Our critic chooses his highlights, from electrifying psychological horror to Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar triumph and a joyous British coming-of-age teen drama
Games: Simon Parkin’s five best of 2020The Observer critics’ review of 2020 in full
1. Saint Maud
Released in October
Rose Glass’s electrifying debut feature establishes the writer-director as a thrilling new voice in British cinema. Morfydd Clark is mesmerising as the newly religious nurse determined to save the soul of her patient (Jennifer Ehle – superb). Adam Janota Bzowski’s eerily prowling score and Paul Davies’s affecting sound designs add to the cinematic spell.
2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
February
The French film-maker Céline Sciamma won the 2019 Cannes screenplay prize for this 18th-century story which she has called “a manifesto about the female gaze”. Filmed in painterly hues by Claire Mathon, this masterpiece seamlessly intertwines themes of love and politics, representation and reality.
Games: Simon Parkin’s five best of 2020The Observer critics’ review of 2020 in full
1. Saint Maud
Released in October
Rose Glass’s electrifying debut feature establishes the writer-director as a thrilling new voice in British cinema. Morfydd Clark is mesmerising as the newly religious nurse determined to save the soul of her patient (Jennifer Ehle – superb). Adam Janota Bzowski’s eerily prowling score and Paul Davies’s affecting sound designs add to the cinematic spell.
2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
February
The French film-maker Céline Sciamma won the 2019 Cannes screenplay prize for this 18th-century story which she has called “a manifesto about the female gaze”. Filmed in painterly hues by Claire Mathon, this masterpiece seamlessly intertwines themes of love and politics, representation and reality.
- 12/26/2020
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Amblin Partners and its DreamWorks Pictures banner are going back to war.
The company, which was behind Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan, has picked up the film rights to A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game That Won the War, an upcoming non-fiction book by Simon Parkin.
Vicky Jones has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff of Mark Platt Productions. DreamWorks will also produce.
Birds and Wolves tells the true story of Operation Raspberry, which saw a rag-tag group of young women and a retired naval captain reinvent ...
The company, which was behind Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan, has picked up the film rights to A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game That Won the War, an upcoming non-fiction book by Simon Parkin.
Vicky Jones has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff of Mark Platt Productions. DreamWorks will also produce.
Birds and Wolves tells the true story of Operation Raspberry, which saw a rag-tag group of young women and a retired naval captain reinvent ...
- 2/19/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Amblin Partners and its DreamWorks Pictures banner are going back to war.
The company, which was behind Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan, has picked up the film rights to A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game That Won the War, an upcoming non-fiction book by Simon Parkin.
Vicky Jones has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff of Mark Platt Productions. DreamWorks will also produce.
Birds and Wolves tells the true story of Operation Raspberry, which saw a rag-tag group of young women and a retired naval captain reinvent ...
The company, which was behind Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan, has picked up the film rights to A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game That Won the War, an upcoming non-fiction book by Simon Parkin.
Vicky Jones has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff of Mark Platt Productions. DreamWorks will also produce.
Birds and Wolves tells the true story of Operation Raspberry, which saw a rag-tag group of young women and a retired naval captain reinvent ...
- 2/19/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Louisa Mellor Sep 9, 2016
31 years ago, Cbbc's Broom Cupboard opened its doors. We salute some of its most memorable moments...
On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.
Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.
After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who...
31 years ago, Cbbc's Broom Cupboard opened its doors. We salute some of its most memorable moments...
On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.
Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.
After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who...
- 9/3/2015
- Den of Geek
To mark Cbbc’s thirtieth birthday, we delve into the Broom Cupboard to salute some cherished childhood memories…
On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.
Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.
After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who taught...
On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.
Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.
After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who taught...
- 9/3/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
BioShock Infinite will release on March 26th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. A new video is now available featuring the game's creative director Ken Levine as he discusses the series during an in-depth Q&A panel. Read on to learn more!
Ken Levine, Creative Director at Irrational Games, talks "From Shodan, to Big Daddy, to Elizabeth: The Evolution of AI Companions" with Simon Parkin. This discussion also features an audience Q&A about various topics and of course BioShock Infinite, sequel to the 2007 BAFTA-winning BioShock.
BioShock Infinite, developed by Irrational Games, won over 75 editorial awards at E3 2011, including the Game Critics Awards’ Best of Show. In this first-person shooter, the player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who is sent to Columbia to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so they may escape...
Ken Levine, Creative Director at Irrational Games, talks "From Shodan, to Big Daddy, to Elizabeth: The Evolution of AI Companions" with Simon Parkin. This discussion also features an audience Q&A about various topics and of course BioShock Infinite, sequel to the 2007 BAFTA-winning BioShock.
BioShock Infinite, developed by Irrational Games, won over 75 editorial awards at E3 2011, including the Game Critics Awards’ Best of Show. In this first-person shooter, the player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who is sent to Columbia to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so they may escape...
- 3/18/2013
- by Amanda Dyar
- DreadCentral.com
Veteran games journalists Christian Donlan, Simon Parkin, Will Porter and Keith Stuart have launched a new website devoted to downloadable gaming. Hookshot Inc. (www.HookshotInc.com) will report on digitally distributed titles priced under $15 each and available through consoles, handhelds and PC desktops – including browser games and Facebook – as well as phones and tablets.
“Keeping track of the very best downloadable titles on multiple platforms can be a challenge,” explained Hookshot Inc’s Will Porter. “We want to help separate the signal from the noise. There are countless downloadable games being created by companies big and small, and we want to single out the ones that truly deserve the attention of busy people with hectic lives.”
“Each of us has been working in the games industry for the best part of a decade, or more,” said Keith Stuart. “We thought it was high time to get together, pool our resources...
“Keeping track of the very best downloadable titles on multiple platforms can be a challenge,” explained Hookshot Inc’s Will Porter. “We want to help separate the signal from the noise. There are countless downloadable games being created by companies big and small, and we want to single out the ones that truly deserve the attention of busy people with hectic lives.”
“Each of us has been working in the games industry for the best part of a decade, or more,” said Keith Stuart. “We thought it was high time to get together, pool our resources...
- 3/1/2012
- by Kat
- Nerdly
Here's a riddle for you puzzle fans out there: How do 372 little words generate over 1200 responses in 24 hours?
Answer: By being 372 largely negative words about "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception," one of the most anticipated PlayStation games of the year. Yesterday, The A.V. Club's Scott Jones gave "Uncharted 3" a grade of C while criticizing the "woefully faulty" single player gameplay and "superfluous" multiplayer mode. Jones' review lit up the A.V. Club comments section like a pinball machine on free play. Here is a brief but fairly representative sampler of the outrage. Some of the language is, shall we say, colorful:
Witch
"Is this really an oficial site? i mean, are you serious? O_O
i was so curious about this review when i saw that 50/100 on metacritic so, here i am and still, i can't believe it..... If u are gonna be that obvious, u could actually grade this...
Answer: By being 372 largely negative words about "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception," one of the most anticipated PlayStation games of the year. Yesterday, The A.V. Club's Scott Jones gave "Uncharted 3" a grade of C while criticizing the "woefully faulty" single player gameplay and "superfluous" multiplayer mode. Jones' review lit up the A.V. Club comments section like a pinball machine on free play. Here is a brief but fairly representative sampler of the outrage. Some of the language is, shall we say, colorful:
Witch
"Is this really an oficial site? i mean, are you serious? O_O
i was so curious about this review when i saw that 50/100 on metacritic so, here i am and still, i can't believe it..... If u are gonna be that obvious, u could actually grade this...
- 11/1/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Some Digital Spy Icons earn their title by merit. Others win it with sheer persistence. Toby Anstis comes firmly in the latter category. The chirpy Northampton TV presenter's career started brightly with his incessant chatter, spiky hair and perkiness a perfect match for the Cbbc Broom Cupboard. He also established himself in a solid double act with Otis The Aardvark, which was useful because next to the irritating bargain basement version of Roland Rat, Anstis looked like a star in the making. Sadly once outside of the Broom Cupboard, Anstis's career failed to spark in the way it did for Schofield or Andi Peters. While things never quite slipped into the Simon Parkin or Andy Crane fall-from-grace territory, a string of reality TV appearances (more)...
- 2/25/2011
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
This week marked the 25th anniversary of the glorious BBC institution that is the Broom Cupboard. Originally designed as a cheap way to do the links between shows such as Willy Fog and Grange Hill, it ended up becoming a home from home for a generation of children. With the likes of Phillip Schofield, Andy Crane, Andi Peters and Simon Parkin helming the show, it became must-see TV, sometimes even surpassing the so-called entertainment either side of the comic interludes. However, it might not have been such a success story if it wasn't for one creature. A creature named Gordon The Gopher. Communicating through a high-pitched squeak that only Schofield is known to (more)...
- 9/17/2010
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
Simon Parkin first appeared on our screens in 1987, popping up from behind Andy Crane's chair to be unveiled as the cheeky new face of the Broom Cupboard. Sadly, his decision to leave Cbbc in 1992 for the new pastures of GMTV proved in the long run to be a wrong call. If he'd stayed put, he could potentially have landed the Live and Kicking gig and we'd all have been saved from Jamie Theakston - what a delightful thought! However, it's best not to dwell on where things went wrong for Parkin (he was spotted doing the weather reports at ITV Westcountry a couple of years back), but rather celebrate his years in the spotlight. (more)...
- 5/21/2010
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
When some people reflect on the Cbbc Broom Cupboard, they think of Andi Peters. Others might recall the glory years of Schofield and Gordon the Gopher. A rare handful may even pick the long-forgotten cheeky scamp Simon Parkin. However, a name who is all too often left off the Broom Cupboard history books is Andy Crane. Usually found larking around during the breaks between Willy Fog and Byker Grove with Edd the Duck and Wilson the Butler, Crane was an unpretentious game-for-a-laugh born entertainer.
Crane and the 'Motormouth' gang After he eventually left the Broom Cupboard, he ventured to the pastures of ITV, where he struck gold with the likes of super cool gaming series Bad Influence and Saturday morning Going Live! rivals Motormouth and What's Up Doc?. In recent years, he has retreated to his first love - radio and (more)...
Crane and the 'Motormouth' gang After he eventually left the Broom Cupboard, he ventured to the pastures of ITV, where he struck gold with the likes of super cool gaming series Bad Influence and Saturday morning Going Live! rivals Motormouth and What's Up Doc?. In recent years, he has retreated to his first love - radio and (more)...
- 5/7/2010
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
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