Mr Jones, the movie, opened in the UK in Feb, 2020. It’s the story of a Welsh journalist who breaks the news in the western media of the state-induced famine in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. Director: Agnieszka Holland; Writer: Andrea Chalupa. Starring: James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard. Scoop! A scoop is rather prosaically defined… Continue reading
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The Girl on the Train arrives on schedule in the West End
The stage version of The Girl on the Train, adapted from the novel by Paula Hawkins, has just arrived at the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. No waiting at faulty signals, or delays by the wrong type of leaves on the line for this play. It travelled directly from the West Yorkshire… Continue reading
England and New Zealand – the greatest cricket game ever?
So, was Sunday’s World Cup final at Lords the greatest cricket match ever? Some are certainly calling it that. Others stop short with “the greatest ODI final ever.” Sky commentator Ashley Giles slipped in a qualifying ” one of the”, but the Sky website (after all, they were the broadcaster) called it the greatest… Continue reading
How BeaconLit was built – creating a book festival in an English village
BeaconLit, a literary festival in Buckinghamshire, was launched in 2013. This year (July 13, 2019) is the seventh festival. People keep coming back, to be inspired, informed and to enjoy the beautiful mystery of what happens when you turn a page (in books both physical and virtual). http://www.beaconlit.co.uk Authors and moderators this summer include Quentin Bates, a… Continue reading
How Christopher Fraylng won the West – a passion for Leone
Sir Christopher Frayling, the academic and scholar of Westerns has written a hefty coffee table tome on one of the last great films in the genre, Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (£50.00). In their notes on the book, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, Shooting a Masterpiece, publishers Reel Art Press… Continue reading
The Durrells back on ITV to promote Corfu in 1930s time capsule
The fourth season of The Durrells is underway on ITV1, (Sundays) and is available on catch-up. The programme, set in the late 1930s, follows Louisa Durrell’s attempt to make a new life for herself and her family in Corfu, after her husband died. The series stars Keeley Hawes, Josh O’Connor, Daisy Waterstone, Milo Parker, Callum Woodhouse, Leslie Caron, Yorgos Karamihos, Alexis… Continue reading