Category Archives: Television

Soledad 2: Twin Peaks, Joe D’Amato and More

13 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by in Film, Magazines, Television, Updates, Writing

≈ Comments Off on Soledad 2: Twin Peaks, Joe D’Amato and More

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Italian actress Cinzia Monreale lies in her coffin on the cover of SOLEDAD Arts Journal‘s second volume, available now on Amazon for just $6 in the US, or £4.73 in the UK. It’s a still from Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness), a 1979 horror flick, accompanied by a splendidly bizarre quote: “Darkness is not dark … time is not time … boys become dogs … girls become frogs …”  Continue reading →

Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler

12 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Television, Wicked Baby

≈ Comments Off on Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Christine Keeler. She’s almost a mythical character, like folklore …

Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, a new multi-media exhibition of women’s art curated by artist Fionn Wilson, will open in Newcastle next month before moving on to Swansea in October, and London next February. Among the talented contributors are Caroline Coon, Cathy Lomax and Stella Vine. I have contributed some writing alongside Julie Burchill, Amanda Coe, Tanya Gold and Christine’s son, Seymour Platt, which will be published in an exhibition catalogue. Artists Shani Rhys James and Sadie Lee have talked about Keeler’s impact in this trailer, presented by Fionn and released today. Continue reading →

Artists in Love: Marilyn and Arthur Miller

04 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by in Marilyn Monroe, Television

≈ Comments Off on Artists in Love: Marilyn and Arthur Miller

Tags

, , , , , ,

This article was first published at Immortal Marilyn in October 2017

Artists in Love is a ten-part documentary series, produced in Italy for the satellite channel Sky Arts, and first broadcast in 2016. Among the famous couples profiled are the Mexican artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera; opera singer Maria Callas’s tortured relationship with shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; plus singers Johnny Cash and June Carter, and filmmaker Federico Fellini and his actress wife, Giulietta Masina. Continue reading →

From ‘Soledad’ to Hope, With Lynch and Lana

13 Sunday Jan 2019

Posted by in Film, Lana Del Rey, Magazines, Television, Updates, Writing

≈ Comments Off on From ‘Soledad’ to Hope, With Lynch and Lana

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

SOLEDAD is a new journal from my good friend Jeremy Richey, the maestro behind ART DECADES. Soledad is (of course) the Spanish word for solitude, which is one of my favourite things. It can be sad, but also beautiful – a state of mind reflected in the magazine’s black and white imagery. I’m proud to have contributed a sixteen-page article about David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks for the first volume. It’s the opening instalment in a two-part series, and while I can’t promise to unlock all of its mysteries, I hope fans of the show will enjoy my personal impressions. Continue reading →

2018: A Year in Film and TV

18 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by in Books, Film, Marilyn Monroe, Non-Fiction, Television

≈ Comments Off on 2018: A Year in Film and TV

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m lucky enough to live just around the corner from the Duke of York’s, England’s oldest independent cinema; and so this year I made the most of my Picturehouse membership. I like movies that blend a touch of realism with a sense of style: Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, Mike Leigh’s Peterloo and Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Shoplifters satisfied those needs.  Continue reading →

Urban Myths: ‘It’s Me, Sugar’

26 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by in Film, Marilyn Monroe, Television

≈ Comments Off on Urban Myths: ‘It’s Me, Sugar’

Tags

, , , , , , ,

“She was the biggest star in the world; she had a lot of attention on her, a lot of pressure… there is a scene, when she comes to the door, she says, ‘It’s me, Sugar.’ It took forty-seven shots to make this scene. The film is about that moment, the crisis she had. It’s funny because it’s stupid not to be able to say ‘It’s me, Sugar’… It’s tragic too.” Continue reading →

2017: A Year In Film and Music

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Film, Lana Del Rey, Music, Television

≈ Comments Off on 2017: A Year In Film and Music

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For me, this year was dominated by the return of Twin Peaks, reaffirming David Lynch’s status as the most daring filmmaker of our time. Dark, playful and thrilling, it once again pushed the outer limits of television.  Continue reading →

Dead Blondes: You Must Remember Marilyn

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Film, History, Marilyn Monroe, Radio, Television

≈ Comments Off on Dead Blondes: You Must Remember Marilyn

Tags

, , , , , ,

This article can also be read at Immortal Marilyn

“Marilyn, that icon of über-femininity, is most often compared to other dead women. Or rather, other dead women are compared to her … Whenever a glamorous young woman dies, she is compared to Marilyn Monroe, whether she was a blonde – or dumb – or not.” – Sarah Churchwell  Continue reading →