For reasons old and new, I started rereading Kipling about three months ago: just as I did for O-Level Eng Lit in 1974-75 , except a lot more systematically this time (ie all of it, soup to nuts: 1888-1937). I won’t be posting big reviews, prob[…]

In January HMV announced that, due to it and Waterstones collectively flailing around in a mire of doom, it’s going to close 60 stores this year. Gossiping with a bookseller last weekend I discovered Waterstones have had their ordering near-fro[…]

To read the story, click here; to read about our ‘hauntography’ project, click here.
There are female visitations aplenty, of course, and female servants and relatives and bystanders, and a wife or two, and of course the witch in The Ash Tree: bu[…]

Recently Al Ewing and Sarah Peploe came into possession of a box set containing “18 uplifting classics” (end quote) from the cinematic oeuvre of Russ Meyer. Heedless of the consequences, they have taken it upon themselves to watch and review each[…]

Friday 29th April – an auspicious date for many British residents up and down the land, as we celebrate and berate an age-old tradition harking back to a time when our empire spread across the globe from the Falklands to Falkirk. Yes, your perm[…]

Presenting the year 1989 as seen from the eyes of the storm. Remember where we started? And how she changed my life and how she made it end. Some velvet morning when we’re straight? So who were the gifted ones? The sensual stars of our wildest […]

Film 2Oh!! stats update: Seen 90 films, written about 16 (including these two)
Talking about Cheri the other day reminded me that in the last sixth months I have seen three other films with the same setting of turn of the century Paris about high-end[…]

I’ve seen 76 films this year and have written about 10 of them. Can I catch up?
First a bit of housekeeping: the two films I had already written about this year were both in Narnia week and were:
9: The fantastic Rare Exports (cinema)
10: The more […]

I’ve been CHEATING ON Freaky Trigger over the last week with the One Week One Band blog, writing about the KLF. You can read all five days’ worth here.[…]

Recently Al Ewing and Sarah Peploe came into possession of a box set containing “18 uplifting classics” (end quote) from the cinematic oeuvre of Russ Meyer. Heedless of the consequences, they have taken it upon themselves to watch and review each[…]