Film Archives

Ignoring the painful exposure of my cultural nous – or lack thereof - with that headline, Borderline is a groundbreaking avant-garde film from 1930 that is making its way to your HD telly. Exploring the psychological states of a collection of misfits embroiled in an inter-racial love triangle, this film was years ahead of its time – read more.

Marvel at the ingenuity of civilizations long passed! Did you know that many of the visual techniques employed by modern filmmakers were apparently first developed by artists of the ancient world? No? You ignorant cretins… – read more

You can’t escape the Oscars. What’s even scarier is that some people don’t even want to. If you simply can’t resist the lure of the gold-statuette and your life is somehow lacking a sufficient level of celebrity supplication, check out these interviews with Elton John, Liza Minelli, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman – read more.

The Oscars. How does an event which offers so few surprises, has such little resonance with the common man, and is even more tightly controlled than Guantanamo Bay generate such excitement? Sure, the paparazzi shots on the red carpet offer the potential for starlets such as Scarlett Johansson to expose their ‘talents’ (thank you, The Sun), but the end result is always just a list. A boring, shockless list that is filed away neatly somewhere on Wikipedia and distributed to the drones that write the questions for new editions of Trivial Pursuit.

There was some concern this year about whether or not there would actually be any ceremony because of the writers strike. If the unshaven masses had held their resolve for just a few weeks longer we would have been treated to either an unscripted show – which surely would be even more painful than the horribly forced banter we’re currently subjected to – or they would have been forced to hold a smaller, low key event. Which is exactly how it should be, shouldn’t it?

Defenders of the garish spectacle claim that this is an occasion to (sigh) celebrate celebrities and give them a chance to let their hair down, squeeze into some diamond-encrusted fashion nightmare, and be recognised for their achievements. Er, hello? Isn’t that what happens all year round? Surely a more intimate event that dispenses with the carnival atmosphere and makes it about the business rather than the publicity would be more relevant and worthwhile?

Of course, I’m simply banging my head against a brick wall with this article as nothing, not even a giant Cloverfield-like monster ripping through Hollywood, will ever stop the implacable juggernaut of vulgarity. But it’d be great to find some time alone with the likes of Robert Redford, Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, and Dustin Hoffman and ask what they would prefer.

Unfortunately, as they did not respond to our frequent emails and impromptu house calls, we’re forced to ask you, our non-dazzling readers - huge ghastly ritual sacrifice of taste and dignity, or intimate, delicate appreciation of talent and hard-work. You decide…

In this modern age of walking robots, iPhones, 48” LCD screens and microwave ovens, it can often be difficult manoeuvring around the hundreds of TV channels to find what you want. For this little problem, there are two possible solutions. You can either switch over to MTV and watch 24hr repeats of Cribs, or you can read this article and become enlightened by ArtsWom’s choice of the best programming Sky Arts has to offer this week. For the sake of all that is decent in the world, please do the latter…

Monday 4th Feb –

The Book Show, series 2 episode 13 (7pm) - Your last chance to see episode thirteen of the Mariella Fostrup-hosted lair of all that is literary known as, The Book Show. As the only TV programme dedicated entirely to books, tuning in to this little gem should become as familiar to every book fan as paying off those overdue fines at the library.

Lesley Garrett’s 20 Operas to see before you Die, episode 1: The Barber of Seville (8pm) – This series, as presented by the delightful pin-up for men of a certain age, looks set to be a compelling introduction to opera for many who have thus far only dabbled in the art form and a must-see for aficionados. The first of the twenty operas is The Barber of Seville and we would offer a short synopsis, but it is opera after all and isn’t really supposed to make sense.

Tuesday 5th Feb –

John Lennon: Gimme Some Truth (9pm) – Part of Sky Arts’ Backstory series of behind-the-scenes documentaries, Gimme Some Truth reveals the creation of Lennon’s acclaimed album, Imagine. This is a great opportunity to follow the studio process, from inception to completion, of all the songs on the album. You can also see some mushy moments between the genius and Yoko Ono, if you’re into that sort of thing.

So Wrong They’re Right (00.25am) – Want to make an entertaining documentary? Pick some weirdness, travel to America, and expend a wad of video-tape interviewing these wackos. In the case of So Wrong They’re Right, the eccentricity of choice is a love of 8-track tapes. Not to be missed.

Wednesday 6th Feb –

London Visions with Peter Ackroyd (6.30pm) – Check out some spectacular shots of London from the most unusual vantage points with the author of London: The Biography. This unique and inspiring programme makes use of seasons, time, and weather to present some incredible views that will allow you to appreciate the capital in a completely new way.

Alice Cooper’s Rock Revolutionaries: Beach Boys Good Vibrations Tour (9pm) – It’s 1976, you’re in Anaheim Stadium and the five original members of the Beach Boys return to perform Good Vibrations, Surfin’ USA and It’s Ok for your benefit. They’d better play Sloop John B too…

Thursday 7th Feb –

Outback Opera (3:55pm) – It’s such a shame that shows like this one rarely make it to the primetime slot. Follow Opera Australia as they take Puccini’s tragic opera of bohemian love, La Boheme, on the road into rural Australia.

The Book Show, series 2 episode 14 (7pm) – Stick those reading glasses back on for more bookish banter. This episode features Helen Dunmore, Sophie Kinsella, and controversial atheist (is there any other kind?) Richard Dawkins.

Friday 8th Feb –

Ballet Boyz Night (8pm) – Settle in for the long haul as The Ballet Boyz hijack Sky Arts for a night of their schedule picks. Starting at eight with Johnny Cash: Live at Montreux, the night continues with a documentary following Radiohead on tour and concludes with Kuroneko, a Japanese film which tells the tale of a mother and daughter who are raped and murdered by soldiers, but return as vampire spirits, bent on revenge.

Find out more on at www.skyarts.co.uk

This is the end, beautiful friends. Yes, this edition is the final in our ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ take off as the parent programme comes to the end of its run on Sky Arts. We’re privileged to end with Ms. Julie Delvaux from her blog ‘Notebooks - Los Cuadernos de Julia’ . Julia has worked as an arts and culture journalist for webradio in Manchester, and her passions are “literature, music, and cinema, with the resent addition of photography, and my blog is primarily about these four things.”
Without further ado, we ask the famous ten questions for the last time…

What is your favourite word?
“Absolutely!” I picked it from P. G. Woodhouse’s book years ago. “Okay” is another one. So, I have two favourite words, I hope it’s absolutely okay.

What is your least favourite word?
Most swearing words, when used just for the sake of doing so.

What turns you on?
Intelligence + talent + sense of humour + sincerity = a totally irresistible concoction for any kind of relationship.

What turns you off?
Narrow-mindedness, fakery, and extremity of any kind.

What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of fallen leaves when I bury my shoes in them as I walk in the park.

What sound or noise do you hate?
The plastic foam being moved or broken - it gives me shudders.

What is your favourite curse word?
“Oh for God’s sake!”

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A singing actress.

What profession would you not like to do?
Dentist.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at
the Pearly Gates?
You know, Michel Polnareff was right: all go to Paradise – even folks like him and you.

Thanks to Julie and all our other bloggers who took the time to answer our questions, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading them and finding some great new blogs in the process.
Tonight, James Lipton talks to Liza Minnelli in the penultimate ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ which you can see at 9pm only on Sky Arts. As ever, more details can be found here.

A secret agent, yesterday.

New week, new interview. In what must now be the longest running internet spin off from a TV series that interviews actors with a regular set of ten questions, we return joyful and triumphant with another edition of ‘Inside the Bloggers’ Studio’. On this fine day we have asked Jafar from ace celebrity gossip blog Goss UK to answer our queries. Jafar has brought us the excellent news that New Kids on the Block are to reform, what better way to begin your week? And so once again, we ask the famous ten questions:

What is your favourite word?
Hey

What is your least favourite word?
Bladdered

What turns you on?
Confidence

What turns you off?
Cockiness

What sound or noise do you love?
Rain

What sound or noise do you hate?
People gritting their teeth

What is your favourite curse word?
Tit or Chav

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Secret Agent

What profession would you not like to do?
Prime Minister/President

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at
the Pearly Gates?
“You’re just in time, we were looking for another angel”
I would not like to hear God say, “You took a wrong turn - Hell is at the second exit on the left and then down the stairs”

It is a bit of a bummer when God casts you into the eternal damnation of Hell, though we think the pressures of being an angel may take it’s toll; the wings are high maintenance and those halos don’t polish themselves. Thanks to Jafar for taking the time to answer our questions, keep us informed on the NKotB reformation and see if you can’t have a word with Bros while you’re at it.

‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ returns for it’s final week tomorrow and the schedule is as follows:
Jan 29: Forrest Whitaker
Jan 30: Liza Minnelli
Jan 31: Ralph Fiennes

As always, you can find more details here

It’s time for another edition of the best interview take-off that everyone’s talking about – ‘Inside the Bloggers’ Studio’ is back for it’s 7th edition. If you haven’t got the idea by now, we take the 10 regular questions that host Mark Lipton asks the cream of the Hollywood crop on Inside the Actors’ Studio and ask our favourite film and TV bloggers for their take. Lucy from excellent celeb news site/blog Fametastic has kindly provided the answers for today’s edition:

What is your favourite word?
“Yes”, particularly its variations - the lazy “yeah..” or excited “yay!”

What is your least favourite word?
“should”

What turns you on?
Mentally - quick-witted humour, the quicker the better.
Sexually - warmth.

What turns you off?
Fakery - whether it’s out and out lies or just exaggeration. Honesty
for the win.

What sound or noise do you love?
The rumbling of a happy cat’s purr, when it’s so deep I can feel it
throughout my body as well as hear it

What sound or noise do you hate?
Clunks, rattles and bangs of unknown origin when I’m trying to get to
sleep (all three of which are common given the furry sources of the
most-loved noise)

What is your favourite curse word?
F*ck. For it’s versatility.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
University lecturer

What profession would you not like to do?
Anything where office/institutional politics have more impact on
decisions than common sense/rational arguments (like most
universities…)

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at
the Pearly Gates?
“You’re right, I don’t exist”

Is Lucy’s favourite band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? We can but hope. We also agree that cats can be both a joy and a royal pain in the arse; there is something insanely satisfying about a purring cat on one’s lap, but when a cat is demanding attention that we just don’t have spare, it can be a trying time. Many thanks to Lucy for her time and answers.
Don’t forget to tune in to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio on Sky Arts at 9pm tonight, it promises to be an interesting show with comedian Dave Chapelle, star of Chapelle’s Show and Dave Chapelle’s Block Party, and you can find more information about it here.

Hello and welcome to the sixth in our occasional series of tributes to brilliant Sky Arts series ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ where some of the best actors around give us an insight into their personalities by way of answering ten questions from host James Lipton. In our version, we ask the same ten questions to carefully selected bloggers and today we have Matt from watch tHe skies in the chair. As well as being a film fan, Matt also ponders on the dark tea time of the soul on occasion, and sometimes “wonder[s] regularly about where ideas come from.” His answers look a little something like this:

What is your favourite word?
Tough one, maybe turmoil or carnage?

What is your least favourite word?
Nice

What turns you on?
Passion

What turns you off?
Generalisations

What sound or noise do you love?
My son’s laughter

What sound or noise do you hate?
Sarcasm

What is your favourite curse word?
Hehe maybe “minge”… you can add so much emotion to it

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Space Shuttle Pilot

What profession would you not like to do?
NHS Direct call centre worker

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at
the Pearly Gates?
Your Dad’s here, and he’s got a cold pint waiting for you.

Sorry Matt, I have it on good authority that God has banned alcohol from Heaven after a particularly heavy Christmas session which ended up with Jesus and his Daddy arriving home at 8am with a motorway’s worth of traffic cones. Suffice it to say, Mrs. God was not amused.
Don’t forget ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ is on Sky Arts at 9pm tonight with ‘X-Files’ and ‘Californication’ star David Duchovny in the hot seat. For a preview of the show, click here

Welcome to another in our now well established line of ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ homages, where we ask UK film and TV bloggers the same questions that host James Lipton asks the cream of Hollywood.
Today we have John Hood from Generation Star Wars who has “an insatiable appetite for consumer culture” and lists some of his favourite films as ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Superman’ and ‘Aliens’ (we notice that these films are all the best of the respective series in which they feature). Over to you, John:

What is your favourite word?
Eclectic

What is your least favourite word?
Prejudice

What turns you on?
Imagination

What turns you off?
Conformity

What sound or noise do you love?
The clash of lightsabers or the TARDIS dematerialising!

What sound or noise do you hate?
Windows Vista start-up sound

What is your favourite curse word?
F*ck

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Movie director, author or actor

What profession would you not like to do?
Call centre operative

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Kettle’s boiled!

The wheezing, groaning sound of the space-time vortex being ripped asunder by a type 40 TARDIS is a glorious sound indeed. Thanks to John for his time and answers, keep up the good work.
Inside the Actors’ Studio is back from tomorrow, all week at 9pm on Sky Arts. For more information you can go here and the schedule looks a little something like this:

Jan 22: David Duchovny
Jan 23: Barbara Streisand
Jan 24: Don Cheadle
Jan 25: Dave Chappelle

While others may contest that the only twins worth giving a damn about are Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzeneggar, ArtsWom rejects such narrow-minded opinionating and loudly celebrates all uterus-sharing siblings – with our focus today landing on identical twins, the Quay Brothers.

As reported on Animation Ramblings, the influential American-born, stop-motion animators will be sharing their melancholic and darkly atmospheric short films with Sky Arts viewers over the coming months – next showing is This Unnameable Little Broom on Sunday 20 Jan at the suitably bleak time of 1:00am.

To get you in the mood for some animated inspiration, ArtsWom would like to share the YouTube playlist’s of Animation Ramblings’ writer, Fleacircusdirector. One is a collection of thirty of his favourite animated clips and the other is a collection of moments taken from his very own short film, The Flea Circus. Roll up, roll up.

[Links]

More info about The Unnameable Little Broom on Sky Arts

The Flea Circus playlist

Fleacircusdirector’s Favourite Animations playlist

You may have already seen Michelle Thomas’ answers for our own version of ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ (if not, read it now!), and now we have her fellow editor from Future Movies, Nick Goundry, who has kindly provided answers to our perennial 10 questions. Nick lists his top five films as ‘Jaws’, ‘Dr Strangelove’, ‘Heat’, ‘LA Confidential’, and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, a very tasteful choice in our view. He has also “racked up credits with a number of print-journals and websites, as well as having a feature-screenplay optioned by an American producer” which sounds terribly exciting- keep an eye out for Nick’s name at cinema near you!

On that note we turn to our inexorable inquisition:

My favourite word?
Megalomaniacal

My least favourite word?
Delightful

What turns me on?
Great cinema

What turns me off?
The herd mentality

What sound or noise do I love?
Surf on the beach

What sound or noise do I hate?
Tinny music drifting from teenagers’ mobile phones.

What is my favourite curse word?
Motherf*cker

What profession other than my own would I like to attempt?
Acting

What profession would I not like to do?
Toilet-inspecting

If Heaven exists, what would I like to hear God say when I arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Good job

A herd mentality is a dismal thing indeed, at least that’s what we at Artswom are told, and we’re not going to argue. Nick may well have come up trumps with his least favourite profession as it’s tricky to think of a worse one, as anything involving toilets, sewers and cleaning will always be bottom of the pile.

Don’t forget ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ is on tonight at 9pm on Sky Arts, today’s edition featuring the charismatic Robert Downy Jr. For the lowdown on tonight’s edition, go here.

Our latest guest blogger has now recorded his answers for our irregular homage to awesome interview program ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’, please welcome Richard Brunton from ace film site Filmstalker. Filmstalker contains lots of thoughtful reviews, all the film news that’s fit to print, features on film festivals and much more. Check the excellent 3 part preview of 2008, which covers scheduled, unscheduled and unlikely-to-be scheduled films. So without further ado, over to Richard:

What is your favourite word?
Transmogrification

What is your least favourite word?
Genocide

What turns you on?
My fiancée

What turns you off?
Very cold showers

What sound or noise do you love?
A growling car engine like an Aston Martin!

What sound or noise do you hate?
The chalkboard nail scraping just like in Jaws

What is your favourite curse word?
Fuck, although Knob is a good one too

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Realistically? Tree surgeon or forest/park ranger…maybe even a full time writer!
Unrealistically, helicopter pilot, or a racing driver.

What profession would you not like to do?
Any corporate managerial career

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Next door there’s the free Subway and Dominos, oh and we’ve fitted the PS4 and XBox 720 up with a 52″ 3D display which has every film channel piped in too…oh unless you want another shot on Earth?

Brrrm brmm! The throaty roar of an unconstrained engine certainly is a most satisfying sound, of this there is no doubt. We also hope our entrance to Heaven is half as effusive as Richard’s, though we’d like to think it will be the Playstation 43 by the time we end up at the Pearly gates. Thanks very much for your time Richard, and keep up the good reviews!
Don’t forget the first episode of ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ is on tonight at 9pm on Sky Arts and features acting superstar Michael J. Fox telling host James Lipton his own answers to the above inquisition, plus he’ll be taking questions from the studio audience.

Welcome to the second part of our already massively popular take on ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ which we’ve cleverly re-titled ‘Inside the Bloggers’ Studio’. See what we did there? Anyway, Michelle Thomas from massively brilliant film repository http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/ which covers anything and everything the UK cinema fan could want- reviews, previews, DVD features, interviews and features, has agreed to be subjected to the classic ten question interview.
Editor Michelle describes herself thus: “I decided pretty early on that what I liked more than anything in the world was sitting in a dark room watching light and shadow play on a wall.” ArtsWom couldn’t agree more, especially in this sad period of new year activity where many people attempt to enter a new era of healthiness and activity, only to be back in the pub all weekend by 12th January, only leaving for kebabs and the occasional bout of sleep. Indulge your inner geek say we, and settle down for a night in front of the box- but not before reading Michelle’s answers to ‘Inside the Bloggers’ Studio’:

What is your favourite word?
Serendipity

What is your least favourite word?
Flagellation

What turns you on?
Intelligence

What turns you off?
Ignorance

What sound or noise do you love?
The cork popping on a bottle of wine

What sound or noise do you hate?
The alarm clock

What is your favourite curse word?
C*nt

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Novelist

What profession would you not like to do?
Chicken factory worker

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive
at the Pearly Gates?
Champagne?

ArtsWom can only agree with the majority, in particular the sound of the alarm clock being a rather hateful noise, and a cork being popped is indeed a beatific sound. Though we do rather like ‘flagellation’…The word that is, not the act itself.
Now that you’ve learned such valuable information on Michelle, tune in to the real thing all this week on Sky Arts, and for more information go here

This week’s schedule looks very much like:

Tues Jan 15, 2008: Michael J Fox
Wed Jan 16, 2008: Al Pacino
Thurs Jan 17, 2008: Robert Downey Jr
Fri Jan 18, 2008: Diana Ross

Ahead of tomorrow’s exciting edition of ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ featuring legend Michael J. Fox, we’ve decided to make our own interactive version with ArtsWOM acting as a stand in for interviewer James Lipton. Regular viewers of ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ will know that a portion of the programme is taken up with James asking the same ten questions to his guest- what we’ve done is ask these ten questions to established film and TV bloggers so we can get to know fans of ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ just as well as the actors featured on the programme.

First up is Stuart Heritage from excellent pop-culture site http://www.hecklerspray.com/, where you can find the latest film reviews, tasty celebrity gossip and plenty of music news all delivered with a wry tone and blistering sense of humour.

What is your favourite word?
Subsequent.

What is your least favourite word?
Gash.

What turns you on?
If someone can make me laugh, I’m already won over.

What turns you off?
Noisy eaters.

What sound or noise do you love?
I’ve recently invested in a bright orange ukulele, most to the eternal consternation of everyone within 100 metres of me, so the sound that excites me the most right now is me playing Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard on my uke all the way through without making a noise like a badger catching its nads in a paper shredder. It doesn’t happen often.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Those geckos that climb around the inside of people’s houses in Australia, in particular when they scream like a grieving mother in the middle of the night and you’re asleep.

What is your favourite curse word?
Bugger. It’s comforting, like something your auntie would say. Or a slightly drunk vicar at a village cricket match.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
It it wasn’t for the 3am alarm call and the constant stink of yeast, I’d love to be a baker. Without wanting to sound too much like a flour-covered ukulele-playing dickhead, I’ve decided that baking bread at home is the best thing ever, and would relish the chance to turn professional. Getting paid to punch dough? How is that not the best thing ever?

What profession would you not like to do?
From a harrowing work experience job as a nipper, it has to be a removal man. Although, on the plus side, the job does seem to allow you to steal as many naked photographs of women from their private collections as you can. And openly buy nasty-looking European porn from garages without a trace of shame, even though there’s a 14-year-old work experience boy standing right next to you at the time.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Hello dear boy. Now listen, I’m going to overlook all those times that you said I didn’t exist. But just this once. And just for you.”

Thanks very much to Stuart to taking the time to answer our inquisition, especially as he answered so elegantly and entertainingly. ArtsWom feels we have got an insight in to the real Stuart and our blog is all the richer for it.

Political activist, feminist, staunchly independent three-time divorcee, and one-time Excessive Machine-busting doe-eyed space vixen – Jane Fonda makes it easy to introduce an article. Continuing is a touch more difficult, however, as ArtsWom feel that we shouldn’t simply dwell on the 70-year-old’s appearance in the campy cult classic of the 60s, Barbarella. Since the classic film’s opening zero-gravity undressing scene, Fonda has won awards, inspired a fitness craze, and led protests against both the Vietnam War and Iraq War. Despite this, the ArtsWom team are having a difficult time thinking of Ms. Fonda without being reminded of silver hotpants hugging tightly around those long, lithe legs – and that includes the feminine section of the ArtsWom conglomerate.

It is fortunate then, that tonight’s episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio on Sky Arts features the actress. We hope that, with the aid of James Lipton’s friendly inquisition, we will learn to see Fonda as more than just a fantasy of our misspent youth.

Inside the Actors Studio: Jane Fonda, showing tonight on Sky Arts channel 267 on Thursday 10 January 9:00pm to 9:50pm - for more details on forthcoming episodes, visit this link to the Sky Arts website.