Director Marco Alessi speaks about the genesis of the documentary Saintmaking and working with the Sisters of Perpetual IndulgenceA new Guardian documentary, Saintmaking, tells the tale of a group of queer “nuns” in 90s London who decided to canonise D…
The Tape review – Cornish-set folk musical bobs along like a floating flip-flop
A disillusioned musician stumbles upon inspiration in a charming film debut from folk singer Martha TilstonEnglish folk singer Martha Tilston pulls off an impressive hat-trick of debuts as writer, director and star of this sweet-natured and gently char…
On These Grounds: a shocking film about police brutality within US schools
In a new documentary, the story of a 16-year-old Black student who was assaulted by a white police officer exposes a broken systemIn On These Grounds, an expansive, insightful and infuriating documentary about police brutality in the public education s…
‘We want people to freak out’: inside Hollywood’s Museum of Motion Pictures
Boasting the shark from Jaws, the robe from the Big Lebowski, and the slippers from Oz, the Academy museum is finally open. But the real story is its exposé of Hollywood’s racist, sexist pastIn 1939, the Academy of Motion Pictures published its first “…
The Many Saints of Newark review – Sopranos prequel keeps it in the family
Michael Gandolfini is goosebump-inducing as the young Tony Soprano, amid race riots and antagonism towards rival African American gangsMaybe it was inevitable that the greatest TV show in history should spawn a feature-length prequel that is somehow di…
From Hogwarts to inter-galactic space: how Alfred Enoch’s career rocketed
He gained cult status in Harry Potter, despite not even wanting to audition, then matured in How to Get Away With Murder. What’s the actor doing now? Playing 1,000-year chess in deep space At the age of 10, Alfred Enoch was cast as Gryffindor student D…
The Gateway review – if Dirty Harry worked for social services
A hard-boozing caseworker grimaces his way around St Louis in Michele Civetta’s overblown urban thrillerNot quite credible enough to stand up as a gritty, 70s-esque social drama, and lacking the focus of the Training Day-style urban thriller it’s marke…
Arrested development: why are adults still playing high-schoolers on screen?
The casting of 27-year-old Ben Platt to play a 17-year-old in Dear Evan Hansen is the latest example of a weird trend that shows no sign of abatingBy all accounts, Dear Evan Hansen has plenty of problems to contend with. Transplanted to cinema from its…
Screenwriters directory
The Writers Guild of America “Find a Writer” search is fun. IMDb has a ton of ads these days and the WGA site is, in contrast, calm and text-based. See TV and movie writing credits for writers such as Naren Shankar, Gretchen J. Berg, Glen A. Larson, Su…
Balloon review – playfulness and melancholy in Tibet’s sheep-herding life
Writer-director Pema Tseden tells this story of a clash between modernity and tradition as a woman is dismayed to find she is pregnantThe latest of Pema Tseden’s empathic and intimate portraits of Tibetan pastoral life begins with an intriguing cloudin…