Donald Clarke

• Uncategorized
• January 31, 2012, 17:34

After his success with the worthy The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper could, one assumes, take his pick of attractive properties. Come hither, Tom. Make your long-cherished version of Crime and Punishment. Embark on a biopic of Winston Churchill. Adapt Strictly …

• Hell
• January 29, 2012, 22:08

Well, that’s my guess. There have been few more peculiar examples of the gossip machine working in overdrive than the recent minor furore surrounding Liam Neeson’s imminent conversion to Islam. Here’s what happened. The great man, currently an unlikely action hero, …

• Oscars
• January 24, 2012, 22:26

Well, it wasn’t a complete disgrace. Screenwriter, at least, managed to have all the front runners in place. But, in two areas at least, I received a fairly serious drubbing. Your correspondent felt that both Tomas Aflredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier …

• Oscars
• January 21, 2012, 21:33

I have been relatively quiet about the Oscars this year. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I am sick of being shouted at every time I make such a post. I know they don’t mean anything. But I still …

• Trailerspotting
• January 20, 2012, 22:11

It is a completely insecure rule of thumb that any film whose trailer is thigh-slappingly amusing throughout is bound to be a dead loss. But I state that principle anyway. You suspect that the film-makers have panicked and thrown all …

• Box Office Figures
• January 18, 2012, 19:30

Here’s one of those delightful non-stories. The sensationalist version of the headline goes like this: PUNTERS DEMAND REFUNDS AFTER DISCOVERING THE ARTIST IS SILENT FILM. A more accurate translation of the facts would run: A FEW PUNTERS IN ONE CINEMA …

• Golden Globes
• January 16, 2012, 20:03

Well, nobody. That’s who. I am not much at home to conspiracy theories and — whatever else you might think about Gervais — you wouldn’t say that he gives in to pressure. Having received more than a few outraged reviews …

• Moaning
• January 14, 2012, 20:16

You’d think the President of the Royal Society of Chemistry would have better things to do with his time than talk down Bond villains. Shouldn’t he be off discovering new elements and making blue steam emerge from retorts? The current …

• Best-of lists
• January 10, 2012, 19:37

A few days ago we paid tribute to one of the great gentlemen of film criticism. J Hoberman, recently let go by the Village Voice, has always been a civilising influence on the medium. Now, we’re going to discuss the …

• Uncategorized
• January 8, 2012, 18:57

It is not for me to bemoan the decline of the movie critic. If some record store owner turned up to whine about the annihilation of that business then you might, quite reasonably, accuse that unfortunate fellow of special pleading. …

• Deaths
• January 4, 2012, 22:20

I return to the sad news that the great Ronald Searle has passed away at the age of 91. The artist had an eventful life. A working-class boy from Cambridge, he was captured by the Japanese during the second World …