQueen has established himself as not only one of world cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers,...
McQueen’s latest project, BBC’s “Small Axe,” carries equal dramatic heft. The Golden Globe-nominated five-part anthology series, which chronicles London’s West Indian community between 1968 and 1982, is a deeply personal one for the filmmaker, this year’s recipient of Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing award.
McQueen will be honored on Feb. 26 as part of its virtual 10 Directors to Watch event with the Palm Springs Intl. Film Society.
Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos says, “In less than a decade, Steve McQueen has established himself as not only one of world cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers,...
- 2/25/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
The Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center announced the annual Cinema Unbound Awards honorees on Thursday. This year’s honorees include Steve McQueen, Garrett Bradley, Gus Van Sant, Mollye Asher and Alex Bulkley. The awards will be presented on March 4, kicking off the 44th Annual Portland International Film Festival, which will run from March 5 to March 14.
The festival will honor multimedia artists and filmmakers that present boundary-breaking stories. McQueen, the British filmmaker who won an Academy Award for “12 Years a Slave,” recently won best picture at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for “Small Axe.”
“I feel particularly honored to receive this Cinema Unbound Award from Northwest Film Center and Portland Art Museum at a time in my own creative journey when I have gone back to my true source and inspiration with ‘Small Axe’ and felt more unbound creatively than I ever have,” McQueen said.
The festival will honor multimedia artists and filmmakers that present boundary-breaking stories. McQueen, the British filmmaker who won an Academy Award for “12 Years a Slave,” recently won best picture at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for “Small Axe.”
“I feel particularly honored to receive this Cinema Unbound Award from Northwest Film Center and Portland Art Museum at a time in my own creative journey when I have gone back to my true source and inspiration with ‘Small Axe’ and felt more unbound creatively than I ever have,” McQueen said.
- 2/11/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
The guy with mask and the cape runs onstage, to the screams of thousands of people standing in Victoria Park on a characteristically brisk April day in 1978. He calls himself “Mr. Oligarchy,” but folks backstage — and some of the savvier people attending this outdoor concert — know him as Red Saunders. “This ain’t no Woodstock,” the gent tells the assembled Britons before him. “This is the carnival against the fucking Nazis!”
As Saunders himself recounts, decades after the fact, the cheer from the crowd was massive. Back then, he was a curly-haired,...
As Saunders himself recounts, decades after the fact, the cheer from the crowd was massive. Back then, he was a curly-haired,...
- 10/16/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The complicated and often ugly relationship between punk rock and racism has provided ample material for musicians, academics, and filmmakers alike. From the lyrics of The Dead Kennedys to Shane Meadows’ This is England, the genre of music has repeatedly tried to confront its unfortunate associations with white supremacy. White Riot captures a key moment in that confrontation, charting the foundation of Rock Against Racism up to its 100,000-man march against the Nazi League in 1978. A march that culminated in an open-air concert featuring the likes of X-Ray Spex, Steel Pulse and of course The Clash, playing their titular hit.
Before that though we land smack dab in the middle of London at a time when (shockingly) hostility towards immigrants and ethnic minorities was finding a following in British politics. When Enoch Powell was talking about forcing migrants onto boats and the National Front was rising in the polls. It...
Before that though we land smack dab in the middle of London at a time when (shockingly) hostility towards immigrants and ethnic minorities was finding a following in British politics. When Enoch Powell was talking about forcing migrants onto boats and the National Front was rising in the polls. It...
- 9/28/2020
- by Liam Macleod
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“Never count out an oppressed population” and “never count out a played-out genre” are just two of the notions that stayed with me after watching “Mangrove,” one of a five-part series of period films by Steve McQueen about London’s West Indian community.
It’s a movie about a real-life injustice followed by a courtroom drama, and if a long history of hacky biopics and feel-good activist cinema made you think this kind of story was beyond telling on film with power or efficacy, McQueen proves that there’s still a way to do it right. The tale of the Mangrove Nine was relevant in the late 1960s and early 1970s when it actually happened, it was relevant when McQueen and Alastair Siddons (“Tomb Raider” 2018) sat down to write about it, and it’s relevant today, tomorrow, and in the future, as unchecked police brutality continues to rain down on communities of color.
It’s a movie about a real-life injustice followed by a courtroom drama, and if a long history of hacky biopics and feel-good activist cinema made you think this kind of story was beyond telling on film with power or efficacy, McQueen proves that there’s still a way to do it right. The tale of the Mangrove Nine was relevant in the late 1960s and early 1970s when it actually happened, it was relevant when McQueen and Alastair Siddons (“Tomb Raider” 2018) sat down to write about it, and it’s relevant today, tomorrow, and in the future, as unchecked police brutality continues to rain down on communities of color.
- 9/25/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
A new documentary, White Riot, will look back at how the punk scene in Great Britain came close to swinging to the far right, sparking a Rock Against Racism movement there in the mid-Seventies. The film will come out via Virtual Cinema on October 16th.
“We said, what we need to do is do a gig, a thing called Rock Against Racism,” one of the organization’s founders, Roger Huddle, says in a trailer for the film.
“We want rebel music, street music, music that breaks down people’s fear of one another,...
“We said, what we need to do is do a gig, a thing called Rock Against Racism,” one of the organization’s founders, Roger Huddle, says in a trailer for the film.
“We want rebel music, street music, music that breaks down people’s fear of one another,...
- 9/22/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
There was a time when it seemed music might have the power to change the world—or at the very least, move the needle. The knee-jerk reaction to such a statement is to think of the protest songs of the 1960s. While that music certainly impacted the zeitgeist, the real sonic boom was caused by a group of artists, activists, and musicians in mid-1970s England. Their efforts led to the birth of Rock Against Racism (Rar), a cultural movement founded to fight back against the brutal, ugly, violent, and pervasive racism of the neo-Nazi organizations like the National Front.
However, as filmmaker Rubika Shah’s thrilling, incendiary documentary White Riot shows, prejudice was not limited to members of the Nf. It was ingrained in British society, abetted by law enforcement, and cheerfully brought to TV screens on BBC minstrel shows. “Our job,” explains Rar founder Red Saunders, “was...
However, as filmmaker Rubika Shah’s thrilling, incendiary documentary White Riot shows, prejudice was not limited to members of the Nf. It was ingrained in British society, abetted by law enforcement, and cheerfully brought to TV screens on BBC minstrel shows. “Our job,” explains Rar founder Red Saunders, “was...
- 10/8/2019
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
The BBC has unveiled the first images of Small Axe, its period drama from 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen. Amazon has U.S. rights.
The series, which is set in London’s West Indian community between the 1960s-’80s, stars Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Star Wars‘ John Boyega
Malachi Kirby (Roots), Shaun Parkes (Lost In Space), Rochenda Sandall (Line Of Duty), Alex Jennings (Victoria) and Jack Lowden (Mary Queen Of Scots) also star.
The show is a six-part anthology series that tells five stories set within London’s West Indian community from the late 1960s to the early ’80s. The Oscar-winning writer and director has said that the series will tell the story of a West Indian community in the heart of London across three decades, beginning at the moment of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968.
It starts in 1968, when a small restaurant called...
The series, which is set in London’s West Indian community between the 1960s-’80s, stars Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Star Wars‘ John Boyega
Malachi Kirby (Roots), Shaun Parkes (Lost In Space), Rochenda Sandall (Line Of Duty), Alex Jennings (Victoria) and Jack Lowden (Mary Queen Of Scots) also star.
The show is a six-part anthology series that tells five stories set within London’s West Indian community from the late 1960s to the early ’80s. The Oscar-winning writer and director has said that the series will tell the story of a West Indian community in the heart of London across three decades, beginning at the moment of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968.
It starts in 1968, when a small restaurant called...
- 9/10/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios has come onboard the upcoming BBC drama from “Widows” director Steve McQueen, according to Georgia Brown, Director of European Originals at the streaming platform, speaking at the House of Lords’ Communications Committee discussion on the future of public service broadcasting in the UK.
Although what specific territories the deal for the six-part series covers isn’t clear.
The drama, which will tell stories of the West Indian experience in the UK, will follow a group of friends and their families over a period of almost 50 years, from 1968 to 2014.
It will begin at the moment of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968, when a small restaurant called The Mangrove opens in Ladbroke Grove, a place of camaraderie and friendship that becomes a social heart for the community — and, over time, a flashpoint for resistance.
Enoch Powell was an English right-winger who gave a hard-hitting speech attacking the...
Although what specific territories the deal for the six-part series covers isn’t clear.
The drama, which will tell stories of the West Indian experience in the UK, will follow a group of friends and their families over a period of almost 50 years, from 1968 to 2014.
It will begin at the moment of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968, when a small restaurant called The Mangrove opens in Ladbroke Grove, a place of camaraderie and friendship that becomes a social heart for the community — and, over time, a flashpoint for resistance.
Enoch Powell was an English right-winger who gave a hard-hitting speech attacking the...
- 6/25/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Amazon has boarded 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen’s forthcoming BBC drama.
The revelation emerged as Georgia Brown, Director of European Originals at the Svod service, was speaking at the House of Lords’ Communications Committee debate on the future of public service broadcasting in the UK.
It’s not clear which territories the Svod service has the rights for to the six-part series but former Fremantle exec Brown revealed that Amazon was co-producing the project, which has been long in the works, with the official commission coming from the BBC in August 2015. She added that it was “coming imminently”.
The show, which is being produced by The Frankenstein Chronicles producer Rainmark Films, is a look at the lives of a group of friends and their families living in West London from 1968 to 2014. The Oscar-winning writer and director has said that the series will tell the story of a West...
The revelation emerged as Georgia Brown, Director of European Originals at the Svod service, was speaking at the House of Lords’ Communications Committee debate on the future of public service broadcasting in the UK.
It’s not clear which territories the Svod service has the rights for to the six-part series but former Fremantle exec Brown revealed that Amazon was co-producing the project, which has been long in the works, with the official commission coming from the BBC in August 2015. She added that it was “coming imminently”.
The show, which is being produced by The Frankenstein Chronicles producer Rainmark Films, is a look at the lives of a group of friends and their families living in West London from 1968 to 2014. The Oscar-winning writer and director has said that the series will tell the story of a West...
- 6/25/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Long before “Galang” and “Paper Planes,” and prior to her Oscar nomination and universal fame, there was a time M.I.A. was Mathangi Arulpragasam, the daughter of Tamil refugees who fled conflict-stricken Sri Lanka to settle in 1980s England. More an account of her origins than a stylized tour documentary, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. draws from over 700 hours of footage M.I.A. personally recorded at different stages of her career to offer an intimate pre- and-post-stardom bio-doc that feels just as magnetic as the artist it brings and dissects on screen.
Chronological and linear as it may be in its structure–Matangi, Maya, and M.I.A.; alluding to the different stages in the singer’s life before and under the spotlight–Stephen Loveridge’s debut feature and insider look conjures up an artist whose creative path and inspiration have drawn from several overlapping personas. M.I.A. the artist,...
Chronological and linear as it may be in its structure–Matangi, Maya, and M.I.A.; alluding to the different stages in the singer’s life before and under the spotlight–Stephen Loveridge’s debut feature and insider look conjures up an artist whose creative path and inspiration have drawn from several overlapping personas. M.I.A. the artist,...
- 3/28/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
From miners’ strike battles to filibustering Enoch Powell, this affectionate profile captures the Derby MP’s granite integrity and love of mischief
The good thing about this film, and its subject, is that no one mentions the words “national treasure”. Labour MP Dennis Skinner hasn’t mellowed much. He’s as difficult and bloody-minded as ever – and just as opaque. Daniel Draper’s docu-portrait of Skinner is affectionate and respectful; it takes us back to Skinner’s Derbyshire roots, showing us the ex-miner of granite integrity, still an MP at 85, still working hard in the Commons long after the likes of Cameron and Osborne have flounced.
Related: Daniel Draper, film-maker: ‘Dennis Skinner sang to me over the phone’...
The good thing about this film, and its subject, is that no one mentions the words “national treasure”. Labour MP Dennis Skinner hasn’t mellowed much. He’s as difficult and bloody-minded as ever – and just as opaque. Daniel Draper’s docu-portrait of Skinner is affectionate and respectful; it takes us back to Skinner’s Derbyshire roots, showing us the ex-miner of granite integrity, still an MP at 85, still working hard in the Commons long after the likes of Cameron and Osborne have flounced.
Related: Daniel Draper, film-maker: ‘Dennis Skinner sang to me over the phone’...
- 9/7/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Nick Aldwinckle Oct 25, 2016
Fancy some horror? We've been taking a look at the discs of Ghoulies, The Burning, Psychomania and more...
“Have you ever heard a frog scream?”, the tag-line to George McCowan’s 1972 ecological horror Frogs (out now on Arrow Blu-ray) should have read. Indeed, for any of you readers that have ever been rudely awoken at 2am by the sound of a traumatised frog being gifted to you by your pet cat/furry psychopath, an amphibian cry of terror is probably the second worst sound there is (behind, of course, Kaiser Chiefs).
See related Will Arnett confirms more Arrested Development Arrow's Stephen Amell stars in Lego Batman 3 Dlc trailer
Not that frogs themselves are inherently evil, though viewing this classic dose of seventies green-themed nastiness might convince you otherwise. Slugs are Ok, too, though we’ll get on to them later on in this month’s vague...
Fancy some horror? We've been taking a look at the discs of Ghoulies, The Burning, Psychomania and more...
“Have you ever heard a frog scream?”, the tag-line to George McCowan’s 1972 ecological horror Frogs (out now on Arrow Blu-ray) should have read. Indeed, for any of you readers that have ever been rudely awoken at 2am by the sound of a traumatised frog being gifted to you by your pet cat/furry psychopath, an amphibian cry of terror is probably the second worst sound there is (behind, of course, Kaiser Chiefs).
See related Will Arnett confirms more Arrested Development Arrow's Stephen Amell stars in Lego Batman 3 Dlc trailer
Not that frogs themselves are inherently evil, though viewing this classic dose of seventies green-themed nastiness might convince you otherwise. Slugs are Ok, too, though we’ll get on to them later on in this month’s vague...
- 10/3/2016
- Den of Geek
Steve McQueen has been a busy man. As if his HBO mini-series Codes of Conduct and his nine-minute short film for Kanye's "All Day/ I Feel Like That" weren't enough, McQueen has also been working on a BBC mini-series. While speculation regarding the series has been percolating for a while, few details have emerged since the project was announced in 2014. McQueen was slated to begin work on the series after he wrapped up Codes of Conduct, according to reports from March. The BBC series chronicles the lives and plights of black Britons living in West London, beginning in 1968 and spanning several decades and generations. Speaking at the Guardian Edinburgh Interational TV Festival, BBC One exec Charlotte Moore recently disclosed that the series will begin with conservative politician Enoch Powell's infamous"Rivers of Blood" speech, which criticized Commonwealth immigration and anti-discrimination legislation. Powell referred to the speech as his "Birmingham Speech,...
- 8/26/2015
- by Greg Cwik
- Vulture
We've known for a little while now that Steve McQueen has been developing a miniseries over at BBC. The only available details had been that the show would track the lives of black Britons living in West London from 1968 onwards. However, a few new bits of information have arrived, and it looks like the show will be tackling some very timely subject matter. Read More: Review: Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave,' Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender & More Attending the Guardian Edinburgh Interational TV Festival, BBC One exec Charlotte Moore revealed that McQueen's six-part project will kick off with infamous "Rivers Of Blood" speech by in 1968 by Conservative politician Enoch Powell. In it, he railed against immigration and anti-discrimination laws in Great Britain, and his views stated therein are a close cousin to what Donald Trump is currently espousing in his campaign for president. Anyway, McQueen's show will center around The Mangrove,...
- 8/26/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
"Shame" and "12 Years a Slave" writer/director Steve McQueen is coming to television with new details released by the BBC about his upcoming and still untitled six-part series for BBC1.
The event series will follow a West Indian community in the heart of London across three decades, beginning at the moment of Enoch Powell's notorious "rivers of blood" speech in 1968. It will show how their lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite an often hostile environment.
A restaurant in Ladbroke Grove called the Mangrove will serve in the story as a place of camaraderie and friendship that becomes a social heart for the community - and, over time, a flashpoint for resistance.
In a statement, McQueen says: "These stories are passionate, personal and unique. They are testimony to the truth of real lives and urgently need to be told. This is about a legacy which...
The event series will follow a West Indian community in the heart of London across three decades, beginning at the moment of Enoch Powell's notorious "rivers of blood" speech in 1968. It will show how their lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite an often hostile environment.
A restaurant in Ladbroke Grove called the Mangrove will serve in the story as a place of camaraderie and friendship that becomes a social heart for the community - and, over time, a flashpoint for resistance.
In a statement, McQueen says: "These stories are passionate, personal and unique. They are testimony to the truth of real lives and urgently need to be told. This is about a legacy which...
- 8/26/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Russell Brand has criticised "tribute act" Nigel Farage following their appearance on Question Time last night (December 11).
The pair clashed when the came face-to-face on the BBC show, with the panel debating issues ranging from political careerism to immigration.
Brand took to Facebook to share details of his evening with the "end of days" Ukip leader, while also revealing how he had spent time at a food bank in Canterbury prior to filming.
"I've just got home from recording BBC TV's political debate show Question Time and if you saw it and found it anti-climactic, I know how you feel (sic)," Brand began his post.
"Nigel Farage in the flesh, gin blossomed flesh that it is, inspires sympathy more than fear, an end of the pier, end of the road, end of days politician, who like many people who drink too much has a certain sloppy sadness. Camilla Cavendish, who I was sat next to,...
The pair clashed when the came face-to-face on the BBC show, with the panel debating issues ranging from political careerism to immigration.
Brand took to Facebook to share details of his evening with the "end of days" Ukip leader, while also revealing how he had spent time at a food bank in Canterbury prior to filming.
"I've just got home from recording BBC TV's political debate show Question Time and if you saw it and found it anti-climactic, I know how you feel (sic)," Brand began his post.
"Nigel Farage in the flesh, gin blossomed flesh that it is, inspires sympathy more than fear, an end of the pier, end of the road, end of days politician, who like many people who drink too much has a certain sloppy sadness. Camilla Cavendish, who I was sat next to,...
- 12/12/2014
- Digital Spy
Russell Brand clashed with Ukip leader Nigel Farage on tonight's (December 11) heated edition of Question Time.
The duo were joined on moderator David Dimbleby's panel by Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Mary Creagh and Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt.
A contentious atmosphere hung over the episode, with angry audience members interrupting the panel discussion on several occasions.
Several verbal spats erupted between Brand and Farage as the panel discussed issues ranging from political careerism to immigration.
"I sometimes feel worried about you, Nigel Farage," Brand said during an immigration debate. "The reason I feel worried is that I know a lot of people are frightened in our country.
"I know a lot of people are feeling afraid and frustrated. There is a sense that there is a corrupt group in our country using our resources, taking away our jobs, taking away our housing, not paying taxes, exploiting us.
The duo were joined on moderator David Dimbleby's panel by Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Mary Creagh and Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt.
A contentious atmosphere hung over the episode, with angry audience members interrupting the panel discussion on several occasions.
Several verbal spats erupted between Brand and Farage as the panel discussed issues ranging from political careerism to immigration.
"I sometimes feel worried about you, Nigel Farage," Brand said during an immigration debate. "The reason I feel worried is that I know a lot of people are frightened in our country.
"I know a lot of people are feeling afraid and frustrated. There is a sense that there is a corrupt group in our country using our resources, taking away our jobs, taking away our housing, not paying taxes, exploiting us.
- 12/12/2014
- Digital Spy
Shaanti’s Eastern Electronic Festival 2014 is hitting the headlines as the must-see, cutting edge festival. It’s set to be bigger and more explosive this year, with a host of unique events. The electrifying festival takes Birmingham’s arts, music and culture scene by storm with exclusive events designed for a wide ranging audience, including music-lovers, the wider community and families.
The festival will introduce the latest sounds from the British Asian contemporary music scene to the mainstream arena. Empowering British Asian artists who use music as an expression of individuality, the festival features an eclectic mix of various genres, performers and instrumental experimentation. Seeking to abandon the practice of pigeonholing British Asian artists in stereotypical genres such as World Music, Bhangra and ‘Desi R‘n’B’, Shaanti’s Eastern Electronic Festival focuses on brand new contemporary and progressive music. The festival will feature a fantastic lineup of breakthrough artists,...
The festival will introduce the latest sounds from the British Asian contemporary music scene to the mainstream arena. Empowering British Asian artists who use music as an expression of individuality, the festival features an eclectic mix of various genres, performers and instrumental experimentation. Seeking to abandon the practice of pigeonholing British Asian artists in stereotypical genres such as World Music, Bhangra and ‘Desi R‘n’B’, Shaanti’s Eastern Electronic Festival focuses on brand new contemporary and progressive music. The festival will feature a fantastic lineup of breakthrough artists,...
- 4/24/2014
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Hanif Kureishi's muse has long been transgression: dazzling early success was followed by a sex-and-drugs phase, family falling-out and a lacerating novel about marital breakdown. Now, with The Last Word, has he finally pinned down who he really is?
The first time I met Hanif Kureishi it was the mid-80s, and we talked about writing fiction for Faber and Faber whose list I was directing. Kureishi came into my office like a rock star and I remember thinking that he did not seem in need of a career move. He was already riding high on the international success of his screenplay, My Beautiful Laundrette.
In fact, Kureishi was cannily pondering his next step. He was on the lookout for a means of self-expression that might sustain a way of life and over which he could have some control. Movies, he said, were chancy, a gold-rush business. There was...
The first time I met Hanif Kureishi it was the mid-80s, and we talked about writing fiction for Faber and Faber whose list I was directing. Kureishi came into my office like a rock star and I remember thinking that he did not seem in need of a career move. He was already riding high on the international success of his screenplay, My Beautiful Laundrette.
In fact, Kureishi was cannily pondering his next step. He was on the lookout for a means of self-expression that might sustain a way of life and over which he could have some control. Movies, he said, were chancy, a gold-rush business. There was...
- 1/19/2014
- by Robert McCrum
- The Guardian - Film News
★★☆☆☆ The very fact that the lead star of Vince Woods' hardboiled, alternative seventies crime drama Harrigan - British actor Stephen Tompkinson - is best-known for his work in several prime-time TV dramas gives a fair indication of the scale of this low-budget first feature. That's not to say that Woods lacks ambition; Harrigan is, for the most part, a serviceable genre piece that skews history for its own means, creating a northern dystopia rife with criminality and racial distrust. Unfortunately, such world-building exercises often require a certain level of funding, and there's something undeniably televisual about proceedings.
Following an ill-fated stint fighting corruption in British-held Hong Kong, self-styled detective Harrigan (Tompkinson) returns home to Newcastle to find not only the city but the entire country up to its neck in economic woe and social disorder. As the maverick cop rejoins his former constabulary, he finds the force on its...
Following an ill-fated stint fighting corruption in British-held Hong Kong, self-styled detective Harrigan (Tompkinson) returns home to Newcastle to find not only the city but the entire country up to its neck in economic woe and social disorder. As the maverick cop rejoins his former constabulary, he finds the force on its...
- 9/24/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Playwright whose anarchic works were filled with vividly imagined characters
Snoo Wilson, who has died suddenly aged 64, was in the vanguard of the young playwrights revolutionising British theatre in the two decades after 1968, but Snoo was a very different kettle of fish from the others. While David Edgar, Howard Brenton and David Hare were often overtly political, Snoo was a Marxist "tendance Groucho"; more subtly subversive and humorous. Sometimes the surface frivolity of his work made people think he wasn't serious, but he was always trying to mine under the surface of things, to allow the subconscious to drive his imagination. Snoo used fiercely imagined characters in comic and often savage works that nevertheless, in the best plays, demonstrated an insouciant knowledge of dramatic structure. He was not a believer in naturalism.
Throughout his career Snoo refused to accept that mere reality was all there was – if so, it was...
Snoo Wilson, who has died suddenly aged 64, was in the vanguard of the young playwrights revolutionising British theatre in the two decades after 1968, but Snoo was a very different kettle of fish from the others. While David Edgar, Howard Brenton and David Hare were often overtly political, Snoo was a Marxist "tendance Groucho"; more subtly subversive and humorous. Sometimes the surface frivolity of his work made people think he wasn't serious, but he was always trying to mine under the surface of things, to allow the subconscious to drive his imagination. Snoo used fiercely imagined characters in comic and often savage works that nevertheless, in the best plays, demonstrated an insouciant knowledge of dramatic structure. He was not a believer in naturalism.
Throughout his career Snoo refused to accept that mere reality was all there was – if so, it was...
- 7/5/2013
- by Dusty Hughes
- The Guardian - Film News
With Halloween right around the corner, we decided to sit down with award-winning novelist Kim Newman to discuss the third installment of the Anno Dracula series―Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha. Read on to learn more!
Synopsis:
Rome. 1959. Count Dracula is about to marry the Moldavian Princess Asa Vajda - his sixth wife. Journalist Kate Reed flies into the city to visit the ailing Charles Beauregard and his vampire companion, Geneviève. Finding herself caught up in the mystery of the Crimson Executioner who is bloodily dispatching vampire elders in the city, Kate discovers that she is not the only one on his trail... the undead British secret agent Bond is as well.
Amanda Dyar: Many of your works are written with an important emphasis on Dracula as a protagonist. What inspires you to continue writing about the infamous character time and again, and how are you able...
Synopsis:
Rome. 1959. Count Dracula is about to marry the Moldavian Princess Asa Vajda - his sixth wife. Journalist Kate Reed flies into the city to visit the ailing Charles Beauregard and his vampire companion, Geneviève. Finding herself caught up in the mystery of the Crimson Executioner who is bloodily dispatching vampire elders in the city, Kate discovers that she is not the only one on his trail... the undead British secret agent Bond is as well.
Amanda Dyar: Many of your works are written with an important emphasis on Dracula as a protagonist. What inspires you to continue writing about the infamous character time and again, and how are you able...
- 10/16/2012
- by Amanda Dyar
- DreadCentral.com
As an actor in Lost, he was watched worldwide. As a child, he was a 'black Oliver Twist', farmed out for fostering to a white family. Now Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is making a film of his extraordinary life story
The name Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is not one that slips easily off the tongue but it's worth mastering because we're likely to be hearing a lot more of it in the future. Followers of the wilfully perplexing American fantasy series Lost may recall its owner as Mr Eko, the former drug lord turned fake priest who was killed by the Man in Black, otherwise known as the Monster. Or perhaps not.
Some will know him as Simon Adebisi, the intimidating African convict in the cult HBO prison series Oz; others may recognise his contributions to films such as Congo and The Bourne Identity; and no doubt his role as an American spy...
The name Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is not one that slips easily off the tongue but it's worth mastering because we're likely to be hearing a lot more of it in the future. Followers of the wilfully perplexing American fantasy series Lost may recall its owner as Mr Eko, the former drug lord turned fake priest who was killed by the Man in Black, otherwise known as the Monster. Or perhaps not.
Some will know him as Simon Adebisi, the intimidating African convict in the cult HBO prison series Oz; others may recognise his contributions to films such as Congo and The Bourne Identity; and no doubt his role as an American spy...
- 5/12/2012
- by Andrew Anthony
- The Guardian - Film News
George Gently
B Van Heusen
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
Inspector George Gently returns to BBC One later this year with four all new feature length specials. Show creator Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North) writes the first screenplay which centers around the brutal murder of a young aristocrat. The second of the four episodes Gently Northern Soul is written by David Kane (The Field of Blood) and it involves Enoch Powell and the racial issues that impacted Britain and much of the Western world during the late 1960s.
Martin Shaw resumes his role as George Gently while BBC regular Lee Ingleby (White Heat) returns as his street savvy sidekick Bacchus. Guest stars include Roger Lloyd Pak (Only Fools and Horses) and Geraldine Somerville (Harry Potter). Filming is underway in the Durham area and the shows should air in the Fall.
B Van Heusen
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
Inspector George Gently returns to BBC One later this year with four all new feature length specials. Show creator Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North) writes the first screenplay which centers around the brutal murder of a young aristocrat. The second of the four episodes Gently Northern Soul is written by David Kane (The Field of Blood) and it involves Enoch Powell and the racial issues that impacted Britain and much of the Western world during the late 1960s.
Martin Shaw resumes his role as George Gently while BBC regular Lee Ingleby (White Heat) returns as his street savvy sidekick Bacchus. Guest stars include Roger Lloyd Pak (Only Fools and Horses) and Geraldine Somerville (Harry Potter). Filming is underway in the Durham area and the shows should air in the Fall.
- 3/28/2012
- by admin
All political lives end in failure, said Enoch Powell (as he well found out!). While in the old days, ruined MPs and Lords would stay on the backbenches licking their wounds, today they've got that other option... celebrity! Together with The Hamiltons, Lembit Opik is now a constant on TV. He's known as much for his fling with Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia as his (more)...
- 2/7/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
All political lives end in failure, said Enoch Powell (as he well found out!). While in the old days, ruined MPs and Lords would stay on the backbenches licking their wounds, today they've got that other option... celebrity! Together with The Hamiltons, Lembit Öpik is now a constant on TV. He's known as much for his fling with Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia as his (more)...
- 2/7/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Kate Winslet's triumph, lost for words at Downton Abbey, and when Enoch Powell met Bill Haley
✒I half-suspect that the main reason people award Oscars, Emmys, the Légion d'honneur etc to Kate Winslet is simply for the joy of her acceptance speech, the great gushing geyser of delight and gratitude. After all, who wants an actor who merely says: "I am most grateful. Thank you"?
But then she is terribly good. I suspect my wife and I are among the few British people who watched the whole of Mildred Pierce, the Todd Haynes serial on Sky Atlantic, based on James McCain's novel of the Depression. It's about a single mother who makes a fortune, but watches her family life fall apart, largely thanks to her witch of a daughter. Winslet's performance was luminous, and kept us watching through all the Grand Guignol stuff about death and betrayal. The sex didn't hurt either.
✒I half-suspect that the main reason people award Oscars, Emmys, the Légion d'honneur etc to Kate Winslet is simply for the joy of her acceptance speech, the great gushing geyser of delight and gratitude. After all, who wants an actor who merely says: "I am most grateful. Thank you"?
But then she is terribly good. I suspect my wife and I are among the few British people who watched the whole of Mildred Pierce, the Todd Haynes serial on Sky Atlantic, based on James McCain's novel of the Depression. It's about a single mother who makes a fortune, but watches her family life fall apart, largely thanks to her witch of a daughter. Winslet's performance was luminous, and kept us watching through all the Grand Guignol stuff about death and betrayal. The sex didn't hurt either.
- 9/23/2011
- by Simon Hoggart
- The Guardian - Film News
With The King's Speech tipped to triumph at the Oscars, Mary Beard examines public speaking from Demosthenes to Obama
The world's first recorded cure for stammering was the "pebble method": go down to the seashore, fill your mouth with pebbles, and force your words to overcome the impediment. This was the self-help cure that, in the 4th century BC, cured the stuttering orator Demosthenes, and launched his career as the greatest public speaker of the ancient Greek world. And it was still being used 2,400 years later, in the 20th century Ad – marbles substituted for the original pebbles. Henry Higgins forced them into the mouth of Eliza Doolittle in Shaw's Pygmalion, only to see her swallow one of them. In The King's Speech, marbles are one of those quack remedies that have failed to cure the stammering Bertie.
But the ancient story was about much more than a clever, or quack,...
The world's first recorded cure for stammering was the "pebble method": go down to the seashore, fill your mouth with pebbles, and force your words to overcome the impediment. This was the self-help cure that, in the 4th century BC, cured the stuttering orator Demosthenes, and launched his career as the greatest public speaker of the ancient Greek world. And it was still being used 2,400 years later, in the 20th century Ad – marbles substituted for the original pebbles. Henry Higgins forced them into the mouth of Eliza Doolittle in Shaw's Pygmalion, only to see her swallow one of them. In The King's Speech, marbles are one of those quack remedies that have failed to cure the stammering Bertie.
But the ancient story was about much more than a clever, or quack,...
- 2/26/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.