A boring and bored man, unhappily married and hating his job, unexpectedly encounters a beautiful woman. He’s captivated, and she leads him on an exciting adventure. It’s a familiar male fantasy, which has formed the basis for some memorable films – Edward G Robinson and Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street (1945) and Gene … Continue reading
Category Archives: Writing
Survey suggests lockdown could produce a book bonanza
A new survey of writers suggests there could be a flurry of books arising from the coronavirus lockdown. Page Turner Awards, who conducted the research via their website and mailing list, say it shows writers have been more resilient, so we can expect a boom in the printed (or digital) word – in contrast with … Continue reading
How Carys’s ‘Fat ‘n’ Clean’ charity song could have been much dirtier
Many performers have been keeping busy online during the coronavirus lockdown – none more so than actress, singer and writer Carys Eleri, who has released two hilarious comedy songs for charity. Downloads of Fat ‘N’ Clean and Beyond The Fence are raising money for Tarian Cymru, a campaign to make and distribute personal protective equipment … Continue reading
The Flock: award-winning horror is also a Midlands ‘Western’
A new British horror movie, which has already scooped a string of awards for its script, has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the production budget. The Flock has won four awards for its script, most recently the 2019 Special Jury Prize at the Barcelona International Film Festival. Continue reading
All The Rage – more delight for crime fiction fans
Fans of brilliantly plotted crime fiction will be delighted that the latest DI Adam Fawley thriller has been published. I was doubly delighted because I got to go to the launch party. All The Rage by my ultra-talented friend Cara Hunter is out now from Penguin Books – the fourth in her Oxford-set Fawley series … Continue reading
Feature films, shorts and more – a busy year for Mhairi
One of the busiest actors around, Mhairi Calvey has an exceptionally busy year ahead, even by her standards. Last year, Mhairi spoke to me about her 25-year career, which began with a role in the Oscar-winning Braveheart. This year, she has four feature films due for release! Continue reading
There’s No Way Out (and I’m actually ‘in’)
If there’s one thing more exciting than reading the latest Cara Hunter thriller, it’s being in the latest Cara Hunter thriller. That’s the honour bestowed upon me by my dear friend, the mind-bogglingly talented author of the best-selling Adam Fawley novels. Continue reading
Rediscovering Sparrows Can’t Sing and its cast of future stars
It’s interesting to watch an old film and spot a future star in a small role. I noticed some of Hollywood’s biggest names when I rewatched Annie Hall, and recently I enjoyed a whole cast of soon-to-be-big actors in the British comedy-drama Sparrows Can’t Sing. This is a fascinating film in many ways. I hadn’t … Continue reading
A haunted house and killer clowns – the Mychoverse continues
As British indie horror company Mycho Entertainment prepares to unleash two new feature films, I spoke to Professor Mycho himself, MJ Dixon, about Bannister DollHouse and CleaverS: KIller Clowns, as well as the films that went before them and those to come. I was an associate producer on Mycho’s Slasher House 2 (2016) and am … Continue reading
A spooky old house and vampire eroticism – it’s almost like Hammer time again
What could be better than an intelligent, high quality new movie in the tradition of classic British horror, with familiar faces among the cast and set in a spooky old mansion? How about a large format graphic novel version of that movie, based on stills from the film? Continue reading