Film
The enigma of Werner Herzog
William Cook watches a new box set from the BFI that reveals the full extent of the German director’s genius – and insanity
Dambusters
Night Moves is a film by Kelly Reichardt, who also made the heart-wrenching Wendy and Lucy (2008), which may be…
Superhuman Scarlett
Here’s an idea for an article: The Tree of Life (2011) is the most influential film of the past decade.…
Barometer
The not-so-great charter David Cameron wants every child to be taught about Magna Carta. Some bits he might want to…
The forgotten liberator
Slavery was ended in England not through blood and glory, but by the common law
Ken Loach is a bore
He hasn’t made anything worth watching since Kes
Shock and gore
Blue Ruin is a low-budget yet highly accomplished revenge thriller although whether you have the stomach for it is another…
An actor’s notebook
It was one of those weeks. On Monday, I was in four countries: I woke up at crack of dawn…
Getting Nixon taped
Simpsons star Harry Shearer on what it takes to play the president
Poor service
The Butler tells the story of an African–American butler at the White House who served eight American presidents over three…
Law in action
As a new production of Twelve Angry Men opens in the West End, Robert Gore-Langton names his favourite courtroom dramas
Money and movies
Seduced and Abandoned is both a satire on film-making and a love letter to film-making and a joy. A documentary…
Darkness visible
Peter Hoskin looks forward to being scared witless courtesy of the BFI’s feast of Gothic cinema
Mother courage
Philomena is based on the true story of an Irish woman searching for the son stolen from her by the…
Complete opposites
Sandra Bullock is a highly watchable actress and she seems like she’d be fun to hang out with — I…
Good timing
‘Value and worth in any of the arts has always been about timing,’ writes British director Nicolas Roeg at the…
Do look now
At 85, the film director Nicolas Roeg is pleased to see the critics catching up with him
