The Swimmer Film Poster

Recently I've been on a prescription of 'happy' films and programmes after working my way through the first 3 series of the frankly depressing Downton Abbey. But I soon ran out. Dying old people totally spoilt any redeeming sunshine Disney could throw at me in Up, The Apartment although a funny premise, left me wide eyed thinking 99% of the male population want to have their cake and eat it, and Guardians Of The Galaxy (hey it's Marvel, they're all a form of geek-serotonin) left me a  little flat after all the hype. So I reverted to the ever-expanding film list I on my phone, and cherry-picked an older film recommended by a friend who is the go-to for celluloid inspiration.

AUDIO: DK Chats, a commemorative WW1 podcast

This post is a little unlike my other film and television related posts, but it is about a subject very important to me, as well as highlighting my latest work in the DK Books podcast series which I hope you all enjoy. 

The Sick Rose

I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to own a copy, but I think the phrase 'morbid curiosity' is the premise for this book's existence.

Star Wars vs. Jaws

Off the back of the Star Wars casting announcement furore for Episode VII, check out clippings of the original Star Wars casting announcements that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have popped up on their Facebook timeline. Announcing the casting of now much-loved Star Wars regulars Peter Cushing, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, it's a treat to also spot Mark Hamill as 'Luke Starkiller', before his character name was revised to the friendlier 'Skywalker'.

Poodle Fitness, anyone?

I despise any form of exercise that doesn't involve being chased by a marauding shamble of 28 Days Later style zombies or doesn't allow me to sport a weapon like a film heroine (think The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdean and Kill Bill's O-Ren Ishii).

New Film Style Doctor Who Wallpaper by Lee Binding

The official Doctor Who website have just released 3 stunning new film style Doctor Who wallpapers by the overly talented artist Lee Binding.

Why? Because the BBC are commemorating nine years since Ninth Doctor Christoper Eccelston first burst on to our screens with Doctor Who's television revival back in 2005.

The Film Industry in a Digital Age with Lord Puttnam

Lord Puttnam is a game-changing thinker, who is not only a film producer with iconic credits to his name including Bugsy Malone and Chariots Of Fire, but he passionately supports young people as founder of Skillset and as an international educator.

I went along to a talk he was giving on 'The Film Industry in a Digital Age' at the International Students House (ISH) in London, and was inspired by his futurist thinking about what the the film industry has to do to survive and thrive in the ever changing digital topography of fast-consumerism, his passion for the BBC and his views on experiential cinema.

IMAGE: Look-in The Six Million Dollar Magazine

 Spending hours trawling the web for work, play and inspiration, I thought I might start sharing some of my favourite pictorial finds, and of course, with an obligatory geeky flavour (and on that note, what is the geekiest flavour I wonder?).

Evocative Dulux advert - a world without colour

Paint brand Dulux has been taking notes from films like Pleasantville and The Artist and have jumped, quite beautifully I may add, on the vintage bandwagon with a highly stylised pastiche on the prohibition-era.

Sausages! Animals in adverts - why do they stay with us?

Off the back of my last post about Culture Magazine’s simple ad, it sparked a conversation between myself and my boyfriend about adverts we grew up with.

We enjoyed very similar recollections, both being British and our similar ages helping frame our collective memory being children of the 80s, but the one theme that unified our favourites, was the age-old classic of the animal star turn.

Inside No 9 - Deliciously Sinister Drama

I was introduced to Inside No 9 by a friend at work. When I asked him to describe the first episode to me, unsure as he struggled for words, he finally grabbed (quite appropriately) at ‘disturbing’.

An advert worth sharing - The Sunday Times Culture

Watching television advert breaks these days is like a barrage to the senses - with so many products, personalities, tag lines and tones of voice (flashback to Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror episode Fifteen Million Merits), it comes as genuine relief when an ad shines out that makes you actually want to voluntary watch it again.

AUDIO: DK Chats with The Great British Bake Off Judge Mary Berry

Love celebrity cook Mary Berry? Well the national treasure and judge of The Great British Bake Off popped into our DK Books headquarters and discussed everything from dinner party planning to her choice of dessert when putting on a feast for Prince William and Kate Middleton (as well as plugging her book Cook Up A Feast).

BAFTA Film Quote Quiz

In my earlier post about the fabulous BAFTA portrait exhibition showing off photographer Andy Gotts's work, I mentioned that part of the fun walking around the Somerset House display rooms were the film quotes dotted around. For those of you who either couldn't get to the exhibition or just like to try out your film knowledge, pop your answers in the comments below - and no Googling or IMDBing! The BAFTA mask of judgement is watching you...

Staring in the eye of celebrity at the BAFTA Behind The Mask Exhibition

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in this case, it’s in the eye of the BAFTA holder, as this wonderful Behind the Mask portrait exhibition at London’s Somerset House reveals BAFTA winning (and nominated) celebrity faces, laid bare to photographer Andy Gotts’s camera lens.

IMAGE: The Original Lois Lane

 Some images you just fall instantly in love with.

I came across this gorgeous image in an SFX Magazine quiz last year. It's famous Superman character creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and Siegel's then wife, Joanne Siegel; the lucky lady who character Lois Lane was based on.

Sherlock and The Lie of Leinster Gardens

I love it when real locations are woven into programmes I love, so when in London at the weekend visiting the Museum of Brands near Notting Hill with a friend, we thought we'd quickly look up the existence of the shrouded mainline underbelly of Leinster Gardens, as featured in Sherlock Series 3 episode His Last Vow. So it unravelled that the building not only existed, but was only a short hop from our ramblings, so ramble we did, in the footsteps of Sherlock, and the BBC production crew...

Will Simpson: The Art of Game Of Thrones at Orbital Comics

Game of Thrones is a raucous feast for its viewer's eyes. Extending the epic imagination of George RR Martin's original novels, the HBO series success boils up hugely from it's utter beauty. From the intricate detail of the costumes, the insane dedication to CGI mastery, the exotic locations, and of course the handsome cast, the series would be essentially naked, the scripted skin and character bones left open to the elements of viewer ratings and reviewer squints, were it not for the thought and gabardine imagination of the first, second and repeat impression.

AUDIO: Shallow Grave 20th Anniversary Event

"What's a little murder between friends?" Danny Boyle asks of us in his debut feature film, Shallow Grave. Released in 1994, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the film that introduced Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston to the spotlight. Before McGregor was a Jedi or a big deal in Trainspotting, before Eccleston was the Ninth Doctor and the Messiah, before Fox was winning awards for her roles in Cloudstreet and Intimacy, experience the house-share nightmare of the 90s that'll encourage you lock your bedroom door at night.

AUDIO: An audience with the W3C TAG Team

I studied Internet Computing at university, but it's been a long time since I stared at a screen of C++ or faced the headache of iterative code, so I rarely mix in developer circles these days. But when a friend at work invited me to a Meet the W3C TAG event at Google's London Campus (7th Jan 2014), that was enough to whet my nerdy appetite, let alone the speaker lineup, which featured none other than history game changer, inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Underground Design

Harry Beck's original tub map, 1933 (Source: TFL)

I've always held a design crush on London's cavernous Underground network. From the Harry Beck tube map to the iconic and ageless royal red, white and blue station roundel beacons, which still signify stuffy shelter from the London rain today. Then there's the mystery and macabre history of what lies under the Underground architecture, from the shrouded ghost stations to the City's plague pits housing our ancestors beneath the sleepy electric traction of carriages, worming their way through the capital's earth. Author Neil Gaiman playfully weaves various Underground stations into the mythology of his fantastic book Neverwhere, painting his extemporaneous 'London Below' with an appreciative nod to the lore of London long ago.

Geek Art on Society6

 I've been searching high and low for some wall prints to decorate my new place. We all know what we like when we see it, but searching and trawling on the web for art with a film, sci-fi or geeky twist is a mine-field, as there is simply SO much out there. One site I came across that is a great starting point if you are after a limited-run print is Society6. Based in USA (keep an eye on the shipping costs), I've complied this blog post on my favourite pieces and artists on Society6 which might help speed up your search for a new artistic talking point, ready for when your neighbour pops over to borrow your Game Of Thrones boxset or spare controller pad.