1/5. Watched GHOST TRAIL (Jonathan Millet, 2024). What a great film! It’s an emotional, slow-burn thriller about a Syrian refugee in Strasbourg who thinks that he’s seen one of his torturers from the time he was incarcerated in a Syrian prison.

First watch: Dead End (1937). The William Wyler spree continues with this Samuel Goldwyn production adapted from Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play. Part crime flick, part social drama, it makes an interesting transatlantic analogue to poetic realism in France. 1/6

New on the blog today, my thoughts on THE BATTLE OF THE VILLA FLORITA by Rumer Godden. An immersive, evocative, psychologically astute novel about the impact of a woman’s adulterous affair & subsequent divorce on her children. A 5-star knockout read for me! jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/t...

A reminder that, even when surrounded by established greats, it's impossible to keep your eyes off the graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art - then near the start of her movie career. Marilyn Monroe in ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950). Born on this day 100 years ago.

1/4. Shout-out for Nordic Noir LAND OF SIN (Peter Grönlund, Sweden, 2026) on Netflix.

1/8. I’ve been to few exhibitions that have felt as revelatory as the National Gallery’s Zurbarán I1598-1664) retrospective. Here are some things I particularly loved. You feel as if you can run your fingers through the fleece of the Agnus Dei and know how it will feel.

I'd possibly start with the price of a ticket. The Everyman Borough Yards is my local cinema. I quite fancy seeing TUNER, but I'm not paying £21.40 (price of Sunday matinee screenings) to watch it today on a small screen. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Although Jackanory itself was never really on Sunday mornings, this is nonetheless probably the best time of the week to listen to me and @iammilliam.bsky.social talking about how much we loved this simple yet ingenious show and how much of an influence it had... timworthington.org/2026/05/28/t...

Pilgrimage to Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan’s grave at St Mary’s, Cholsey. The church was founded by Ethelred the Unready in c986.

I'm a couple of days late for Miles Davis' centenary, but a note to remind you that his score for Lift to the Scaffold/Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Louis Malle, 1958) is one of the greatest film soundtracks ever www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXWs...

1/2. Japanese woodblock prints of India. In 1930/31 Japanese artist Hiroshi Yoshida visited India for 4 months. Here are some of the woodblock prints he made. Taj Mahal, Agra. Fatehpur Sikri. Jama Masjid, Delhi Kanchenjungha

Calling Éric Rohmer fans www.mcnallyeditions.com/books/p/elis...

On Gen-AI and literary fiction. On metaphors, jokes and the ineffable. On monkeys with typewriters, and monkeys zip-wiring across the road. tinycamels.wordpress.com/2026/05/27/a...

1/4. Loved TWO WEEKS IN AUGUST - now on BBC iPlayer. It’s far closer to something by Ruben Östlund or Alice Rohrwacher than its title, the trailers or its BBC One Saturday evening scheduling implies.

"Alexa, what's the forecast..?"

🎬 Know a young film fan (aged 10–18)? Into Film’s Youth Advisory Council brings young people together to share ideas, influence real work, and explore careers in film 🎥 ✅ Build skills & confidence ✅ Collaborate across the UK ✅ Have your voice heard Apply here 👇 www.intofilm.org/youth-adviso...

Peter Cushing was born on this day in 1913. In 1986 I interviewed him for Time Out, to tie in with the publication of his memoirs. He was, of course, utterly lovely and a real gent.

TWO STAGE SISTERS (Xie Jin, 1964). Really enjoyed this. The personal and the political come together in this compelling tale of two female opera performers in mid-20th century China. Robin’s references are spot on as melodrama meets social realism with an operatic sweep. #FilmSky

1/12. First time watch of THE MARRYING KIND (George Cukor, 1952). It’s a fascinating but flawed drama/comedy that analyses a relationship - like a Hollywood precursor to Bergman’s SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (1973). See 🧵 for some reasons why you should tune in.

If you haven't seen this, can I suggest you set it to record...

Whistler's jacket. Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter, James McNeill Whistler, 1872. Clearly fancies himself as Rembrandt. It's one of a large number of loans in Tate Britain's Whistler retrospective.

1/2. Zineb Sedira: When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks… Tate Britain.

There are days when I miss being an editor. I loved writing headlines. Whoever did this, I hope they took the rest of the day off.

Are these the UK's most expensive raspberries? I estimated that there were about 18 berries per punnet. That’s c55p per raspberry. Or 10p per gram. Yours from Corner Shop, Arundel Street, London WC2.

Electricians at work or 80s music video? Corner of Tavistock Street and Wellington Street, London WC2.

It was kind of Robert Jenrick to set me up for an obvious joke at his expense.

Last week Lebanon reopened its national film archive, the Cinematheque Libanaise. Arab cinema is little known or celebrated in the Anglophone world; this article offers a brief, fascinating look at Lebanon's film industry over the years. www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

First watch: Dodsworth (1936). Following The Heiress, another William Wyler for me and once again an adaptation of play derived from a novel. Walter Huston and Ruth Chatterton are the titular Dodsworths, a wealthy mid-Western couple whose marriage falls apart during an extended trip to Europe. 1/4

Public Service Announcement! I use Dijon mustard a lot. I usually buy Grey Poupon (£2.70) or Maille (£3.60). Pleased to report that Tesco’s own brand uses the same ingredients, albeit with a slightly higher mustard content. It tastes the same, albeit a little hotter. And the price? 45p.

Delighted to report that the Netflix algorithm really doesn't know me at all.

1/2. This remarkable object is a 5000+ year old carving of a swallow from (very) ancient Egypt. It’s dated to the Naqada III period, c3325 to 3000 BC, and made of calcite and basalt. It’s about 10cm long.

It’s Joseph Cotten’s birthday. An underrated actor but he was the most believable & disturbing of all of Hitchcock’s antagonists as serial killer Uncle Charlie & his bone deep misogyny is still chilling & sadly relevant. That turn to the camera still shocks on the big screen youtu.be/LEoTXa_52A0?...

In which I make Nigella Lawson's recipe for lemon polenta cake and discover how difficult it is to film a baking video without a spare pair of hands or a tripod.

Anyone want to buy a cinema? Bridport’s Electric Palace really is a delight. If only I had a spare £1+ million www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/2610123...

no director’s disappearance from the cinephile firmament has been more puzzling to me than John Sayles, who felt absolutely foundational when I was coming up. So a) incredible news, and b) everybody watch Lone Star and Matewan now

1/10. First time watch of Yoshimura’s THE NAKED FACE OF NIGHT (1958). Imagine a Sirkian melodrama reworking the narrative of ALL ABOUT EVE with a bit of added sex and you’re getting close. See 🧵 or some other reasons why it comes recommended.

1/3. I somehow missed news that Kore-eda’s series Asura is on Netflix - and has been lurking there for over a year. In case you've missed it too, wanted to shout out that it’s must-watch TV: predictably rich and quietly compelling, closest, perhaps, to my favourite of his films, Still Walking.

The hypnotic beauty of cellulose nitrate film decomposition.

1/2. These hugely evocative illustrations are by Alexei Laptev, accompanying Zinaida Alexandrova’s propaganda poem Collective Farm Spring (1932).

Ancient Egyptian ears. This carved stone (1550-1295 BC) would have been offered to a god as a sign of thanks, devotion or a request for help. The ears were a hotline to the gods - the more ears, the better the signal for hearing your prayers. On display at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.

Gary Cooper - born on this day 125 years ago. Photographed here by Edward Steichen in August 1928.

Misunderstood my invitation to the Met Gala

1/4. Was watching A DOUBLE LIFE (1947) 📷 and reminded of the number of films in which Shelley Winters dies in violent ways. But from good-time-girls to mousey factory worker to former Olympic swimming champion to crime matriarch, I can think of few actors who were as versatile or memorable.

Watched 2 films by Agnès Jaoui - The Taste of Others (2000) and Look at Me (2004) - for the first time since they were released, and loved them just as much as the first time around. Jaoui is a smart observer of complex, messy relationships. These films are both very funny and surprisingly moving.

Satyajit Ray was born 105 years ago today. As well as being one of the world’s great filmmakers, he was also an exceptional graphic designer. Here are some of the posters he designed for his own films. THE HERO/NAYAK (1966) THE BIG CITY/MAHANAGAR (1963) THE GODDESS/DEVI (1963) CHARULATA (1964)

Joan Crawford threads film onto a Bell & Howell 16mm silent projector at her home, 1941.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (Whit Stillman, 2016, rewatch). Delightfully sharp and acerbic, impeccably cast and performed, superbly directed by Stillman - the perfect fit for Austen’s sparkling dialogue. I don’t think it puts a foot wrong. Currently on Mubi UK & Ireland, but leaving soon. #FilmSky

London people! I am excited to be teaching 3 day courses at Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution over the next couple of months. The first is about #ElizabethTaylorAWreathofRoses

Compare and contrast. 1. Publicity still for Suddenly Last Summer (Joseph L Mankiewicz, 1959). 2. Panther Vintage paperback edition of The World and The Flesh by Maurice Callard, published 1963.

I'm not sure that I share Netflix's understanding of the words 'cerebral' and 'understated'.