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Oscars Postscript – Zettel. Don’t miss Sugarman

Tweet   Oscars Postscript – Zettel There was a pivotal moment, totally unremarked in this marathon, 3-hour Feast of Narcissus. A geeky little Swedish Director and a chubby American Producer picked up the Swede’s first and the American’s second, Oscar. Malik Bendjelloul’s English did not survive his excitement and the tiny delay that ensued led […]

Women Bishops – A complete no-brainer rejected by lay women

Tweet      Women Bishops   Who shall chronicle the fevered incestuous petty politics of the present Anglican Church now that C.P.Snow is no longer with us? If women Priests are today justifiably, angry, frustrated and disappointed; gay Christians must be in despair. This dispute has about as much to do with the exemplary life […]

The Abuse of Children – a problem for men and women

Tweet     The Abuse of Children   The protection of children from all kinds of abuse is a responsibility we all share as parents or good neighbours and citizens. Beyond that it is the business of law-makers, police and social agencies. But conspicuously absent in the national debate about this pattern of behaviour are […]

Dialogues with God (2) – Of science and morality etc

Tweet Dialogues with God (2) Written just before Christmas Happy birthday ALG. Frankly, I’ve been feeling about 2,000 years-old myself lately so I sympathise. I don’t have birthdays any more as I have begun to feel my mortality pretty keenly. There now, I’ve already got one up on you: for all your omnipotence and omniscience […]

Dialogues With God (1) – Wasps – WHY?

Tweet  Dialogues With God (1) You must find it hard to welcome everybody to heaven with millions arriving every day. I suppose the Omnipotence comes in handy. Well, take my tip, keep a careful look out, because somewhere in the crowd is a quietly spoken, delightful man called Charles Schultz. You might miss him: he […]

Heads we win – tails you pay: Bankers’ motto

Tweet Inside Job – Charles Ferguson (Oscar 2011) Angry at Bankers? See this devastating, meticulously researched Oscar winner for best documentary feature 2011 and find out why you, we, are not angry enough. By a long chalk. ‘Heads we win – tails, you pay’ – the Bankers’ motto. Inside Job is no Michael Moore polemic. […]

Oscars 2009 – Update: Bumblog Squillionaire cleans up

TweetOscar 2009 – Update Well my predictions just get worse. Glad I was wrong about Kate. Thrilled I was right about Man On Wire – if you haven’t seen it, make sure you do. Inspirational. I’m as disappointed about Benjamin Button as I was in 2006 when Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s masterly Babel was also virtually […]

Oscars 2009 – Nominations, Predictions, Choices and Comments

TweetOscars 2009 – Nominations Predictions, Choices and Comments London: 01.40 GMT – Just in under the wire before the announcements are made. I do this every year as a kind of personal aide-memoire. Historically I’ve been crap at prediction. And my personal preferences, though supported by arguments in reviews are always at root personal. So […]

BAFTA Awards 2009 – poverty-chic fable cleans up

TweetBAFTA – Winners 2009 A mystery: why is a film setting a ‘feel good’ fairytale in a Mumbai slum called “courageous”? I applaud the four technical BAFTA awards to Slumdog Millionaire; especially the award of best music to A R Rahman’s superb musical score. Editing, cinematography, sound – no complaints there either. But calling Slumdog […]