Christopher Fowler's Blog, page 191

Making Art Just Got Cheaper

The film ‘Tangerine’, which is now in the frontline of Oscar hopefuls and on many a critic’s list this year, was shot on the fly without permits or even most people’s knowledge that it was happening. But more than that, it was made entirely on three old Apple iPhone 5s (second hand ones cost around […]

Listen To A 1960s Wonderland

With the 150 year anniversary of ‘Alice In Wonderland’ there’s been a lot of renewed interest in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense book this year. ‘wonder.land’ at the National Theatre is the latest updated incarnation of the Alice story, although – like the rest of the National’s winter season – it has proved a less than […]

The ‘Wobbly Grid’: Why London Streets Are So Tricky

When you see London from the air the first thing you notice is the Thames. The slate roof houses and backstreets echo the swerving shape of the river.The film ‘This Happy Breed’ is set in Battersea between the wars, and shows off London’s road layouts well. But why do they look like so distinctive? The […]

The ‘Wobbly Grid’: Why London Streets Are So Deceptive

When you see London from the air the first thing you notice is the Thames. The slate roof houses and backstreets echo the swerving shape of the Thames.The film ‘This Happy Breed’ is set in Battersea between the wars, and shows off London’s road layouts well. But why do they look like this? The river […]

Let’s At Least Start 2016 Healthily

Back in London, preparing to buckle down to some tough work, I’m struggling to eat properly again.My local Barcelona grain store is not run by gourmet hipsters but by an old family. It has hundreds of types of grain, nuts, eggs, raw chocolate and pulses in sacks, and is so crowded that it operates a […]

8 Is A Hateful Number

No spoilers On the wall of my old office there used to be a Reservoir Dogs poster signed by Quentin Tarantino, thanking us for helping to make his first film a hit in the UK after it flopped in the US. I liked the film and loved Pulp Fiction more, but Kill Bill damaged my […]

Top Dog In 2015

Of all the movies I saw in 2015, one stayed with me more than any other. ‘White God’ is only the second Hungarian film I can recall seeing (the other was the brilliant ‘Kontroll’). It’s by Kornell Mundruczoand is an utterly unclassifiable one-off experience. Not only can I not explain how he got so many […]

Maggie & Raymond Look At The Year Ahead

We have two guest columnists today: Raymond Kirkpatrick is a colleague of Arthur Bryant’s. The bear-like heavy metal-loving Professor of English is currently working at the British Library.Maggie Armitage is aGrand Order Grade IV White Witch of the Coven of St. James the Elder in London’s Kentish Town. In retrospect it was probably not a […]

The Greatest Robbery Of Them All

The great Hatton Garden robbery captured the public imagination; the total stolen had a value of up to 200 million, and was called the largest burglary in English history.The heist was planned and carried out by four elderly men who were experienced thieves, all of whom were caught and pleaded guilty. But fifty years earlier […]

Why Writers Should Be Paid For Appearances

This is a Punch cartoon in the late 19th century that sums up the writer’s job.Sitting and thinking, or just sitting, is good news for writers. While office workers have to rush-hour ride LT’s mobile TB clinics to work in hangars lit like garages, we can drift to our studies with a plate of biscuits […]