Tonight’s TV

Tonight’s film: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) #FilmNoir #FilmSky

This year, all will be revealed. The judgment will be definitive #BookSky

Unbelievable film. Widmark is sensational, and Tierney is captivating as ever, if sparingly used. Highly recommend to any #FilmNoir fans that haven’t seen it…

Today’s film: Night and the City (Jules Dassin, 1950) #FilmSky #FilmNoir

What is The Great British Novel? I'm going to find out. Join me: #booksky open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Tonight’s film: Whirlpool (Otto Preminger, 1950) #FilmNoir #FilmSky

Last night’s film: Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger, 1945) #noir #filmsky

RIP the Academy Award nominated Director of numerous box office hits & Primetime Emmy Award winning Actor of ‘All In The Family’ — ROB REINER (1947-2025)

These are the films that had the most impact on me in 2025. What are yours? #filmsky open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

◽Tomorrow, Thursday 4 December◽ Join Clare Carlisle, author of TRANSCENDENCE FOR BEGINNERS and Thea Lenarudzzi, author of THE TOWER in conversation with Frances Wilson at the Italian Institute. This event is free, sign up here: iiclondra.esteri.it/en/gli_event...

I have to thank @cmatbaby.bsky.social for bringing my listening age down by a decade or two here #SpotifyWrapped

Now watching #noirvember

Been a while since my last post, but things have definitely been happening. Here, I’ve written about some of them - and a film that shook something in me… thelinesman.substack.com/p/on-choosing

'One night he decided to hire a rickshaw from Soho to Bethnal Green. Pete was toking from his crackpipe all the way when, out of nowhere, a gang from an estate began to chase us with machetes.' Katie Lewis remembers her time with Pete Doherty. www.the-fence.com/the-albion-r...

Sarah Mullally, now the Archbishop of Canterbury, was at the heart of the appalling Martin Sargeant fiasco. Read our investigation from last year www.the-fence.com/in-the-shado...

Is there change afoot in British cinema? Possibly. Read my latest on the move from the kitchen sink to mystical hijinks: open.substack.com/pub/thelines... #film #cinema #UK #substack

F1: The Movie is pure popcorn entertainment. There are loads of great boxing films. But why not football? open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Toska, an untranslatable Russian word… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Let’s take a little walk to the edge of town and go across the tracks… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

It is interesting that even though he references toxic male literary culture and isn’t taking an adversarial stance, so much of the response on here has been very hostile or sneering. What exactly is wrong with a press that focuses on publishing male stories? www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

With your Sunday morning coffee… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

On John Dos Passos, and his attempt at the Great American Novel… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

On John Dos Passos, and his attempt at the Great American Novel… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Watched the first couple of episodes of the latest season of Black Mirror yesterday. Some decent bits of state-of-the-world observation but mostly quite ham-handad, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer analogies. Bete Noire in particular was toe-curlingly bad. #tv #BlackMirror

a few months back i had the immense pleasure of sitting down with brady corbet at curzon soho to talk about the brutalist – it was very very rewarding and hopefully you'll enjoy it too!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQHe...

Tried to watch a movie on Netflix last night, but it wasn’t available in my subscription tier. Found the movie and its 2 sequels on Amazon for $10, and it was delivered this morning. Plus there’s no commercial breaks. After all these years, physical media remains the best way to watch at home.

There’s the secret, and then there’s the secret beyond the secret. New short fiction. open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Would have been Kurosawa’s birthday yesterday… open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Curious about Japanese cinema but unsure where to start? #FilmSky open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

You can opt out of this system and just buy the DVD. Stop giving streaming services your money.

I also watched The Outfit (2022) yesterday, avec Mark Rylance. It’s a solid and stylish chamberpiece. Rylance is good in an icy, composed way. Overall the film lacks a bit of energy and feels overwrought but was enjoyable enough.

Today’s film:

50 years since its premiere, Arthur Penn’s NIGHT MOVES remains a cinematic gem that demands—and rewards—multiple viewings. Dive into this masterful neo-noir with Gene Hackman at his finest: cinephiliabeyond.org/arthur-penns... #FilmSky

The words of Akira Kurosawa - one of the most revered and prolific and profound filmmakers of all time - when accepting a lifetime Oscar at the age of 80:

Today’s film:

Today’s double bill: #FilmSky

‘I sat on the bridge with the hairdresser and watched the men with guns march by. The hairdresser shook his head and cradled the stump of his right hand.’ A short short story: open.substack.com/pub/thelines...

Today’s film: #FilmSky

Had great fun writing this listicle for @dmovies.bsky.social - and now I’m convalescing for a couple of weeks I can give a few of these the rewatch they deserve! #FilmSky

Today’s film:

Controlling the image: how Matthew Weiner sets up an all-timer in TV drama: open.substack.com/pub/thelines... #filmsky #TV #MadMen

Controlling the image: how Matthew Weiner sets up an all-timer in TV drama: open.substack.com/pub/thelines... #filmsky #TV #MadMen

I recently watched the same movie twice in one week; once at home and once in a packed theater. The film was exactly the same, but the different venues elicited very different responses. That led to this piece. I suppose the headline speaks for itself.