Angelo Badalamenti, the maestro of mystery
From our US edition
Every producer knew that his work would always be peerless
Alexander Larman
Alexander Larman is an author and the US books editor of The Spectator.
Tuesday
Monday
Harry and Meghan have stepped up their war on the Windsors
The first part of the Harry and Meghan show on Netflix was something of a let down. Over three tedious hours, there was a lot of sentiment and half-veiled digs at the Royal Family, as well as some philosophising about racism and Brexit, but millions of viewers got to the end of the third hour
Sunday
Is Taylor Swift doomed as a filmmaker?
From our US edition
Filmmaking has not been kind to those who have made their names through the three-or-four-minute song
Thursday
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix show is a tedious, narcissistic wallow
The opening scenes of the eagerly anticipated – or keenly dreaded – Netflix series Harry & Meghan set out the couple’s stall. ‘This is a first-hand account of Harry & Meghan’s story, and told with never before seen personal archive… all interviews were completed by August 2022.’ This hint – that nothing was affected by
Tuesday
Kirstie Alley, the woman left out in the cold
From our US edition
She remained witty and wise about the industry that had rewarded her and then all but ditched her
Monday
Indiana Jones and the absurdity of Hollywood de-ageing
This week, in homes across the land, there is one guarantee: somewhere, someone will be watching one of the Indiana Jones films, and it’ll likely be the first or the third in the series. Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade are little less than perfect seasonal comfort food: witty, exciting, stuffed full of indelible
Saturday
A tale of two royal couples taking on America
When the incendiary story about Lady Susan Hussey’s ill-judged remarks broke this week, a detail that many were quick to spot was that Lady Hussey had been the person responsible for giving the Duchess of Sussex ‘protocol lessons’ when she first became part of the Royal Family. Defenders of Meghan Markle (who do exist, if
Friday
Bob Dylan’s curious book signing controversy
From our US edition
Can celebrities use an autopen? The times, they are a-changing
The unbelievable narcissism of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary
‘Why did you want to make this documentary?’ That is the question – over portentous piano chords – that begins the trailer for the next instalment in the apparently endless Sussex saga, Harry and Meghan. The answers that the viewer might supply: publicity-seeking on a grand scale; unbelievable narcissism– are not uttered. Instead, over stylised
Wednesday
The generation gap over J.K. Rowling
From our US edition
Harry Potter’s older actors are speaking out in her defense, while the young ones attack
Lady Hussey’s resignation and the pressure to reform Buckingham Palace
It’s a story that sounds as if it could have come from half a century ago, rather than today. Ngozi Fulani, the head of the London-based domestic and sexual abuse charity Sistah Space, was at Buckingham Palace yesterday for a reception hosted by the Queen Consort, with the stated aim of stamping out ‘a global
Tuesday
How to tour London like a royal
From our US edition
Play your cards right, and you might even sit next to a prince in a cocktail bar
Monday
Why is there no great Thanksgiving movie?
From our US edition
The holiday lacks the magic of Christmas and already has too much drama
David Bowie is bigger than ever
From our US edition
His stature as rock music’s greatest iconoclast shows no sign of being threatened
Tuesday
Happy birthday Martin Scorsese, the Don of movies
From our US edition
He has given the art of cinema more than virtually any other filmmaker
Harry and Andrew are out in the cold
King Charles has announced, to mark his 74th birthday, that he will be asking Parliament to amend the Regency Act to increase the number of counsellors of state who can conduct official public business while the monarch is overseas or otherwise indisposed. He has asked that it now include his sister, Princess Anne, the Princess
Friday
Warning: this book may make you like Bono
From our US edition
Surrender is full of wry asides on fame, faith and self-flagellation
Wednesday
The afterlife of a painting: Molly & the Captain, by Anthony Quinn, reviewed
Novels about art are often strange, vain affairs. After all, writing about artists, especially fictional ones, can seem like a strained exercise in trying to yoke together two irreconcilable mediums. It is to Anthony Quinn’s credit that his ninth novel, Molly & the Captain, not only succeeds admirably as a centuries-spanning account of the influence
A subtly mournful Crown lands in the post-Elizabeth era
From our US edition
Factual inaccuracies aside, the fifth season sits very well in our current time
Monday
Elections are always better in the movies
From our US edition
Reality, alas, will always struggle to improve on fiction
