Editorial

It happens at once, together, like a murmuration of starlings changing course. There’s a young guy onstage, his face long and stabby and white as a...

Nationalism, as Albert Einstein once observed, is “the measles of humanity.” Of course, he was a crank beset by other illnesses like jaundice, stomach cramps and liver problems; he might’ve been projecting. But as an Englishman, I’m predisposed to agree, and as a soft liberal, I’m often encouraged to. Even saying “English” is odd. It rolls around my mouth like a granddad sweet, tart and pungen...

Note: contains spoilers for web series Local58I hate opening with statistics – unless of course, they’re jaw-dropping. In its first month, a recent found footage video called The Backrooms hit a staggering 15M views after its upload to YouTube. That’s a reach of roughly half a million hits every day. And let’s bear in mind, this isn’t the latest drop from Ariana Grande, or MrBeast putting main...

Animation, Charlie Kaufman once helpfully observed, “is a series of static images creating the illusion of movement.” If he's that incisive about his own work, what would he make of yours? SMPLE Film Fest is moving faster than expected, and it’s left us a little animated. Okay, more than a little. A fair bit. Fuel for our playful side, like we’re taking cues from Steamboat Willie whistling at t...

 Bacon in his studio, Jane Bown ,1985 On an airless white soundstage, shutters scream up. A man steps in. He walks with brass dignity, a hand in his pocket, wearing the colours and contours of Berlin; black turtleneck, grey blazer; mouth ajar like the eyes above it have found something tasty in a trap. Another man waits for him, suited, with the aspect of someone who could wait forever. Not a w...

Tonight, like many other nights, you are confronted with a life-altering decision. As the question begins to form in your mind, you feel your consciousness begin to splinter, your universe begin to shatter, and in each fragment, a different answer. "What should I watch?" In one universe, you're front and center in a movie theater, surrounded by a captivated audience, watching 250 Spider-people...