
curated cinema: it’s all funny-scary eldritch atmosphere
2015’s Crimson Peak is streaming on Prime in the US, and available to rent or buy on Prime in the UK.

2015’s Crimson Peak is streaming on Prime in the US, and available to rent or buy on Prime in the UK.

2014’s Only Lovers Left Alive is on Hulu in the US, Mubi in the UK (and lots of other services, too).
E.J. Beaton has written a fabulous thing at Tor.com about the appeal of Loki, particular as portrayed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tom Hiddleston, and even more particularly as he is depicted in the Disney+ series Loki…
Unlike previous episodes of “The Arts Hour,” I’m the only in-studio guest. So you might hear a bit more from me this time.

Ten years of Marvel superheroism culminates in a battle for the universe itself. Exhausting, bitterly humorous, and gripped in a stunning finality, it’s almost too much to take in, yet somehow not enough.

A huge disappointment, crude and simple compared to Aardman’s earlier, more sophisticated and multilayered work. No satire or subversion, just a bog-standard triumph-of-the-underdog story.

Breezy, jokey, crammed with clever sci-fi ideas; the funniest MCU flick yet. Director Taika Waititi brings a new geeky verve we didn’t realize the series needed.

Boiled down to its bonkers essence, Skull Island is a Vietnam war movie with monsters, a retro analog vibe, and a dash of both Moby-Dick and The X-Files.

Quick takes from the 60th London Film Festival, with public screenings from October 5th-16th, 2016.

Ben Wheatley takes on J.G. Ballard, and it’s a frustrating experience: visually striking but far too literal while aiming for the allegorical.