Nick Bartlett

Freelance Writer

Critical popcorn •

Inside No.9 – 9.5 Review: The Curse Of The Ninth

There are some ideas that naturally lend themselves to a format. I wasn’t aware of the superstition of “The Curse of the Ninth” before tonight’s incredible episode of Inside No.9 and genuinely thought it was a phenomenon that Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith had invented for this episode. It’s a concept so uniquely suited to this series, right down to the number, that it makes you wonder why they didn’t make this episode years ago!
Critical popcorn •

Inside No.9 – 9.4 Review: CTRL/ALT/ESC

I like to think that you can tell which of the Inside No.9 creators took the lead on specific episodes. Sometimes it’s obvious through the subject matter, other times the tone. They’re generally quite cagey about it, but Reece Shearsmith loves magic, and has stated in the past about preferring the more comic episodes, while Steve Pemberton has always had more of an affinity for the more dramatic ones, as well as anything involving puzzles.
Filmhounds Magazine •

The Unsung Brilliance Of Dennis Price — Kind Hearts and Coronets At 75

Ealing Studios is responsible for some of the most slyly subversive films in the history of cinema. As a studio it dipped its toes in genres like war and horror with Went The Day Well? and Dead Of Night, but it's best remembered today for comedy classics like The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man In The White Suit, and Whisky Galore. Of these, Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts And Coronets stands as the pinnacle of what the studio achieved.
Critical popcorn •

The Cat And The Canary Blu-ray review: Dir. Paul Leni [Masters Of Cinema]

The Cat And The Canary is one of the most quietly influential horror films of early cinema. It’s one of the first Universal horror films, and one of the first American Gothic films. While not the first example of either, it’s also a definite antecedent of both the haunted house sub-genre and the horror comedy. In fact the film essentially sets the template for pretty much every episode of Scooby Doo.
Critical popcorn •

All That Money Can Buy Blu-ray review: Dir. William Dieterle [Criterion Collection]

All That Money Can Buy, also known as The Devil and Daniel Webster, also known as Daniel And The Devil, also known as Here Was A Man, has had an especially fraught history. This release from Criterion restores crucial character moments as well as some innovative editing techniques. It marks the first time the 106 minute version has been available for over 50 years, and the first time ever that it has been seen in the form and quality intended by the filmmakers.
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