I was very pleased to be asked to review the latest short film by Jaschar Marktanner Vielleicht besser so (Perhaps Better That Way). If you’ve seen Jaschar’s work or if you read my earlier thoughts on his clever sci-fi piece Turing Test, you’ll know this is a filmmaker who thrives on intimate ideas and big … Continue reading
Judy Matheson is one of the most memorable performers from the golden age of British horror – and much more besides. Her appearances in classic Hammer films and other horrors made a lasting impression on many of us, but that was just a small part of her career impressive career on stage and screen. So, … Continue reading
If a computer has a conversation with a human, and an evaluator can’t tell which is which, the machine is said to have passed the Turing test. Proposed 75 years ago by the British mathematician, Alan Turing, variations of the test are used today to assess the progress of artificial intelligence (AI). And that’s the … Continue reading
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, I’m sure many of us spent some of our unexpected free time writing. I took the opportunty to dabble in creating some flash fiction stories – tiny snippets of fiction – just for my own amusement. As I played around with them, they took on some commonalities – set in … Continue reading
Maxine Gordon was a familiar face on British TV for many years. For me, she will always be Anne Marie in the dark children’s drama Midnight Is a Place, and she kindly spoke to me about that programme for a chapter I’m contributing to a book*. But our ‘interview’ (conducted via email and voice note) … Continue reading
It’s been way too long since this blog caught up with the work of rising New Jersey R&B star Jo Rivers and her video producer, my near-namesake DJ Weltch. So, let’s put that right with a look at her two latest songs, including a collaboration with producer, songwriter, and rapper Don Michael Jr and explore … Continue reading
The remarkable story of the USA’s first saint, Francesca Cabrini, is told in a new feature film, being previewed in the UK this week (8 March 2024) for International Women’s Day and Mothering Sunday. This powerful epic movie comes from Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮, following Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who … Continue reading
The spine-chilling stage thriller The Woman in Black arrives at Cardiff’s New Theatre next week [September 19-23] as part of its UK Tour. And I’m pleased to share this interview with the acclaimed author of the original novel, Dame Susan Hill. Continue reading
There’s no shortage of ‘religion’ on film – priests battling demons, nuns singing, monks solving crimes. But a straightforward faith-based film about a church’s revival is much rarer. So, the success of Jesus Revolution might be something of a surprise. This new (2023) feature film from Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle tells the true story … Continue reading
The glorious retro animated Famous Five ads for Great Western Railway are back for summer 2023, with their first new adventure for three years. A new TV ad, Five Get There First, promotes travelling by train and how it can deliver a level of comfort, speed, sustainability and ability to socialise you don’t get by … Continue reading
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