This is absolutely disgraceful.

Put out the big light.

Elvis Costello sur l’herbe.

I love referring to the first Avengers film as Marvel Avengers Assemble in copy. That's what you told us it was called, Disney.

Shan’t be unhappy to see the back of Paraguay.

I recommend The Match, the doc about the ‘86 “Hand of God” match that just premiered at Cannes, when it turns up (I think Disney have it). Funny moment when the Argentine players all now agree that England were far too soft on the ref after the handball. Make it clear they’d have given him hell.

I think more yellow cards should go to players surrounding and whining at the ref. Just pathetic.

Worth celebrating: Eva Marie Saint turns 102 today. Many happy returns to her! Shown here with a contented feline co-star in ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). #Caturday

Earth hath nothing to show more fair… Yes, I know it’s the wrong bridge.

Which Emily Blunt film are you? It’s the quiz. www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

Hearing this plays over the end credits of THE ODYSSEY.

Me: [dog dies in a movie] *crying* [human dies in a movie] Me: *still crying* Why did they have to kill that dog earlier?

I sense the BBC commentators recognised Penelope Cruz, but not Javier Bardem. #SPAvAUT.

It’s easy to get corrupted by the silly social media tension (agitated by bots) over the US’s response to the World Cup. Then you see the thousands of joyous American fans in San Francisco having a ball. Great tournament. Good luck to them (and our Balkan pals).

BEST OF 2026 SO FAR (Irish release dates) 10. Nouvelle Vague 9. If I had Legs... 8. Mother Mary 7. Sound of Falling 6. Rose of Nevada 5. Sirāt 4. The Secret Agent 3. Obsession 2. Resurrection 1. The Testament of Ann Lee (I realise this looks like best of Venice and Cannes 2025. But so it goes)

Just a reminder to people saying they don’t care about critics because they are going to make their mind up for themselves: that’s exactly what critics want you to do.

I’d be interested to hear who is coordinating this and who is profiting from it? Because I honestly can’t think how that might work.

Ha ha.

Jesus, another half hour of this shit. #GERvPAR

And then there was just Felicity.

Wait? What happened to the Middle English? (Which this clearly isn’t?). youtube.com/watch?v=cmjp...

I wrote a few words about Penelope Keith, largely responsible for the most watched single TV episode of the 1970s. www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-r...

That’s a real Harold Wilson in 1976 resignation from Ben Stokes. I wonder if MI6 were involved.

Contrary to the caricature, I find most English media pundits pretty realistic about the team’s chances. I sense most would be surprised if they got further than the semis.

Jesus fucking Christ! (This is my last word on the matter. Honestly, life’s too short to engage seriously with this.)

This excellent. You will laugh, but it's also disturbing.

Farewell to Ann Blyth.

There are at least five songs on that Olivia Rodrigo album that stick firmly in the brain after just two listens (in an entirely good way).

This is really tempting fate. I have a sudden vision of German and English fans flinging plastic chairs at one another.

Top 12% despite Buscemi brain freeze that led to me picking the three highest-scoring answers. Brendan Gleeson homer saves the day. Vulture Cinematrix No. 821: Jun 25, 2026 I got 9/9 correct Score: 2634 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: vulture.com/playcinematrix @vulture

Okay, I know this an American quiz. So maybe I should mind my own beeswax. But one of the answers requires you to put on an actual John Wayne accent to make sense of it (took me quite a while). Connections Puzzle #1110 🟨🟦🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪

A little baffled by the positive reviews for the shamefully lazy JACKASS: BEST AND LAST. Is this all Gen X nostalgia? (I speak as someone a few months too old to officially qualify for that cohort). www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

Ach, well. The Bostonians all enjoyed you playing the bagpipes in your underpants.

I liked Supergirl in SUPERGIRL, but I didn't much like SUPERGIRL itself. www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

Back on the other site, years ago, there was a thread about the most pretentious thing people had ever overheard. Someone said they witnessed a guy at an ice cream van asking for 'two Magna'.

I would tentatively point out that, despite Lara Bird’s theatrical eye roll, it remains SNP policy to retain the British monarchy and remain within the Commonwealth.

Ooo, Lara Bird, the new SNP MP, taking the oath to King Charles in a sarky voice with something close to an eye roll.

I understand Burnham is a special case in not having stood for the manifesto, but the notion that he should call a general election because the public didn’t elect him as PM remains absurd under a parliamentary system. This is how (by far) most PMs have come into the office over the last 100 years.

TO THE FINLAND STATION

Literally pelting with rain.

Hadn’t occurred to me that Andy Burnham will be the first Catholic to become UK Prime Minister. Fascinating that they had a Hindu before an RC. (Lest anyone misunderstand, I see this as neither a good nor a bad thing. It’s just not what one might have once guessed.)

Do what you like? Let every flower bloom. But I find this phenomenon SO STRANGE. To clarify, this is a typical recreational reader on BookTok. I honestly doubt most people writing a PhD thesis would annotate so obsessively. vm.tiktok.com/ZNRTJev5n/

You wouldn’t have caught Dennis Lillee collapsing to the ground in fake agony if gently brushed by an opponent’s hand. #USAvAUS

Ah BlueSky. The caring alternative to Twitter. (Nobody’s asking you to express sympathy. You could just say nothing.)

John Craig interviews Lord Binface. You have to love the classic British by-election.

I compare the tolerable TOY STORY 5 to an old-bloke rant in the Daily Mail. "Whither went the whistle of the friendly milkman?" www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

“Which, of all countries who won the World Cup in the 21st century, is the only one not to have also won the Oscar for best international film (formerly foreign language film) in that period?” www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

It’s not exactly “sad”. Maybe “tender” is a better word. But I mention Coach comforting his daughter in Cheers (and dab my eyes as I do so). youtu.be/tAr7jsr0qZQ?...

JOYCE WANKERS!