Sight and Sound Magazine - Summer 2026

 

Editorial

The summer issue of Sight and Sound is all about science fiction in films. Mike Williams name-checks too many to mention. He says, "We are already living in the future."

Opening Scenes

Nick Bradshaw's article "On Thin Ice" is all about a new film from Sara Dosa called Time and Water that is all about Iceland's melting glaciers.

Editor's Choice

Bristol's Cinema Rediscovered Festival (22-26 July) includes Whistle Down The Wind (1961) and an exhibition from their local heroes: 50 Years of Aardman.

In Production

The director of some fairly recent movies, Brad Bird, has released an animation for adults. Ray Gunn is, apparently, a futuristic sci-fi but with the inspiration of 1940's private detective thrillers. On Netflix in the autumn.

In Conversation

The director/writer Imran Perretta talks about his new film Ish. It's about two Muslim boys growing up in Luton.

Under the Influence

The new black comedy Rosebush Pruning (maybe get some tips) is from director Karim Ainouz. He tells Hope Rangaswani about seven films as influences. But only Pedro Almodóvar's early films struck a chord.

News in Brief

Nothing of interest.

Mean Sheets

The hand-painted posters by Tony Stella include that superb illustration for La Chimera. (See my review).

Reader's Letters

Some interesting items for a change. Stephen Ames remembers Tony Stella with a tribute. Neil Sinyard extols the virtues of Patricia Rozema's Mansfied Park (1999) as the best adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Terry Hanstock cannot stand the violation of end credits of films on iPlayer, and Peter Jones laments the loss of film studies courses, except for De Montfort University's degree.

The Long Take

Pamela Hutchinson tells us about her love for screwball comedies. (Screwball is slang for a kook, the way baseball player Carl Hubbell started throwing pitches at the end of the 1930s). Anyway, these films are being shown in a season at the Garden Cinema in London. Pamela runs through a history of some of the best of the genre. Including She Done Him Wrong, starring Mae West, might be a controversial choice from 1933. Then that Marilyn Monroe season at BFI Southbank that includes Monkey Business (1952) with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. Apparently "these films consoled and distracted audiences through the great deprivations of the 1930s and war years. Then on to more modern creations, including the award-winning Anora (2024) and soon-to-be-released One Night Only.

Flick Lit

Nicole Flattery tells us about the new book London Falling that is by New Yorker journalist Patrick Radden Keefe. His previous books are not what I would ever read, nor is this one. Nicole quotes, 'London, a city seemingly sustained by empty promises of wealth and luxury". What nonsense, when the story is about "a liar, capable of inventing different personalities", who plunged to his death from a high-rise balcony. Keefe seems to just write about sensational stories. I'm surprised at Nicole for picking this book.

TV Eye

Andrew Male asks why dramas set in Liverpool are only about crime. As one writer puts it, "only what I'm allowed to write". A six-part series starring Sheridan Smith called The Cage is exactly that. Andrew asks if Liverpool is "a metaphor for present-day Britain itself". I was just going to mention Z-Cars (1962–1978), but Andrew gets in first. Back to The Cage, Tony Schumacher "cannot help but reinforce age-old cliches about his home city". This is, apparently, a "bleakly witty state of the nation drama". On BBC1.

Cannes Bulletin

Sixteen pages, but why start with Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) – "the screening not to miss" – when I thought this festival was about new movies? But if, according to Isabel Stevens, this was the highlight, I worry about what is to come. However, there was that best director win for Pavel Pawlikowski's German feature Fatherland that sounds interesting, especially as it stars Sandra Huller who talks to Nicolas Rapolo.

There follow reviews of twenty-six films, including Hamaguchi Ryusuke's All of a Sudden, which sounds interesting. Then Parallel Tales, directed by Asghar Farhadi, which stars Isabelle Huppert. But well over two hours long. Fyord won the Palme d'Or but was controversial and not for me. An American film from James Gray called Paper Tiger stars Miles Teller, Scarlett Johanson and Adam Driver. Then Pedro Almodóvar's *Bitter Christmas* sounds just right for me. Then Her Private Hell is the new film from Nicolas Winding Refn, but it might not even be released in the UK.

However, I'm not at all interested in Mark Cousins' The Story of Documentary Film: The 1970's or Stephen Soderbergh's John Lennon: The Last Interview or Emmanuel Marre's A Man of His Time, where France is revisiting World War 2. Discoveries include eleven films that the Sight and Sound critics liked, but nothing there for me. There is a documentary from Bruce Dern called Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, but here he talks to Nicolas Rapolo about his career. 

Then I nearly missed a single column, a minor conversation piece that has five marvellous quotes from Peter Jackson (who won an honorary Palme d'Or), Demi Moore (on the jury), Emanuele Marre (best screenplay for A Man of His Time), Andrey Zvyagintsev (director of the Grand Prix-winning Minotaur) and Park Chan-wook (jury president).

21st Century Sci-Fi Cinema

Here are sixty pages of groundbreaking films for each year from 2000 to 2026. The feature starts with a long introductory article by Michael Atkinson. But his is just a list of movies strung together with the odd note. But I did like the first full page still from Snowpiercer, starring John Hurt. But what is next is mainly a rehash of articles from previous issues of Sight and Sound. Those movies that interested me are the following:

2001 Donnie Darko. (Is this actually sci-fi? It's definitely weird).

2002 Minority Report. A proper sci-fi Steven Speilberg blockbuster.

2009 Avatar. Not for me.

2010 Monsters. Gareth Edwards's debut, a low-budget success.

2012 Resident Evil: Retribution. Paul W S Anderson's guilty pleasure.

2013 Under the Skin. Jonathon Glazer's memorable weirdness. (That long article from April 2014).

2016 Arrival. Dennis Villeneuve directed Amy Adams in another memorable alien visitation.

2018 High Life. Claire Dennis directs a starry cast of Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche.

2019 Add Astra. James gray directed Brad Pitt as the astronaut.

2022 NOPE. Jordan Peele's excellent blockbuster starring Daniel Kalunya.

2026 Synthetic Sincerity. Out in July.

Reality Tech

Seven talking points about artificial intelligence in relation to movies. But none were that interesting.

Then Kim Newman's quiz for a sci-fi movie set in every year from 2001 to 2050. 

There is a newly restored film of The Girls from the 1978 London Film Festival in cinemas. Here is the interview with Sri Lankan director Sumitra Peries by Mark Cousins.

Reviews: Films

Rosebush Pruning. That great cast, but maybe not for me.

Backrooms. See my review 11th June 2026. Kim Newman explains how director Kane Parsons first created those shorts on YouTube from 2022 that were the inspiration for this feature. (I also recognised the dangerous doppelganger from Clark's TV adverts who was the protagonist at the end). However, it was only the casting of Chiewetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve that encouraged me to see the film. Kim liked the set that is a character in itself. "The third significant explorer of this closed universe is .... the viewer. "And that is unsettling.

The Invite. I have seen the trailer a couple of times, and it looks interesting. Nicolas Rapolo tells us about this four-hander that I think looks quite theatrical. This is director Olivia Wilde's third feature after Booksmart (2019) and Don't Worry Darling (2022). This is the classic dinner party, but they don't really know their guests. *Not an entirely predictable story", but obviously very wordy by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. And I always want to see a film with Penelope Cruz. 

Koln 75. Leigh Singer reviews this film based on Keith Jarrett's legendary actual "landmark hour-long solo improvised concert". (Watch it on YouTube, especially the comments that explain everything.) He is played by John Magaro. Vera Brandes (played by Mala Emde) is the precocious eighteen-year-old promoter. We are in West Germany in the 1970s, and it looks like it. Showing at The Rex, Berkhamsted, but I missed it. 

The Last Viking. A Danish film that looks pretty bonkers from the trailers. But it could be interesting and on at Cineworld and The Rex. A mixed bag of characters at a family summer house, including the search for some buried loot from a fifteen-year-old heist.

Virginia Woolf's Night and Day. Kit Francis Bradbury Rance reviews this adaptation of one of Woolf's more accessible stories. Just looking at the cast for this period drama set in 1920, you know it will be fine. Haley Bennett plays Katherine (Kit) Hilbery, a young woman from a well-off family whose passion is astronomy. There is a supporting cast to die for: her parents played by Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders ("on exceptional form"), as well as Sally Phillips and Jack Whitehall. The list goes on. Tina Gharavi directs. 

Relegated to the bottom of the smallest column possible is The Devil Wears Prada 2. I'm surprised it even got a mention.

DVD and BLU-RAY

Gilda. The 1946 movie has a brand new restoration complete with interviews, etc. It starred Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. Michael Atkinson reviews the film's background and tells us, "Charles Vidor's film is easily his most famous and distinctive. " And "Hayworth's Gilda is an open flame every man and woman would stick their hand into." (Lots more like that). Such as "It's hothouse  danger was a fever that left America's immune systems permanently compromised." 

Crucible of Horror. I might have missed this on first release in 1971. A Hammer horror drama starring Michael Gough.

It's a long time since I watched Leaving Las Vegas, which starred Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue. Great casting of the former as the "suicidally alchoholic screenwriter". Directed by Mike Figgis.

Hammer Volume Seven: Shiops and Giggles. I don't remember having read about these Hammer box sets from Powerhouse Indicator. This volume of four films is basically their "uncelebrated comedy output". Maybe not.

The Cars That Eat Paris. Sounds familiar but not when I read the review. Peter Weir's directing debut.

Insomnia. The Norwegian original from 1997, remade by Christopher Nolan in 2002 with Al Pacino and Robin Willaims. 

Five Easy Pieces. Pamela Hutchinson says, "Jack Nicholson has never been better than in Bob Rafelson's manic, mournful 1970 drama". Here is an outstanding new 4K restoration.

Books

A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies by David Thomson. One to add to my eight volumes of his meaty books on film. When I first skipped through this edition of Sight and Sound, I wondered if there was enough to keep me interested in keeping up the subscription. Then I find here, very close to the end of this edition, a full-page review of Thomson's latest book that goes straight onto my Christmas list. John Bleasedale takes us through "so many revelations" and "so many insights". Yes, it's another history of movies, but this time Thomson "charts a decline" with a worry "that something was wrong from the get-go". But for someone who has made a fruitful career from writing about films, is this a strange or just a provocative look at our obsession with the medium? Just look at that still from Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Gloria Swanson's crazed face.

Jane Fonda by Marilyn S. Greenwald. A book not just about her films but also about her career as an activist, her childhood, three marriages and children. 

From the Archive

Here we have the full article by David Robinson from the Spring 1966 edition of Sight and Sound. All six pages, including photos, are about "A Close Encounter with Stanley Kubrick". But not close enough to get an interview! He visits the studio making 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Of course, this was selected for this sci-fi issue). What I didn't remember was that Kubrick wrote the screenplay (such as it is) with Arthur C. Clarke. I vividly remember seeing this film at the Odeon Leicester Square soon after it opened in 1968. (As apparently did Christopher Nolan). 

This Month in ..... 1992

On the cover was Sigourney Weaver's Ripley for the first of the Alien movies. Reviews included those for Robert Altman's The Player and Bille August's Palme d'Or-winning The Best Intentions.

 

The Main Border in June

 

It may not be the best time of year for the main border, but there has been a change in the last week or so. Starting with the lupin at the very far end.

Then some astrantia and geraniums.

The white flower is Astrantia Snow Star.

 

Two foxgloves have appeared, having been planted at least two years ago.

Lastly, the latest addition is a dark purple astrantia.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 5 Episode 5 - The Story of The Lion in Winter

 

This was the last in the current series of Classic Movies on Sky Arts. The Lion in Winter was released in 1968 and is the story of King Henry II and the succession to the crown. Set during a cold Christmas time in the 12th century, Neil Norman says it's a "complicated family saga about succession". In those days the king could choose who would be his successor. Henry's three sons arrive for the holiday, as does his queen. Eleanor of Aquitaine has been locked away and only released for Christmas. Peter O'Toole plays Henry, and Katherine Hepburn plays the queen. Christina Newland tells about her history.

So, according to Steven Armstrong, there starts a "vicious bout of politicking". Ian Nathan explains that the film is actually fairly accurate historically, especially how much the crown dominated this country and France. Then it's Steven who explains how "they behave like a twentieth-century family", with all the plotting, backbiting and deals that are so familiar on TV these days. Ian says how the story is adapted by James Goldman from his own Broadway play and that the script "is a thing of wonder". Christina tells us that the play was not that successful.

Neil Norman talks a lot about how the film came about. When one movie that was to star Peter O'Toole fell away, its replacement was partly influenced by the actor. This time directed by Anthony Harvey. Neil continues with how the film has a Shakespearean sound but with a contemporary edge. Ian adds for a historical epic it is "very talky". We hear about the cast: the brothers are Anthony Hopkins in only his second film as Richard, Nigel Terry as John and John Castle as Jeffrey. Timothy Dalton plays the King of France who gets caught up in this family squabble. Christina adds how the family are all in this "complex game" of succession. Neil thinks it has "unbelievable authenticity".

We are then on to the stars. Ian talks about the career of Peter O'Toole and how he played the same role in Becket, then Katherine Hepburn's history. The team agreed that she had the spirit that was exactly right for Eleanor, and she won the Oscar. Ian tells us about all the locations and that it was "the most claustrophobic movie ever made". He gives a special mention for the costumes that matched the cast's personalities by Margaret Furse, who was nominated for an Oscar. And the score by John Barry that won the Oscar for best original score. Steven added towards the end that there were "an awful lot of silences" in the film with long single shots. Ian tells us the film was a great success critically and at the box office. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including winning for best adapted screenplay. Neil Norman concludes, "You could put two older stars together and make it box office."

The Garden in June

 

I have already posted about the main border, roses and wildflower border, so here are some different pictures of the garden. The one above is taken through the living room window. On the very far left is the spiraea japonica.

The hypericum below has more flowers than last year.

These dianthus were grown in pots last year 

These cosmos were grown from seed in a tray and now out near the dwarf wall.

Then these wallflowers were from the garden centre. Fortunately, they are a dwarf variety.

 

I had to cut back the campanula that had grown over the path by the conservatory.

At the front, these geraniums are quite happy with very little sun.

The Hydrangea macrophylla looked sorry for itself a few weeks ago. But suddenly it has perked up and has those lovely flowers.

The Acanthus next to the dwarf wall has thrown up these flower spikes. But boy, are they prickly. It does need water to survive.

Next, a photo of the far end of the garden with the wildflower border on the left, the hypericum on the right and the mock acacia towering above at the back.

Finally, I must have put down too much of the Pro Kleen Grass Green lawn fertiliser granules, as the grass has grown far too lush. It needs cutting every three or four days, and I collect four boxes from the lawnmower each time. Along the dwarf wall border are the antirrhinum Madam Butterfly bedding plants. 

England fans and Wonderwall

 

It seemed strange at the end of England's victory over Croatia in the World Cup to see the team standing at one end of the ground looking at one of the stands. What I did not know was the American TV seemed to refuse to show pictures of the England fans serenading the team with "Wonderwall". In fact, we never saw the bank of English support during the whole match. Because they had flags?

Here they are on YouTube: "Jude Bellingham sings Wonderwall as England fans serenade the team." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTHtve_n3T4

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 5 Episode 4 - The Story of Mulholland Drive

 

This is one film that I have seen quite recently, so it was interesting to see what the team thought about Mulholland Drive. (See my review 23rd December 2022). There was so much discussion about writer and director David Lynch all the way through this episode. Ian Nathan started this off with the fact that he is "one of a kind" and that this is his "greatest" movie. Steven Armstrong added that he was a "surrealist filmmaker" and a very successful one. 

Christina Newland and Bonnie Greer refer back to Lynch's Twin Peaks (See my posy of 1st November 2025). Steven talks about how Lynch loved the light of Hollywood, and we hear from the director. Neil Norman thinks he is a "surrealist" and a wonderful artist. His films are "great to look at even if sometimes hard to understand". We hear about his early films, including Eraserhead and Lost Highway. The team talks about the location for Mulholland Drive and that now-famous road.  

It was interesting that the film started off as a TV programme and only later extended to become a feature film. We hear about the casting of Naomi Watts (now her greatest role) as Betty and Diane and especially the "audition" with the director. The team discusses the other lead actress, Laura Harring, as Rita, and all about her background. An ex-Miss USA. Cast as the director, Justin Theroux was maybe a reflection of Lynch's own woes of Hollywood. "A surreal depiction of the Hollywood scene." 

Neil Norman says Lynch is "an incredibly generous filmmaker", as he inserts us into his films as we bring our own interpretation of the story. Ian Nathan adds how Hollywood is inserted into the movie. He adds "a sense of dread is inescapable." I just love the haunting music by Angelo Badalamenti, even if this was never mentioned.  

The film became a huge success, much to the surprise of a bewildered Hollywood. Lynch won best director at Cannes but was only nominated for an Oscar. Naomi Watts was surprisingly completely overlooked. Steven Armstrong tells us, "Don't understand it; just feel it." Ian Nathan concludes it "unfolds like a dream", and Neil Norman believes it is a "drop-dead masterpiece".    

The Super Six - Cygnets at Weston Turville Reservoir

 

Today I tried hard to see seven cygnets at Weston Turville Reservoir. But try as I might, there were only six. 

But they had grown since those photos of the 23rd May, only three weeks ago.

Movies at Home: The Barefoot Contessa, Three Days of the Condor and Great Expectations

 

Another film about movies. Humphrey Bogart plays Harry Dawes, a film writer and director (of course) who has lost his way. So lucky for him he meets the glamorous dancer Maria Vargas, played by Ava Gardner. Her early reluctance to consider going into movies is changed with her friendship with Harry. Bogart has all the best lines, courtesy of a good screenplay from director Joseph Mankewitz. 

The film looks good and is well shot, and the locations are splendid. So far so good. However, it's after Maria's success in Hollywood and her eventual marriage to the rich count (who saves her from an ugly scene in a casino) that things go far too melodramatic. Such a shame.

Sky Arts usually follow an episode of Classic Movies with a showing of the film they discussed. So it was interesting to compare the team's thoughts with my views on 3 Days of the Condor. (See post of the 6th June). First of all, it rains a lot in New York, where the film is set, a change from Washington, where the book is located. The story is adapted from the 1974 novel Six Days of the Condor by James Grady. 

It stars a blondish Robert Redford as Joe Turner, a CIA researcher on the run after all the people in his office are shot. He is obviously out of his depth and cannot work out who is after him. He's in contact with a senior CIA man played by Cliff Robertson, but who can he trust? Certainly not Kathy Hale, played by the super cool Faye Dunaway, whom he abducts. Their relationship is the best part of the film; she only partly believes his story and would give him up to the authorities given half a chance.

Add in a hitman played by Max von Sydow; this is definitely a stylish thriller, directed at a great pace by Sydney Pollack. Just one note of caution. New crime series on TV now do these kinds of thrillers better. 

Another film that was discussed on Sky's Classic Movies show: see my post of the 15th May. It was interesting to see on the opening credits, "Introducing Anthony Wager and Jean Simmons". We know the latter became a big star, but what about the former who plays the young Pip? There is a good article on anthonywager.blogspot.com. This film was his only success. 

The film starts with those big skies, remarkable in the great black-and-white photography. These early scenes were a surprise, all about Magwitch, the escaped convict. Only to make sense in the last part of the movie. The part that follows as Pip meets Miss Havisham is still incredible for the wedding banquet left to rot from that disaster years ago. She is also the guardian for bossy young Estella. Unfortunately we do not see enough of Biddy, with whom Pip grew up. The wonderful Eileen Erskine deserved a far bigger role.

 Years pass and Pip's secret benefactor gives him those "great expectations" and a career in the law. The older version is played by a young John Mills, demonstrating the promise of future greatness. And with whom does he share the same lodgings but a young Alec Guiness. I have to say the scenes of London are excellent. The newly confident Pip also meets the beautiful older Estella, now played by Jean Simmons. This is some cast. 

The final part of the film is that big surprise with the arrival back from Australia of a now wealthy Abel Magwitch. The plot turns into a thriller with Magwitch in danger from the authorities. Then we have that very last scene back at the old mansion, changed from the book to give audiences a happy ending. Director David Lean made a classic movie adapted from the Charles Dickens novel. 

Colours of Time, Finding Emily and Backrooms

Suzanne Lindon plays Adele, a young woman who was brought up by her grandmother in rural France. But when that grandmother dies in 1885, Adele is off to Paris to track down her mother. Who is not who she expects. This French drama, Colours of Time, has been called "Monet meets Mamma Mia". There is a dual timeline as four cousins in the present day explore an old dilapidated house that has been left to the wider family in the will of one of their ancestors. This dual timeline is sometimes confusing, as there seem to be too many cuts between the two time timezones. 

Developers want to buy the plot, but there are arguments within the family about its future. The four who are selected to investigate the property find clues to its history. However, by far the best part of the film is the story of Adele and her time in Paris. The city looks great; the costumes, the sets, and the people are wonderful. Especially the two young men she meets on the boat and with whom she ends up staying. So the contrast with modern-day Paris is startling. I know which period I would have liked to live in.  

Finding Emily is yet another Working Title production (see The Sheep Detectives). But this movie was awful. It's Spike Fearn, who plays Owen, who tries to find Emily, a girl he met in a club. But I found him so annoying and stupid. And yes, that is the whole plot. I never believed that someone would go to these lengths to find a casual acquaintance. It says something when the second most important character (a different Emily played well by Angourie Rice) takes top billing! I guess that Gen Z would appreciate the film far more, and it does have lots of positive reviews. It is certainly a product of its time. 

There are, however, moments that are true to the genre, and at times the story is original and clever. But the relationship between Spike and Emily did not ring true, as I could never ever see them as a couple. They were so different. The scenes of Manchester were fine, but again, if I had looked at the soundtrack of songs before I went, I would have known who this film was for. Not me. Tom Shone, in his long review in the Sunday Times, says, "It's a smart set-up," and Mark Kermode called it "kind of charming, kind of sweet and kind of funny," although this was a very mixed review.

Then we come to Backrooms. This was the strangest film I have seen since Under the Skin (2013) that starred Scarlett Johansson. So definitely not a mainstream film; there was only one other person in the cinema when I went. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark and Renate Reinsve as his therapist Mary. He does need help. He is so angry, even with Mary. So two of the very best actors working today. It's Clark, who failed as an architect, whose job at a sort of department store leads him through a wall into another dimension. A seemingly never-ending maze of rooms. I will not try to describe the plot such as it is. 

Suffice to say that director Kane Parsons and writer Will Sodic have conjured up a highly original feature. It's not really a horror film, although it is highly weird and unsettling. But it does have a kind of mystic quality. However, unlike the positive reviews from Peter Bradshaw and Mark Kermode, I cannot recommend it for most audiences. But I'm glad I watched it, as it is certainly, like Under the Skin, completely unforgettable. 

Roses in June

This is the best time of year for roses, and those in our garden are no exception. The one above is my favourite, an Eden Rose. as it has such a tightly packed flower. , with pink on the inside of the white petals. Here are some of the others.

The first is possibly the Silver Jubilee.

I know the white rose is the Silver Anniversary, as our sister-in-law Janet gave it to us for ours.

Competing for my favourite rose is the "Blue for You", sheltered under the living room window.

Then those that flowered in a mass. 

This yellow rose looks as if it might be Golden Celebration from David Austin roses.

The lovely dark yellow soon turns cream.

A cluster of these off-white roses.

These pink roses keep falling over despite the props to keep them in place.

I think these are a kind of wild rose that grow in big clusters with tiny flowers.

There are three roses in the long border. The white might be Snow Cap. 

The rose next to the white might be Eden Rose. 

I'm certain that this rose is Eyes for You (Blue Eyes). It's hard to see as it is in with that prolific pink rose that keeps falling over.