Hollywood and political power: A history of dangerous liaisons

On Vulture Hound, I use Meryl Streep's speech at the 74th Golden Globes as an opportunity to remind readers of the complex and often unhealthy relationship between Hollywood and political power:

http://vulturehound.co.uk/2017/01/hollywood-and-political-power-a-history-of-dangerous-liaisons/

Movies that predicted Trump: "All The King's Men" (1949)

On the Agony Booth, I continue to look at Movies That Predicted Trump by delving into Robert Rossen's Best Picture-winning adaptation of "All The King's Men", the governorship of Huey Long and what populist demagogues from both left and right have in common:

http://www.agonybooth.com/movies-that-predicted-trump-all-the-kings-men-1949-51648

Misogyny on and off-screen: When and why it matters.

On Vulture Hound, my latest article examines what Bernardo Bertolucci's abuse of Maria Schneider on the set of Last Tango In Paris says about the collusion of off and on-screen misogyny.

http://vulturehound.co.uk/2016/12/misogyny-on-and-off-screen-when-and-why-it-matters/

Does "Star Wars" really need the Jedi?

On the Agony Booth, the imminent release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and its lack of Force-sensitives among its protagonists gets me thinking about the flaws in Jedi philosophy, how most Star Wars audiovisual and interactive media uncritically reproduce it and whether or not we really need the Jedi:

http://www.agonybooth.com/does-star-wars-really-need-the-jedi-48484

Kirk Douglas: His 10 best performances.

On Vulture Hound, I celebrate Kirk Douglas's 100th birthday by listing the 10 best performances of his career:

http://vulturehound.co.uk/2016/12/kirk-douglas-his-10-best-performances/

Movies that predicted Trump: "Bulworth"

On the Agony Booth, I contribute to the new series "Movies that predicted Trump" by examining how Warren Beatty's 1998 political satire prefigured the conditions and manifestations of Trumpian populism:

http://www.agonybooth.com/movies-that-predicted-trump-bulworth-1998-50803

Where do we go from here? Filmmaking in the Trump era

On Vulture Hound, I address the cultural changes signified by the election of Donald Trump, Brexit and the large-scale reactionary movement's growing power in the West and how artists and critics must respond to it:

http://vulturehound.co.uk/2016/11/where-do-we-go-from-here/