Writers on Film

New book Darkness Visible, available from Sticking Place Books. Jonathan Glazer has created some of the most unforgettable images in twenty-first-century cinema. From the dreamlike menace of Sexy Beast to the haunting abstractions of Under the Skin and the chilling banality of evil in The Zone of Interest, his films blend surreal intensity with razor-sharp formal control. But Glazer’s world doesn’...

New Edition available here. ' A fascinating, tragic and instructive story, vividly told' Sunday Telegraph Roger Lewis, in his no-holds-barred biography, exposes a Peter Sellers the world little knows. Recognized as the greatest British comic since Charlie Chaplin, Sellers was the grand master of fifty-five films - from Dr. Strangelove, to Being There and the Pink Panther hits. But shadowing his ph...

Maureen Foster's book on Under the Skin was an inspiration for Visible Darkness: The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer and so I'm republished this episode which was originally broadcast two years ago. Darkness Visible is available from Sticking Place books at a discount for the UK and US here . And from all good book dealers for the rest of the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adsw...

Xan Brooks has been a film critic and journalist for decades, hosting the ground-breaking Film Weekly for The Guardian along with Jason Solomons. He's now a novelist with The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times and his new book The Catchers, available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adve...

A podcast to accompany the release of my book Darkness Visible: the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer, available HERE Jonathan Glazer has created some of the most unforgettable images in twenty-first-century cinema. From the dreamlike menace of  Sexy Beast  to the haunting abstractions of  Under the Skin  and the chilling banality of evil in  The Zone of Interest , his films blend surreal intensity with r...

Buy a copy here . New York Times  "Editors Choice,"  Los Angeles Times  "Must Read Book for Summer," and a  New Yorker  "Best Book of the Year So Far" "This is the biography of Clint Eastwood we've been waiting for." — Sir Christopher Frayling, author of  Sergio Leone From the acclaimed film critic and  New York Times  bestselling biographer of Paul Newman, a revelatory portrait of Hollywood legen...

To celebrate the publication of Darkness Visible The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer I talk with Kaleem Aftab about Glazer's feature film debut Sexy Beast . To buy the book, click here or visit any site where books are sold. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Novelist and film academic Sunny Singh introduces us to the world of Bollywood. From its origins in theatre and the silent era to the present day blockbusters, we discuss how Bollywood has responded to changes in India and the world and the context in which it is best enjoyed. Noisy, with lots of friends, family and interaction. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

For anyone aspiring to direct, or actually direct, or simply interested in the process of direction and production of films and TV, Rob Spera's Field Manual is an indispensable book. A pocket full of seventy maxims which will open your eyes and gladden the heart with its observations on the art and ethics of filmmaking. Rob has directed dozens of features and TV shows. Check out his website here ,...

We talk about the Czech film festival, the prize winners, including Miro Remo's Better Go Mad in the Wild, Bidad, Broken Voices and many others. we also pay our respects to the festival community and our lost colleague Ásgeir H Ingólfsson whose words can be found here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for a...

This is a classic episode from way back at the start of Writers on Film. It features Tom Shone talking about his book The Nolan Variations and refusing my suggestion to change the title to The Nolan Twisters Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

D. Harlan Wilson’s  Strangelove Country  is a deft, innovative study of Stanley Kubrick’s relationship with science fiction that explores how the genre shaped his cinematic identity and how that identity reshaped the genre. Focusing on Kubrick’s futurist trilogy— Dr. Strangelove ,  2001: A Space Odyssey , and  A Clockwork Orange —as well as his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on  A.I. Artifici...

Novelist and writer Jarett Kobek talks about his book on Kenneth Anger's seminal art film Invocation of My Demon Brother. The film can be seen here . The book can be ordered here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christna Juerling Birro is a broadcaster and podcaster and friend of many years. Her podcast Pop Culture Confidential is a must. Listen here . She joins me to talk all things Cannes. The final awards, the experiences on the Croisette and her own career as a journalist and film critic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

Critics Savina Petkova and Maja Korbeka join me to talk Sentimental Value, A Simple Accident and Resurrection. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We talk Alpha, Splitsville and Eddington. Thomas’ YouTube channel is available here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are talking about Wes Anderson’s Phoenician Scheme and Kristen Stewart’s Chronology of Water. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our second report from Cannes Film Festival we talk Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson with IONFilm critic, Nicholas Bell. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thomas Schultz joins me to review the first few days of Cannes, including Amelie Bonnin’s Leave One Day, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, Dominic Moll’s Dossier 137 and Oliver Laxe’s Sirat. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Suddenly Something Clicked: The Languages of Film Editing and Sound Design Walter Murch The triple-Oscar winner of the Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The English Patient presents a masterclass on movies and how they are made. Buy Here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Buy the book SIGNED here. A deeply reported, perceptive, and celebratory biography of beloved actor James Gandolfini from a prominent critic and film historian. Based on extensive research and original reporting, including interviews with friends and collaborators,  Gandolfini  is a detailed and nuanced appraisal of an enduring artist. More than a decade after his sudden passing, James Gandolfini...

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Buy Travels in the Cities of Cinema: Conversations with Ehsan Khoshbakht here. Jonathan Rosenbaum stands as one of the most eminent film critics in the English-speaking world. After working for  Sight and Sound  and  Monthly Film Bulletin  in London in the 1970s, he served for two decades as chief film critic for the  Chicago Reader . Hailed as “one of the best” by Jean-Luc Godard, who compared hi...

I was delighted to talk with Carlo about the book he wrote with Daniele Villa Terrence Malick Rehearsing the Unexpected From the book: "Terrence Malick's debut film, Badlands, announced the arrival of a unique talent. In the 40 years since that debut, Malick has only made 5 films, but they are distinctive in their beauty. This book is not meant to be a biography of Terrence Malick. The purpose beh...

Eelco F.M. Wijdicks , MD, PhD is Professor of Neurology at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. His book Frames of Minds uncovers a cinematic language of psychiatry. By taking chances to portray mental illness, filmmakers aim to achieve a sense of reality, and provide catharsis for viewers through the act of dramatization. Ultimately, the history of psychiatry in film is a history of the public p...