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Spotlight on old-fashioned reporting

Is it the smell of newsprint or the (virtual) absence of the internet that makes the Oscar-nominated newspaper drama Spotlight feel so old-fashioned? Set mainly in 2001, this investigation into a child abuse scandal in the diocese of Boston seems like… Continue Reading →

War and Peace: big hits and some misses

For once the BBC content warning about “upsetting scenes” was not misplaced. I’m not talking about those hyperactive leeches that made an appearance early in Episode 5 of War and Peace, or the demise of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky (magnificently played… Continue Reading →

David Cameron excels at playing the blame game

Imagine you’ve been summoned by your boss to explain your recent poor performance in the job. You respond by blaming it all on the shortcomings of your predecessor, who was sacked five years ago. It doesn’t sound like a winning strategy,… Continue Reading →

Who cares about the Oscars?

The Oscars are essentially parochial, popularity driven and largely irrelevant to people who aren’t fascinated by frocks, flash-bulbs and side-boobs. Oh we do love a Hollywood drama – especially one in which Tinseltown’s hallowed institutions take centre stage. I’m talking… Continue Reading →

Joy – Jennifer Lawrence cleans up again

Jennifer Lawrence is so hot at the moment that people would probably pay good money just to watch her mopping a kitchen floor. On Sunday Jennifer Lawrence completed a hat-trick of Golden Globes, when she picked up the award for best actress in… Continue Reading →

Are you a 20th centuryist?

Have you ever exited Barbican tube station in London and felt awestruck at the sight of Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s Barbican estate with its soaring towers and cantilevered balconies? Did you the join the chorus of disapproval at the removal of Eduardo… Continue Reading →

No news is good news in 2016

If we’re going to do our navel-gazing through the prism of the James Bond movies we really are in trouble. Well played, Ben Stokes. Just three days into this wind-blasted and waterlogged new year, the England all-rounder smashed 258 runs off 198… Continue Reading →

Back in Time for Christmas

I’ve never felt the need to keep up with the Kardashians, the Osbournes or even the Windsors, but Back in Time for Christmas was a timely reminder that the Robshaws are now the first family of reality TV. Earlier this… Continue Reading →

Todd Haynes’s Carol: a failed seduction

If 2015 turns out to be the year I fell out of love with cinema I’m going to blame Todd Haynes. He’s been one of my favourite directors since he made the sublime Far From Heaven with Julianne Moore, more… Continue Reading →

Peep Show returns

To judge by last night’s Channel 4 News interview, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is as grumpy, lacking in social awareness and loath to say sorry as he was during his stormy tenure in No. 10 Downing Street. The same… Continue Reading →

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© 2024 Notreallyworking — Words by Susannah Straughan

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