In the latest repudiation of Rene Descartes, scientists have concluded that insects feel pain, which is bad luck for the 370 million crickets farmed every year for food. During the UK heatwave a fortnight after this announcement, households were urged to pour boiling water into wheelie bins to kill maggots, a.k.a. ickle baby insects. Aieeeeeeee! One of the biggest data centres in the world is being planned for a village the other side of the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh. It’ll “harvest…

Pixar / YouTube: Ciao GattoWatch the new teaser for Disney & Pixar’s #Gatto, arriving in theaters March 5, 2027Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things,” “The Avengers,” “Spotlight, “Foxcatcher”) has joined the voice cast as the scrappy black cat Nero, and Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Boyz n the Hood,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It”) will voice the ruthless mob boss cat Rocco. The teaser trailer introduces Nero and Rocco as they question another cat in a funny interrogation scene.In “Gatto,”…

Alfred Hitchcock sure was no fluke. His 1935 version of The 39 Steps really is a great film. I note this with utter, unabashed confidence after watching the film’s 1959 remake, which is so bad, I wish it could have been funny. It’s like watching someone fall down all those 39 steps, hitting each one on the most sensitive anatomical spots before reaching bottom. You might think it’d be comical to watch but wait till you actually watch it. The thing is, the remake is consciously trying to be…

Some of you keep pestering us to review these big British miniseries from the late

As part of the Fritzes Best Interfaces award for 2026, I am reviewing the interfaces in Star Trek: Section 31. This post is about the quadrant-destroying weapon of mass destruction called the Godsend. Note this blog generally eschews analysis of weapons, but this one is more MacGuffin than blueprint, and it has the worst interface in the film. The Godsend is a weapon that Georgiou had created when she was Emperor. It is meant to function as a scorched-earth deterrent to her enemies. “It…

Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Vitals Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, clever and charismatic high school senior and righteous dude Chicago, Spring 1986 Film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Release Date: June 11, 1986 Director: John Hughes Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance WARNING! Spoilers ahead! Background Bueller… Bueller… Forty years ago today, audiences first joined Matthew Broderick’s charming truant on an elaborate jaunt through Chicago when Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was…

Image source: IMDB WARNING: This post is going to indulge in major spoilers for The Nun’s Story. And by major spoilers, I mean basically the entire movie. If you haven’t seen it and care about being spoiled, just go watch it then come back to this post. It’s a great movie and it features Audrey Hepburn’s best performance, just take my word for it. A title like The Nun’s Story is deceptive, particularly when you throw Audrey Hepburn into the leading role. You might expect something light and…

Auberginen-Saltimbocca mit Marsalasauce und Penne Rigate Wenn es sonnig ist wie heute, sind wir im Kochlabor immer sehr spontan. Der Professor hat sich Saltimbocca gewünscht. Ich hatte alles da bis auf Auberginen und Salbeiblätter, die musste ich besorgen Als ich mit einem großen Tablett den Garten des Professors erreichte, saß er schon da. Er hatte ein breites Brett auf zwei Backsteinsäulen gelegt. Ein rotweiß-kariertes Tischtuch gab es auch. Zwei etwas wackelige Stühle. Caprese trug eine alte…

As we start a new year in our journey through the prime-time schedules of the 1970s, we find that Sundays in 1978 delivered an intriguing selection of new shows that didn’t last, but in some cases had an impact far beyond what their brief runs would suggest.ABCThe Hardy BoysBattlestar: GalacticaABC Sunday Night MovieI can’t say I remember much from 1978 with perfect clarity, but I do recall the build-up for Battlestar: Galactica. This was going to be Star Wars for television, and the glimpses…

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” –Johnny Cash In 2009, TV Tokyo’s […]

We've been doing group watches of Weird Westerns over on the Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque Discord server. To keep it varied, I've tried to run the gamut--from eerie psychological horror on the prairie and movies heavy on the brutality to mean-spirited revenge tragedies and the weirdest Spaghetti Western known to man. Here's what we've feasted our eyes on (in case you want some solid recommendations or wish to recreate our film series):The WindBone TomahawkThe SalvationDjango Kill, If…

On June 10, 1991, the ABC Television Network aired the final two episodes of Mark Frost and David Lynch’s groundbreaking series, Twin Peaks. Episode 2.021 (#28) and 2.022 (#29) were shown back-to-back during an ABC Monday Night Movie event. There were plenty of commentary from reporters about the ending of the series that once took viewers... The post Reviewing Peaks – “It ain’t over till the Log Lady sings,” Mike Hughes on June 10, 1991 appeared first on TWIN PEAKS BLOG.

Benning constructs his own versions of Thoreau’s and Kaczynski’s cabins and films the trees through their windows (on his property in California) synced with audio recorded in Massachusetts and Montana. Part of a larger art/cabin/unabomber project for Benning. Each cabin gets one 15-minute shot, so there’s not much to look at, just sounds. Odd to hear a big-ass truck drive past Thoreau’s place, distant clanking and traffic near Ted’s. I took the opportunity to listen for birds. Merlin mostly…

The first recording starts with the end of Sportsround. There’s a trail for My Life: Tough Kids. Then it’s What’s New Scooby-Doo? – Safari, So Goodi. I can’t believe they’ve stolen Christopher Biggins’ catchphrase. The Media Centre title was actually missing the ‘i’ in ‘Goodi’ but it’s there on screen. In Africa, some people on safari are chased by glowing animals. The Scooby Gang are going on safari. Fred’s very pleased with his new video camera, and wants to film all the animals. On the bus…

A near-doc, near-drama with flights of fantasy, it must’ve looked like a whole new thing at the time. Luis and Armando pass some ladies at a mysterious cave and end up traveling seven generations into the future. A silent episode, serving snow for dinner. Too much with the rural rhythms, but quite beautiful, even in my TV copy. Cordeiro and Reis were a married couple who made three features together set in this region of Portugal, which is convenient for film viewers who are obsessed with…

I can't say I've been eagerly hoping for another martial arts movie. After a string of John Wick movies, I thought I'd had enough. It didn't take long, though, for me to get caught up in the preposterously exaggerated action of The Furious, a movie that begins by telling us that it's set "somewhere in South East Asia." That may sound generic, but so what? The precise location doesn't matter because The Furious isn’t about geography, it’s about punch-and-kick action. A threadbare plot --…

The clip of Ben Stiller talking about how Sza loves his show and he said “What Sza wants, Sza gets” is what made me want to watch the show. Also, Ben Wyatt is there! We started watching the show last Saturday and stayed up late on Sunday to finish season 1. The show has a very unique concept, and I loved every minute of it. Imagine having your work persona be detached from your own self. On surface level, I think it would be amazing for me personally. When I get bored, I sometimes get…

In a recent interview, Steven Spielberg said that if anyone deserves to have a close encounter with aliens, it’s him. Who, after all, has done more to prompt interest in extraterrestrial visitors with big-screen movies that lend a magical aura to the notion that Earth already has hosted interplanetary guests? For me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind leads Spielberg's alien-picture pack. But Spielberg is not a philosopher or, as far as I know, a geek who’s in love with astrophysics; he’s an…

James Handy, who appeared in such films as Arachnophobia (1990) and The Rocketeer (1991), was murdered by the son of his girlfriend on June 3 at the age of 81. James Handy was born in New York City on March 19, 1945. He began his acting career in the late 1970s. He made his television debut in two guest appearances on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. He made his movie debut in Taps in 1981. In the Eighties, he guest starred on such shows as Search for Tomorrow; CBS Schoolbreak Special; ABC Afternoon…

Big Brother, Survivor, Love Island, and Below Deck are providing cast members for NBC's Destination X, while a Netflix competition is moving to Hulu and adding celebrities.

by Nathaniel R JIM QUEEN is a French gay adult animated comedy about a virus that turns gay men into heterosexuals. It premiered at Cannes. Every year I hope to become more of a voracious viewer of animated films. There's so much happening around the world in animation but international animation (beyond some films from Japan) rarely hits US movie theaters or stays for a long enough time to build a fanbase. The animation year started out unexpectedly strong with more animated films premiering…

Sometimes the final page of one’s book turns unexpectedly and it’s… the end. Such a fate befalls the hero of Too Good, who finds himself outside the pearly gates with hardly a by your leave. No problem, though – he’s lived a good life and God seems a fair kind of deity… or does she? Starring Jean Smart as God and Lil Rel Howery as the hapless mortal whose life has been rather surprisingly curtailed, Too Good is a five minute slice of heavenly fun. As it is so short, too much chat about what…

Rebel Sparks (formerly known as the Gramophones), is a Nottingham based theatre company that likes to rip up the rule book. With a focus on female and non-binary characters, their shows subvert stereotypes and offer exciting things for audiences of all ages. We loved their previous production, Aidy the Awesome (an aerial circus theatre show for ages 3 to 8). Their latest touring production, Take Flight, is a multi-sensory aerial theatre show for an even younger age group (babies aged 0-2) and…

Who knows the evil that lives in mens hearts? The Spider knows. Not exactly spectacular or amazing, but entertaining enough that I felt good watching it. I heard on a podcast that this probably would not have been made without Nick Cage, and I agree but for large parts of this show it's the other actors who really drove me to watch it. I have been excited to see this for months. I had blocked out time on the calendar, allotted money from my fun fund, told everyone not to bother me for the…

Key locations on a classic fantasy map are connected by string in Red Sonja (dir. M.J. Bassett, 2025). ▲ Red Sonja (dir. M.J. Bassett, 2025) ▲ Red Sonja (dir. M.J. Bassett, 2025)

Russell T. Davies has confirmed that his second stint as Doctor Who showrunner has come to an end after four years, two seasons and five specials. Bad Wolf Productions are also ending their association with the franchise, and the BBC is now looking for a new production partner and showrunner to take the show forwards. As a result, the planned 2026 Christmas special has been cancelled.It's fair to say that Davies's second stint as showrunner has been variable at best. A small number of…

Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki first gained widespread attention for her role as Jordan Baker in

After watching maybe two Spider-Noir trailers, YouTube decided to show me lots of Nicolas Cage promo videos in my feed and one of them was this cool interview with artist Devin Rodriguez. He manages to ask questions and draw a phenomenal pencil portrait (try saying that three times fast) which Nicolas Cage loved. Good to see Cage doing okay too. I hope Spider-Noir is a success as it looks pretty cool. The post Nicolas Cage gets interviewed and drawn at the same time appeared first on Cultrface.

Kickboxer (1989)

The first recording today starts with the end of Finley the Fire Engine. Then it’s Kerwhizz – The Ace Choc Chase Race. Here’s another brain-teaser. Media Centre Description: Quiz controller Kerwhizzitor has a tasty show up his sleeve. Join teams Ninki, Twist and Kit as they quiz, then whizz. Who will get the best Mods for their Pods and win this scrumptious race? Recorded from BBC TWO on Friday 19th February 2010 07:38 BBC Genome: BBC TWO Friday 19th February 2010 07:40 After this there’s a…