Film books
‘A recipe for blandness’: critic Peter Biskind on why quality television is in chronic decline
The author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls has turned his gaze from Hollywood to prestige television, arguing that a golden age of TV that began with The Sopranos has been ruined by corporate greed
Andrew Anthony
12, Nov, 2023 @12:00 PM
Disdain, decay and a half-dead eel: why Withnail & I explains so much of Tory Britain | Max Wallis
In straitened times, debauchery can seem the only answer to hard reality, says writer and poet Max Wallis
Max Wallis
05, Oct, 2023 @9:00 AM
In brief: Withnail and I: From Cult to Classic; Light Over Liskeard; Hellish Nell – review
Everything you’ll ever need to know about Bruce Robinson’s 80s masterpiece; a wry modern fable from Louis de Bernières; and Britain’s wartime witch trial revisited
Alexander Larman
01, Oct, 2023 @3:00 PM
Cleopatra at 60: new book reveals ‘stunning profligacy’ of infamous Hollywood epic
The Observer’s critics saw the ‘ordeal in Rome’ and now a new book reveals why it flopped
Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent
13, Aug, 2023 @10:00 AM
Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story by Nick Wallis review – fear and loathing in Hollywood
The journalist who exposed the Post Office scandal depicts the actors’ filthy fallout as a showreel for our narcissistic age
Peter Conrad
15, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
‘I’d tell myself: you’re a loser, a failure, ugly …’ Matilda’s Mara Wilson on the price of fame
A star at nine, the actor was soon struggling with the death of her mother as well as nosy journalists and demanding fans. Angry, confused and thoroughly lost, how did she ever find her way back?
Emine Saner
15, May, 2023 @5:00 AM
Fassbinder: Thousands of Mirrors by Ian Penman – a freewheeling and insightful study of the film-maker’s allure
The former NME star writer rewatches the films of the German director and writes hauntingly about the way our tastes and passions change over time
Anthony Quinn
09, Apr, 2023 @6:00 AM
Dying of Politeness review – Geena Davis’s journey to ‘badassery’
The Thelma & Louise star bewails the treatment of women in the film industry in a conversational and often humorous account of her career
Stephanie Merritt
21, Nov, 2022 @7:00 AM
Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino review – bracing and heartfelt collection
The movie-maker’s first book of criticism is fuelled by a breathless energy that makes up for its scattershot approach
Xan Brooks
14, Nov, 2022 @9:00 AM
Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino review – director’s cut
From Taxi Driver to Bullitt, the director in full flow on his favourite movies
Peter Bradshaw
11, Nov, 2022 @7:30 AM
Hollywood: The Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson review – dinner with the stars
From pancakes with Jack Nicholson to drinks with Billy Wilder – stories from the great and good of Tinseltown
Kathryn Hughes
05, Nov, 2022 @7:30 AM
Cinema’s unquenchable thirst for vampires celebrated in posters
The author of a new visual history of bloodsucker films talks about their enduring appeal - and picks some of his favourite posters
Killian Fox
22, Oct, 2022 @4:00 PM
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