Okay, I don't know how this happened but somehow I wrote an essay for the Imprint release of HARD BOILED. I will be carrying it around showing it to strangers for now on.

omg everybody go draw a horse this is what the internet was made for gradient.horse

Post a banger only intermittently and sarcastically in ze Engleesh "Ich kenne Schritte, die sehr nützen, und werde euch vor Fehltritt schützen. Und wer nicht tanzen will am Schluss, weiß noch nicht, dass er tanzen muss."

Michael Curtiz's "Captain Blood" 4K UHD - Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone @Criterion 4K UHD US: amzn.to/4alfPKZ 4K UHD UK: amzn.to/47zaMGy US Blu-ray: amzn.to/4aDJWym BONUS CAPTURES: www.patreon.com/posts/michae... OUR COMPARISON: www.dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film...

Watching My Cousin Vinny, for reasons. Oh my god…Marisa Tomei. Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne knocking it out of the park and she steals every scene she’s in.

Props to Laura Dern, who I think took more movies from the closet than pretty much everyone who has visited.

Amazing!

If they can do this to find a dog, they can do this to find anyone. That’s terrifying.

"Better [this] than another politely reverent variation on Sunday-evening telly." I got on all right with "WUTHERING HEIGHTS". ‘Wuthering Heights’ review: Less 120 Days of Sodom, more Carry on Heathcliff www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

I will go to my GRAVE cackling over this Marlon Brando anecdote Please engrave it on my tombstone

I began to write LOSS PROTOCOL in 2023, and here at last is a box of copies of the finished book. Published, in the UK, on February 12th.

New blog post: Maurice Leloir's Three Musketeers

I'm a sucker for a low key, down-to-earth crime movie, so I really liked Kelly Reichardt's THE MASTERMIND, about a not particularly impressive art heist.

It's black!

Also, my news UK passport is black. I thought the whole point of Brexit* was a return to navy blue passports. But now I have one maroon passport and one black one, which I guess makes it less likely I'll get them confused (always a concern at my age) */s

Me, trying to work. Daphne: No.

The amazing & slightly manic Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire. Built for Sir Francis Willoughby in the 1580s, painted in 1697 by Jan Siberechts of Antwerp. Today is his day.

Fucking accounting software supposed to save me work? In practice just means I have to write out THREE invoices: once in software for records, but b/c that's in Dutch I can't send it to UK-based companies so have to do it again in docx before converting THAT to PDF because I can't edit in adobe FFS.

Its reputation as a Big Fat Book you read to show off, or as an endurance test, does it no favours. It is, as Helen suggests, wonderful.

Son of Mik was temporarily VERY excited about the idea of going to see the new family movie Kangaroo but only because he thought it was going to be an animal attack movie following the same naming convention as Alligator and Grizzly. There is clearly a gap in the market for a Murder Roo movie.

Today's artist without a known birthday: Jan Siberechts of Antwerp, who moved to England & painted its houses & landscapes. Here, rainbow at Henley-on-Thames, 1690.

Len’s flares.

A bit of colour for Monday morning, at least it’s stopped raining for all of five minutes. Carnelian bead found on the Thames Foreshore while mudlarking last week, probably lost from a necklace. Looks like it has a bit of age to it, carnelian is associated with motivation, courage and creativity.

In a moment of whimsy I drew a cock & balls on the data pad of the friendly FexEx guy who delivers to us most days - he didn't even blink. He did tap my surname in though.

Just received my new UK passport. I often wonder what the point is of signing for a package when you have to scrawl on their app with your finger so your signature ends up looking as though a cat walked across the screen. I mean, your CAT could sign for it and no one would ever know the difference.

THE HALF MAN (kindle or paperback) "a gloriously OTT occult comedy-thriller that has echoes of films like 'The Old Dark House'. Bloody entertaining fun." "Great fun - a mix of Dennis Wheatley and Sam Raimi" "it’s an absolute ‘blast’!"

CATS ON FILM (kindle or paperback) "the perfect book for cat lovers" "Bonus: includes My Day by Jones, AKA Alien from the cat's PoV" "one of the finest pieces of specialist film scholarship published in recent years” "possibly the greatest book ever" www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1978038747

Disappointed to learn Bad Bunny wore Zara, effectively promoting the brand to millions. Although Zara has made admirable strides to address labor conditions, fast fashion can never be ethical because it depends on rapid production and cheap prices, which results in worker exploitation.

Just saw a post with George Clinton citing the Beatles as his favorite band, which reminded me of this quote he once gave me

Portrait of Guercino, his mother Elena Ghisellini, black cat, and their totally A+ Lagotto Romagnolo dog. Here we also see his troubled eye from which he got his nickname. Today is his birthday.

One more from that smashing morning! Reynisfjara, #Iceland, Feb 2020

Just watched Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Certain Women,’ a film that exemplifies the kind of experience that can come from a thoughtful, respectful collaboration between a director and a cinematographer (Christopher Blauvelt).

Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, as imagined with incredible romanticism by Alexandre Denis Abel de Pujol in the 19th century. Occurred on this day in 1587.

From wiikipedia: "It has been claimed that John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands participated in order to obtain funding for Cassavetes' 1977 film, Opening Night."

Film Time! Watched Tokuzō Tanaka's THE SNOW WOMAN (1968). Reckon it would make a decent double-bill with Erik Blomberg's The White Reindeer, two folkloric tales centred on a doomed romance between a standard fella and a badass frosty succubus. Didn't expect to be weeping full tears by the end...

Other pet peeves: lens flare (also distracting); excessive cuts (can drain the tension out of a scene); overenthusiastic and unthinking adoption of new technology (“How often do you watch a TV series, and when they cut to a wide shot it’s actually done by a drone? And you go: ‘Oh no, another one.’”)

Feb 8th 1941 - The listed date of birth for Clay Banning (Nick Nolte), father of Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). Fun fact, this is also Nick Nolte's actual date of birth 📽️📅 Angel Has Fallen (2019)

Showing Up is indeed excellent. For me it resembles The Mastermind in that its impact slowly builds over the course of the film. It was filmed at a beloved but now-closed art school here in Portland, making the location feel bittersweet. I love Michelle Williams, and Andre 3000 is surprisingly good.

Leave this afternoon.

Before you say it I know I've written the card upside down.

My 14 hand strawberry roan rolls round like a ship in a heavy swell.

I hope you are feeling better. Sorry about that little upset but you will be glad to know very little was mentioned about it when we arrived home.

A chunk of cliff has just fallen off at Reynisfjara at the entrance to the beach; the beach has also been gouged out. I've seen this once before, & on the next visit the beach was back. Will be interesting to see how quickly it recovers. Basalt columns & stacks aren't affected. #Iceland Mar 2019

I'm choosing some socks for you in a minute after a quick one with Nora at the Caledonian Hotel.

Happy #SuperbOwl 🦉 Sunday to all who celebrate.

I am reading this book now and it's terrific. Wyver's enthusiasm for his subject is ridiculously infectious.

Favourite Stations - Gloucester Road Meet Anthony, a content creator and the face behind HiddenGemsLondon. His favourite Underground station is Gloucester Road. I've started exploring people's favourite stations or stops on the London Underground Tube Map. L What's your favourite station?

Train near Newcastle railway station, 1937, by Bill Brandt.

Hearing Rain, starring Joan Crawford has been restored!? One of my favourite Shoe Entrances. Or as my friends and I used to chant (to a mambo beat): “Bracelet, bracelet, shoe, shoe!” youtu.be/fPzMnaeu2OQ?...