Author Archives: admin

Best of 2024

My favourites viewed or read in the past year. Films are all new. Books are new to me this year and mostly not published in 2024 (given my preference for paperbacks, and the long delay before these appear, I rarely … Continue reading

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Some reflections on retirement work

One of the things I thought I’d have more time to do after retiring in October last year was to post to this blog more than once in a blue moon. So that didn’t happen, given that it’s taken until … Continue reading

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Best of lists

I’ve not done a ‘best of year’ list before but thought I’d have a stab this time – and do it across films, TV literary fiction and nonfiction. These are lists of my favourites/best viewed or read in the past … Continue reading

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genres, film cycles, and a reading cycle

A reading strand and how one text leads to another in both film production and academia… I recently read my Brunel University colleague Leon Hunt’s fascinating new book on Mario Bava, Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur (2022), … Continue reading

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Cinema of Discomfort cover, due date

I now have a cover image for my new book, The Cinema of Discomfort, which is due out in either October or November (only in expensive hardback initially, unfortunately). This is the updated cover blub: How do we understand types … Continue reading

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Things that don’t quite fit the film itself

What to do when faced with that awkward academic situation when you read an article in a major journal that seems very relevant to exactly something you are working on; you draft a line from this and then watch the … Continue reading

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The Cinema of Discomfort

About time I posted something new, after a gap of all-but a year, so an update here on my next book, which is The Cinema of Discomfort: Disquieting, Awkward and Uncomfortable Experiences in Contemporary Art and Indie Film. This is … Continue reading

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Annapurna under threat of bankruptcy?

Bad news for the indie/Indiewood sectors if Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures is exploring the option of bankruptcy, as is suggested in various reports, initially from Deadline.com. Annapurna has been a key supporter of both indie productions and more challenging studio … Continue reading

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Voices on indie exhibition

Interesting round-table of voices on Indiewire in response to one of the latest expressions of doom-and-gloom about demand for theatrical exhibition, particularly of indie and art films. This is a seemingly endless debate, often circling around the same issues, but … Continue reading

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Positioning Art Cinema, cover and blurbs

Very pleased with the finished cover design for my new book, Positioning Art Cinema: Film and Cultural Value, now due out at the end of this month. A copy of the descriptive blurb is included below. I’m also very grateful … Continue reading

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