Nitrospective

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Union City - signed 'cinema ticket' inserts

With publication of my monograph on the 1980 film, Union City, imminent, I thought I'd share a photograph about the signed 'cinema tickets' which will be included as inserts within the first 200 copies sold. I rattled through these last weekend and they have been returned to the publisher, so hopefully it won't be long before the books have been printed and will be posted with them inside. I'll update this when I receive my copies, but in the meantime feast your eyes on these little beauties.

Union City is available to pre-order exclusively from PS Publishing (via their Electric Dreamhouse imprint).

Friday, 30 January 2026

Union City

Exciting news! My monograph on the 1980 film, Union City, is available to pre-order from PS Publishing (via their Electric Dreamhouse imprint) from today.

The following is the official press release:

“Before Twin Peaks there was Union City” – Everett McGill

As soon as the first Electric Dreamhouse publications were announced back in 2018 I knew I wanted to write something for the imprint. Applying myself to an entire film seemed wondrously decadent. Devotion decided, the only decision required was what film I would write about. Many of my favourites (Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, Way Out West, El Topo) were too well-known and had plenty of existing coverage, and I felt that some other contenders (Pierrot le Fou, Sátántangó) wouldn’t fit the genre requirements for PS. I narrowed it down to three films: Spoorlos (English title, The Vanishing, directed by George Sluizer), The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel), or Union City (Marcus Reichert) which starred Deborah Harry in her first starring role. Whilst I loved Spoorlos, I was wary of a language barrier when conducting interviews, and having already written a short pamphlet about the Buñuel film I decided to go for Union City. Chris Stein of Blondie had written the score, and I’d previously had interactions with him on Instagram. So I reached out and he agreed to be interviewed. Suddenly, the ball was rolling.

I’d first seen Union City on television almost thirty years ago, and had subsequently reviewed it for an online magazine when it appeared on DVD in 2006. I believe it to be a forgotten masterpiece. The plot is quite simple. Harlan (Dennis Lipscomb) and Lillian (Deborah Harry) rent an apartment in a tenement block in the eponymous city situated in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey. Their lives have become stale, the marriage mundane. Harlan becomes fixated by a ‘milk thief’ who drinks from their morning doorstep delivery. An unhealthy obsession develops and after a convoluted ploy to wake and catch the thief he does so. Assuming moral superiority backdropped against the impotency of his life, Harlan attacks and accidentally kills the man. The remainder of the film explores his paranoia and fear of being found out.

If this sounds like the plot of a simple noir thriller then indeed it is. The film is based on The Corpse Next Door, a short story by the crime writer Cornell Woolrich. I felt the film was ripe for examination, and as it happened my timing was perfect. Having contacted Chris Stein in November 2019, most of my initial interviews with the cast and crew were conducted during 2020, when the world was in lockdown. From my tiny terraced house in Norwich, UK, I conducted in-depth telephone conversations with some major film industry names in Hollywood, who were at home instead of on location and therefore had the time and inclination to chat, considering they could do little else! Most especially, I was able to cultivate a close friendship with Marcus Reichert (the director), which led to us talking regularly, reading each other’s work, and providing insights I hadn’t expected. Reichert had become completely disillusioned with the film industry following the release of Union City (for reasons which I discuss in the book). The writing of my book was to prove cathartic for him, enabling reconnections with those he had been involved with during that time, and a reassessment of that period of his life. He was very grateful for my efforts, and thankfully was able to read and offer approval (if not always agreement) over the finished draft, before he regretfully and suddenly passed away in 2022.

In addition to extensive interviews with Marcus, my book includes a scene by scene run through of the film together with chapters on film noir, colour, comedy, the hitherto unknown proposed sequels, and writer Cornell Woolrich; plus interviews with the following: Monty Montgomery (who went on to produce films with David Lynch and who also had an acting role as The Cowboy in Mulholland Drive), Ed Lachman (the cinematographer, who has also worked with directors Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders, and most recently with Todd Haynes), Stefan Czapsky (the gaffer, who since went on to work with Tim Burton, among others, as a cinematographer), Fred Caruso (the line producer who has also worked with Sergio Leone and David Lynch), Deborah Harry (lead singer of Blondie), Chris Stein (guitarist with Blondie who scored the film), Everett McGill (actor who went on to have a role in Twin Peaks and other Lynch films), Irina Maleeva (actor whose career started with Federico Fellini), and Sam McMurray (an actor now known for his US TV work).

For those who have seen the film, I feel this in-depth movie monograph will provide many surprising insights and fresh information. For those who have yet to watch the film, I hope my book will encourage them to seek it out. As a precursor of neo-noir and with several of the crew latterly working with David Lynch, it inhabits a pivotal role in cinematic history and remains – for me, certainly – an essential watch.

Union City can be pre-ordered direct from the publisher here.

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

The Best and Worst of 2025

Well, it's that time of the year when everyone is doing their 'best and worst of' lists, so here is mine. I'm going to list the books and movies and records I read/watched/listened to in 2025 and then pick my favourites. This isn't restricted to what was new in 2025, but what I actually watched and read and heard - some of these items might be very old indeed.

Books:

I read the following in 2025:

Georges Simenon – Maigret Goes To School

Chris Parker – Nameless Lake

Junichiro Tanizaki – Some Prefer Nettles

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Dead Girl

Haruki Murakami & Jean-Christophe Deveney – Manga Stories

Shirley Stephenson – Bat Walk

Rhys Hughes – Twisthorn Bellow

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Minister

Andy Cox (editor) – Remains #1

Sarah Lotz – The Three

Sarah Pinborough – Insomnia

Tom Robbins – Another Roadside Attraction

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Headless Corpse

Nnedi Okorafor – Death Of The Author

George Takei – They Called Us Enemy

Georges Simenon – Maigret Sets A Trap

Terry Grimwood – The Ghost

Shin Jung Keun – A Beautiful Night on the Equator

Neil Campbell – Licensed Premises

Simon Avery – PoppyHarp

Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Failure

Tomorrow, When I Was Young – Julie Travis

Neil Williamson – The Memoirist

Les Vampires – Tim Major

Eugen Bacon – Broken Paradise

Georges Simenon – Maigret Enjoys Himself

Probably Monsters – Ray Cluley

Tim Cooke – The Judgment

Maxim Jakubowski – The Expotamia Manuscript

Trevor Denyer (editor) – Railroad Tales

Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Travels

Seichō Matsumoto – Suspicion

Chris Stein – Under A Rock

Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Doubts

Arthur Mandal – Old Tutor, New Tutor

Alex Older – Only Animals Can Make Me Smile

Steve Shaw (editor) – Major Arcana

Francis Durbridge – Paul Temple Intervenes

Megan Taylor – The Grandchildren

Alison Moore – Eastmouth and other stories

Justine Bothwick – Static

Maj S Jowall & Per Wahloo – The Man Who Went Up In Smoke

Carolyn Stockdale – Water People

Imogen Reid – Fabrication

Philip Terry – Snake Tale

Robert Stone – Regret

JG Lynas – Topsoil

Christopher Priest – The Islanders

Michel Houellebecq – Serotonin

Chris Kelso – Possession

Steven L Peck – A Short Stay In Hell

Georges Simenon – Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses

The Big-Headed People – D F Lewis

Teika Marija Smits – Waterlore

The Smallest of Things – Ian Whates

Eugen Bacon – Languages of Water

Mike O’Driscoll – The Dream Operator

Georges Simenon – Maigret’s Secret

Jeff Noon – Moon Over Brendle

Georges Simenon – Maigret In Court

David Gladwin – Coldwell

Andy Cox (editor) – Crimewave #13: Bad Light

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Old People

Stephen Theaker & John Greenwood (editors) – Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction #73

Douglas Thompson – Stray Pilot

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Lazy Burglar

Woody Allen – What’s With Baum?

Ottessa Moshfegh – Lapvona

Georges Simenon – Maigret And The Good People Of Montparnasse

That's worked out at 69 books this year, which is two down from last year. However, I've also read all or part of another 27 books in my role as one of the judges for the Otherwise awards (ongoing), plus I've proofread and copyedited around another 8 novels as work (with those which were exceptional also making the above list).

Thankfully there weren't many books that I read this year that I absolutely hated, with most of the books attaining either three or four stars in my Goodreads round-up which is equivalent to 'I liked it' and above. However I really struggled with Sarah Lotz's "The Three". where in the right hands, this story of three children who inexplicably survive three separate simultaneous plane crashes might have been a good idea. Unfortunately, Lotz goes down the route of telling the story through the 'book' of a journalist, who in herself is using interviews, witness accounts, secondhand information etc, to drive the story forwards. What I found most annoying, is that despite such a multitude of characters, they all speak in the same voice (barring some thoroughly inappropriate stereotypical racial mannerisms), so - quite frankly - the story is quite numbingly boring. Moving on, whilst I normally enjoy the short stories published as chapbooks under the Nightjar imprint, there were two which only gained either one or two Goodreads stars from me this year. I won't name them, as I think the appreciation of short stories can vary from reader to reader, more so than novels, and generally those in this series are never less than interesting.

I continued ploughing through George Simenon's Maigret novels, reading sixteen of those this year and enjoying all of them (and like last year, one more than the others). If I read around the same number next year I might potentially finish the series, even if that leaves me a little bereft. Speaking of which, unfortunately, this year saw the death of Tom Robbins, a writer I absolutely adore, so I decided to re-read his first novel, "Another Roadside Attraction", however my takeaway was that it was clearly a first novel, and despite flashes of brilliance it meandered and pontificated without his usual wit (something I remember thinking when I first read it in the 90s). I'd suggest, as an alternative, "Jitterbug Perfume", one of my favourite novels which I have re-read many times. Alongside "Another Roadside Attraction", other recommended 3 star reads (which are probably all 3.5) include "Death of the Author" by Nnedi Okorafor, which plays an interesting twist with AI (with a third-quarter-drag which could be explained by the twist at the end and in fact makes rethinking about the novel much more interesting); short story collections, "Licensed Premises" by Neil Campbell (a mixed collection with disquieting appeal) and "The Dream Operator" by Mike O'Driscoll (literary, visceral speculative fiction stories with "The Spaceman" - a kind of coming of age story - being my favourite. In fact, I'd recommended this book on that basis alone); "What's With Baum?" by Woody Allen (whilst the writing could be tighter in places and it needs a better edit, the story is strong and anyone interested in Allen and his movies will find enough familiarity here to enjoy); "Serotonin" by Michel Houellebecq (a novel which started at a cracking and intriguing pace but gradually became bogged down with detail that was far less interesting and which then - apart from a couple of sequences - descended into the same navel-gazing reflections which come to befall the protagonist); and the non-fiction books "Les Vampires" by Tim Major (about the film series of the same name, which reads never less than delightful) and "Under A Rock" by Chris Stein (As an insight into 'fame' this memoir is an insightful window into what happens when the media isn't looking).

There was a large number of 4 star reads this year, including a high number of Maigret novels. Others included Ray Cluley's first collection, now ten years old, "Probably Monsters" (a great selection of stories; proper literature, not just coathangers to hang scrappy, secondhand horror from, but heartfelt examinations of the human condition); "Suspicion" by Seichō Matsumoto (Matsumoto has a knack of really getting to the bottom of his characters and the story arc of the reporter in this novel is sublime, underpinning everything else with immaculate precision); "A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven L. Peck (a short novella which posits a potentially everlasting Hell with a twist: you can get out if you can find the story of your life in a vast library); "The Exopotamia Manuscript" by Maxim Jakubowski (there's a rich warmth to the telling of a man close to the end of his years reminiscing on what was and what might have been and in fact what actually could be); "Stray Pilot" by Douglas Thompson (an excellent piece of work about a pilot who disappears whilst chasing a UFO shortly after WW2 and subsequently reappears after eighty years to reconnect with his family and to warn humanity about climate change issues. This is possibly my favourite of Thompson's novels); "The Man Who Went Up in Smoke" by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö (the second in their Martin Beck detective series, which - like Maigret - I love and intend to read in full); "Eastmouth and Other Stories" by Alison Moore (a great collection of liminal stories which often capture moments of departure for each main subsequent character, whether tentatively celebratory or edging into the unknown); and "Moon Over Brendle" by Jeff Noon which I've copyedited for the publisher and is due to come out next year (you are in for a treat!).

There were several books this year that I'd rate 4.5/5 but which were just edged out of my top three. These were "They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei (a graphic novel about the treatment of US Japanese citizens in WW2, a timely read and a reminder that only a handful of decisions stand between many of us and our safety); "Lapvona" by Ottessa Moshfegh (a literary exploration of faith and filth); "Poppy Harp" by Simon Avery (a 'wonderfully lovely' folk horror novel, affectionately riffing off 1970s childrens television shows); and especially "The Ghost" by Terry Grimwood (a distillation of a what-if scenario, the consideration of whether what makes a man who he is – a monster, a saviour – is the weight of history, an accumulation of circumstances, or a straightforward personal choice. "The Ghost" is a superlative example of how the best fiction makes us feel: uncomfortable, thoughtful, stirred. I heartily recommend this work which I am still thinking months later).

As usual, however, I default to Goodreads for those few books which I rated 5/5 during the year, and on this occasion there were only three, which makes my final selection much easier. So, without further ado, here are my third place and then my top two favourite reads of 2025:

In reverse order:

"Maigret And The Old People" by Georges Simenon

This is easily the best Maigret novel that I've read - and as I'm fifty-eight novels in, that's quite a statement. Following an apparently unsolvable murder, Maigret is thrown into a social class which he cannot quite understand (the misquoted phrase, 'the discreet charm of the aristocracy' comes to mind). At the heart of the book is an unrequited love which has persisted for over fifty years (I wouldn't be at all surprised if Gabriel García Márquez hadn't read this novel and used it as inspiration for "Love in the Time of Cholera"). Maigret's role is somehow to unpick the interconnected relationships and determine who is the murderer, yet it appears there can be no answers: until the answer is hinted at, and then explored, and finally a desperate tragedy is revealed. I love the Maigret novels and all have had merit, particularly due to Simenon's sparse prose, but this is the first where I became utterly flooded with emotion over the last few pages, and finished it with a lump in my throat. Masterful, truly masterful.

"Nameless Lake" by Chris Parker

This story of a friendship between two women - Emma and Madryn - is absolutely exquisite. Told in short passages from the viewpoint of Emma, each paragraph ends with a perfect sentence. Oftentimes I would re-read a passage to get that 'hit' again. There's not so much a story but a series of observations, bobbing between the present and the past, as insights into their formerly childhood friendship inform on their current relationship as mothers with husbands in the background, ruminations on what was and what might have been, and how friendships evolve and mutate and are lost and found again. Emma also has an obsession with following the lives of a 'perfect couple' chronicled on YouTube, but gradually it is equally clear that such perfection cannot be sustained, is only surface deep, and ultimately it is the nature of who we are and the difficulties of needing to compromise when being with others that undoes us. This is a rich, involving novel which bears a thoughtful read and is highly recommended. I found it wholly immersive.

And the winner is:

"The Islanders" by Christopher Priest

"The Islanders" is a mosaic novel, purporting to be a guide to some of the islands of Priest's Dream Archipelago and presented in alphabetical order, but which weaves its stories in and out, sometimes contradicts them, and somehow engages disparate threads to form a satisfying whole. There are moments of pure exhilaration and others more matter-of-fact. I read this book whilst travelling - the perfect backdrop. It's an engaging read which I am likely to think about for quite some time. Priest was never less than intriguing, and his books frequently make my top three. Thankfully I fell behind with his work and have more to come. Loved this.

Movies:

I watched the following in 2025:

Black Christmas (1974, Bob Clark)

Kneecap (2024, Rich Peppiatt)

Bird (2024, Andrea Arnold)

Passages (2023, Ira Sachs)

The Five Devils (2022, Léa Mysius)

The Frozen Ground (2013, Scott Walker)

Casino (1995, Martin Scorsese)

Don't Worry Darling (2022, Olivia Wilde)

Dalíland (2022, Mary Harron)

Les Chansons d'amour (2007, Christophe Honoré)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999, Stanley Kubrick)

The Settlers (Spanish: Los colonos, 2023, Felipe Gálvez Haberle)

Run Lola Run (1998, Tom Tykwer)

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989, Steven Soderbergh)

The Vanishing (Dutch: Spoorloos, 1988, George Sluizer)

The Third Man (1949, Carol Reed)

Longlegs (2024, Osgood Perkins)

Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (2025, Luke Sewell)

Skinamarink (2022, Kyle Edward Ball)

The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch)

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000, Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky)

Fracture (2007, Gregory Hoblit)

Inland Empire (2006, David Lynch)

Human Traffic (1999, Justin Kerrigan)

Queer (2024, Luca Guadagnino)

Civil War (2024, Alex Garland)

The Girl With The Needle (2024, Magnus von Horn)

Good Will Hunting (1997, Gus Van Sant)

Runaway Jury (2003, Gary Fleder)

Shanghai Blues (1984, Tsui Hark)

Mississippi Burning (1988, Alan Parker)

Get Carter (1971, Mike Hodges)

The Count of Monte Cristo (1934, Rowland V. Lee)

Adolescence (2025, Philip Barantini)

Love & Mercy (2014, Bill Pohlad)

Bug Diner (2024, directed by Phoebe Jane Hart) (short film)

Bring Them Down (2024, Christopher Andrews)

Escape From New York (1981, John Carpenter)

The Crow (1994, Alex Proyas)

The Crow (2024, Rupert Sanders)

Wings of Desire (1987, Wim Wenders)

Asteroid City (2023, Wes Anderson)

The Hoose-Gow (1929, James Parrott) (short film)

Come Clean (1931, James W. Horne) (short film)

Brats (1930, James Parrott) (short film)

Kiss the Girls (1997, Gary Fleder)

Time of the Wolf (2003, Michael Haneke)

The Fog (1980, John Carpenter)

Fright Night (1985, Tom Holland)

The Saragossa Manuscript (1965, Wojciech Has)

Armadillotown (2025, Andrew Hook) (short film)

Parthenope (2024, Paolo Sorrentino)

Cadillac Man (1990, Roger Donaldson)

Insomnia (2002, Christopher Nolan)

The Moor (2024, Chris Cronin)

Certified Copy (2010, Abbas Kiarostami)

Following (1998, Christopher Nolan)

La Cabina (1972, Antonio Mercero) (short film)

Dan in Real Life (2007, Peter Hedges)

Yakuza Graveyard (1976, Kinji Fukasaku)

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994, Stephan Elliott)

Devo (2024, Chris Smith)

Mauvaise Graine (1934, Billy Wilder and Alexander Esway)

Chernobyl Diaries (2012, Brad Parker)

Identity (2003, James Mangold)

Empire Records (1995, Allan Moyle)

Punch-Drunk Love (2002, Paul Thomas Anderson)

The Monkey (2025, Osgood Perkins)

Megalopolis (2024, Francis Ford Coppola)

Island of Terror (1966, Terence Fisher)

Almost Famous (2000, Cameron Crowe)

Heretic (2024, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods)

First Love (2019, Takashi Miike)

Dr No (1962, Terence Young)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011, Tomas Alfredson)

Nosferatu (2024, Robert Eggers)

Frankenstein (2025, Guillermo del Toro)

You Should Have Left (2020, David Koepp)

Intimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan (1972, Chor Yuen)

The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984, Lau Kar-leung)

Clan Of The White Lotus (1980, Lo Lieh)

Five Deadly Venoms (1978, Chang Cheh)

King Boxer (1972, Jeong Chang-hwa)

Dirty Ho (1979, Lau Kar-leung)

Crippled Avengers (1978, Chang Cheh)

The One-Armed Swordsman (1967, Chang Cheh)

Pillion (2025, Harry Lighton)

The Exterminating Angel (1962, Luis Buñuel)

Waiting For Guffman (1996, Christopher Guest)

Beauty and the Beast (Czech: Panna a netvor, 1978, Juraj Herz)

A Time to Kill (1996, Joel Schumacher)

Duel (1971, Steven Spielberg)

The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)

Union City (1980, Mark Reichert)

The Lives of Others (2006, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)

The Protagonists (1999, Luca Guadagnino)

Barking In The Dark (2025, Marie Losier) (short film)

House by the River (1950, Fritz Lang)

A Few Good Men (1992, Rob Reiner)

Porco Rosso (1992, Hayao Miyazaki)

In 2024 I watched 89 movies and this year the list comes in at 100, which I'm pleased with. Clearly, unlike last year, we didn't binge-watch so much Masterchef! This remains a long list to narrow down to my top three, and unlike books I don't have a site equivalent to Goodreads with which to guide my memory (I did start posting on Letterboxd but I just haven't kept up with it due to the huge backlog of films I'd want to document).

As usual, however, I'm discounting movies I've previously seen. So this takes out "Union City (1980) - my book on this film is definitely due out next year; "The Elephant Man" (1980), rewatched due to David Lynch's sad passing; "Get Carter" (1971), even better than remembered; "Wings of Desire" (1987), such a superb piece of work from Wim Wenders; "Dr No" (1962), a planned rewatch of the classic Bond films starting and then stopping with this definitive film; "The Exterminating Angel" (1962), Buñuel's absolute classic; "Duel" (1971), Spielberg's first feature and excellent to boot; and "The Vanishing" (Dutch: "Spoorloos", 1988), an absolutely superb and brilliantly conceived film which has me sobbing every time I watch it.

Those movies which I found annoying or awful are easy to chronicle, and thankfully these were few and far between, however they included "Casino" (1995, Martin Scorsese), a film which I found dull, with the whole story told rather than shown: a story in itself which isn't that interesting); "Don't Worry Darling" (2022), a 'Stepford Wives' film that only goes in one direction; "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), a Kubrick misfire which I felt to be one of the worst films I've ever seen; "Longlegs" (2024, Osgood Perkins) which - despite liking a lot of this director's films - I thought was shite; "Queer" (2024, directed by Luca Guadagnino) where - again - I like a lot of this director's work but I found this a rambling, overlong and ultimately boring film; "Megalopolis" (2024, Francis Ford Coppola) which I found turgid; and "Nosferatu" (2024, Robert Eggers), a film which majestically adds nothing to F. W. Murnau's 1922 original other than Salvador Dali with asthma.

Whilst the number of films I actively loathed were few, looking down my list again I feel there are many that I kind-of-liked but few I became really excited about. Those I would recommend as definitely worth a watch, however, include "The Five Devils" (2022), a French fantasy-drama with an interesting premise; "Run Lola Run" (1998), which I've heard so much about but which feels bound by the time constraint rather than freed by it; "Inland Empire" (2006), our second David Lynch memorial watch which I thought to be an exploration in disintegration with some excellent scenes coupled with moments bordering on tedium; "Civil War" (2024), a well-paced interesting film that mostly gets it right but is also a harrowing indication of where things are going; "The Girl With The Needle" (2024), a bleak, beautifully-acted film about decisions foistered by circumstances; "Mississippi Burning" (1988), a film which does exactly what it needs to do; "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1934), a great re-telling of a classic story; "The Crow" (1994), which I surprisingly enjoyed much more than I thought I would, and was certainly considerably better than "The Crow" (1994) which I watched the following evening and which was dreadful; "Parthenope" (2024, Paolo Sorrentino), a director whom I love, and whilst parts of this film didn't seem quite as vibrant as some of his other material, there were numerous jaw dropping, beautiful moments which elevated the film beyond anything his contemporaries are producing; "The Moor" (2024, Chris Cronin), which maintained a good atmosphere up to the last ten minutes; "Following" (1998), Christopher Nolan's neat neo-noir debut; the short 1972 film "La Cabina", the story of a man stuck in a telephone box which moves methodically to a chilling conclusion; "Punch-Drunk Love", a Paul Thomas Anderson film featuring Adam Sandler which sounds like an oxymoron but which I greatly enjoyed; "Island of Terror" (1966), in which Peter Cushing has to defeat man-made creatures that suck the bones out of your body; and "The Apartment" (1960, Billy Wilder), featuring superlative performances by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine (the latter especially brilliant in her role). Towards the end of the year we also watched eight Shaw Brothers' produced 'kung-fu' films ranging from 1967 to 1984, all of which were nothing less than entertaining, with the stand-out being "Crippled Avengers" (1978, Chang Cheh) which was excellent.

Other than the above which are all worth your time, there were a few more films that really got under my skin, and here are those recommendations: "Asteroid City" (2023, Wes Anderson). I felt this was a return to form and marginally more confrontational than usual, however he does veer extremely close to an Art for Art's Sake vibe and whilst that isn't something I'm against, sometimes I want a smidgeon more depth. Anyway, I enjoyed it; "Time of the Wolf" (2003, Michael Haneke), a post-apocalyptic drama which carries a disturbing ring of truth about it; "The Saragossa Manuscript" (1965, Wojciech Has), a cult Polish film containing films within films, which was extremely entertaining. I can see how Bunuel and Lynch liked it (apparently). Good stuff; "The Monkey" (2025, Osgood Perkins), a horror film which is unashamedly fun throughout; "Frankenstein" (2025, Guillermo del Toro) which I greatly enjoyed (in a fight between this and Eggar's "Dracula", this film wins hands down); "Beauty and the Beast" (Czech: Panna a netvor, 1978, Juraj Herz) which gives Cocteau's film a run for the money; and "The Protagonists" (1999, Luca Guadagnino), a semi-documentary about a true crime but presented in a decidedly non-traditional documentary way. Definitely an interesting experiment. Out of all of these films, I saw only one at the cinema this year, which was "Pillion" (2025, Harry Lighton), a gay relationship film which I felt hit just the right tone and almost made my top three this year. Finally, I would highly recommend two music documentaries, "Devo" (2024, Chris Smith), a great insight into this revolutionary band and why it is important to be subversive even when you inevitably become part of the system, and the short film, "Barking In The Dark" (2025, Marie Losier) which covers The Residents' career and has some very interesting archival material for those yet to discover this band's genius.

Anyway, whilst as usual I get the feeling that another day might produce marginally different results, today here are my top three movies that I saw for the first time in 2025.

Again, in reverse order:

"Bird" (2024) - Andrea Arnold

I watched this at the beginning of the year and it's easy to forget how good something is after twelve months, however this has stayed with me and I found it interestingly compulsive. A good mix of hard reality and wishful fantasy that is definitely worth your time.

"Skinamarink" (2022) - Kyle Edward Ball

This is a quite a difficult horror film to categorise, and won't be to everyone's taste, however I felt it to be a study in sustained quiet terror with some genuinely unnerving scenes. The kind of film that stays in your head long after having watched it.

And the winner is...

"Werckmeister Harmonies" (2000) - Béla Tarr

The films of Béla Tarr (co-directed with Ágnes Hranitzky) frequently make my top three, and "Werckmeister Harmonies" is no exception. I think it's fair to say this is the most accessible of the films that I've seen by these directors and it's also absolutely brilliant. There's a visceral fluidity to the filmmaking which feels incredibly honest and digs deep when it comes to imagery. The scene where a mob enter and vandalise a hospital and then have a moment of epiphany before trudging back out again will stay with me for a long while. As will the whole film. This is exactly what filmmaking should be all about. Loved it.

Records:

I listened to the following albums in 2025:

New Found Glory – December’s Here

Nancy Sinatra – Sugar

Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle

Nadine Shah – Filthy Underneath

Hitsujibungaku – 12 Hugs (Like Butterflies)

The Stranglers – Black and White

Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out?

Peter Perrett – The Cleansing

English Teacher – This Could Be Texas

Idles – TANGK

The Stranglers – La Folie

The xx – I See You

Barry Adamson – Cut To Black

Goat Girl – Below The Waste

The Fall – I Am Kurious Oranj

Devo – Shout

Blonde Redhead – Blonde Redhead

Hayley Williams – Petals For Armor

Plvs Vltra – Parthenon

The Lovely Eggs – Eggsistentialism

The Raveonettes – The Raveonettes Sing...

Action Pact – Mercury Theatre – On The Air

Okotobe Beaver – Itekoma Hits

The Plastics – Welcome Back

Cœur de Pirate – Blonde

Iggy Pop – Soldier

Buzzcocks – Love Bites

Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well

Chrystabell & David Lynch – Cellophane Memories

Sonic Youth – Evol

Julee Cruise – Floating Into The Night

The Residents – God In Three Persons

Butthole Surfers – Rembrandt Pussyhorse

Echobelly – On

Taylor Swift – Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions

Rachel Sweet – Protect The Innocent

Talking Heads – Remain in Light

Throwing Muses – Sun Racket

Link Wray – The Shadow Knows

Panic At The Disco – Pretty. Odd.

Hallan – Completum

Taylor Swift – Lover (Live From Paris)

The Police – Ghost In The Machine

Hugh Cornwell & Robert Williams – Nosferatu

Mattiel – Satis Factory

The Sundays – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

The Only Ones – The Only Ones

Skids – Absolute Game

The Residents – Warning: Uninc. (Live and Experimental Recordings 1971–1972)

Snapped Ankles – Come Play The Trees

The Residents – Doctor Dark

Snapped Ankles – Stunning Luxury

Snapped Ankles – Blurtations

The Residents – The Bunny Boy

Anarchistwood – Chiasmata

The Residents – Animal Lover

The Residents – The Ghost Of Hope

Barry Adamson – Back To The Cat

Magazine – The Correct Use Of Soap

Magazine – No Thyself

Dave Formula – Satellite Sweetheart

The Widows – Mono Deluxe

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

Throwing Muses – Midnight Concessions

Can – Ege Bamyasi

Coil – Horse Rotorvator

Nurse With Wound – Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella

Melt–Banana – 3+5

Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats

Nina Hagen – NunMonkSexRock

Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock and Roll

Welly – Big In The Suburbs

bis – Systems Music for Home Defence

Brazilian Girls – Brazilian Girls

Amyl & The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness

Snapped Ankles – Hard Times Furious Dancing

Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte

Massive Attack – Mezzanine

De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising

Cœur De Pirate – Cœur De Pirate

Viagra Boys – Cave World

Lou Reed – Berlin

The Flaming Lips – King's Mouth

The Clash – The Clash

Blondie – The Curse of Blondie

Blondie – Blondie

Blondie – No Exit

Cœur De Pirate – En cas de tempête, ce jardin sera fermé

The Clash – Give 'Em Enough Rope

The Residents – The Third Reich 'n' Roll (pREServed edition)

Faust – Faust IV

Swans – The Beggar

Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Bedouin Soundclash – Street Gospels

Jenny Hval – Iris Silver Mist

Viagra Boys – Street Worms

Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz

Arooj Aftab – Night Reign

Butthole Surfers – Pioughd

Bedouin Soundclash – Light The Horizon

X–Ray Spex – Germfree Adolescents

X–Ray Spex – Conscious Consumer

Supergrass – I Should Coco

Public Image Ltd – End Of The World

The Residents – Whatever Happened to Vileness Fats?

Copeland – Beneath Medicine Tree

Big Joanie – Sistahs

Sparks – MAD!

Laurie Anderson – Big Science

Laurie Anderson – Homeland

Marina – Princess of Power

Butthole Surfers – Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac

Shonen Knife – Yama–no Attchan

Brian Wilson – Smile

The Ravenettes – Pe'ahi II

Sparks – Propaganda

Sparks – Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins

Nadine Shah – Kitchen Sink

Butthole Surfers – Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers – Independent Worm Saloon

Butthole Surfers – Weird Revolution

Pop Will Eat Itself – Box Frenzy

Panic Shack – Panic Shack

Hotel Lux – Barstool Preaching

Hotel Lux – Hands Across The Creek

The Linda Lindas – No Obligation

Less Than Jake – Losing Streak

Sun’s Signature – Sun’s Signature

PINS – Wild Nights

Blonde Redhead – The Shadow Of The Guest

Gary Numan – Telekon

Dev2.0 – Dev2.0

PINS – Girls Like Us

PINS – Bad Thing

PINS – Hot Slick (Piano Versions)

Hitsujibangaku – POWERS

Cocteau Twins – Head Over Heels

Hermanos Gutierrez – Hoy Como Ayer

Mercury Rev – Born Horses

Various Artists – Exotic–O–Rama

PINS – Hot Slick

Descendents – Everything Sucks

The Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus

The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World

Coeur De Pirate – Cavale

Mdou Moctar – Funeral for Justice

Sonic Youth – Sister

William Onyeabor – Atomic Bomb

Taylor Swift – The Life Of A Showgirl

Lou Reed and John Cale – Songs For Drella

Boko Yout – Gusto

Hitsujibungaku – Don't Laugh It Off

Sparks – Madder

The Ghost Wolves – Consumer Waste

Howard Devoto – Jerky Versions Of The Dream

Howard Devoto – Designoid

The Residents – The King & Eye

City & Color – If I Should Go Before You

Bow Wow Wow – See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!

Various Artists – Monster-O-Rama

Bow Wow Wow – Girl Bites Dog

Pop Will Eat Itself – Delete Everything

Taylor Swift – Fearless

Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

Hotel Lux – The Bitter Cup

Cœur de Pirate – Roses

Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger

Blonde Redhead – 23

The Raveonettes – Chain Gang Of Love

The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust

The Ravenettes – Pe'ahi

Cœur de Pirate – Perséides

Cœur de Pirate – Impossible à aimer

That's exactly 174 albums which is 5 less than I listened to last year, but still a figure that I'm happy with. For the purposes of my favourites, as I've done with my movie list, I will discount anything previously listened to. And unlike movies and books (which - even with favourites - I rarely read/see more than a handful of occasions in a lifetime), music is an entirely different kettle of fish and predominantly most of these will be re-listens. I haven't done a count in previous years, but I note approximately 35% of these records were new to me which isn't too bad a percentage I feel.

Revisits this year included the usual old favourites such as Blonde Redhead, The Stranglers, Maximo Park, X-Ray Spex and Blondie. I also attended 27 gigs this year, so much of my listening revolved around preparation for these concerts, including albums by The Raveonettes, Butthole Surfers (the gig was singer, Gibby Haynes, solo, and was one of my best gigs ever), PINS (although the gig was cancelled!), Snapped Ankles and Hotel Lux to name just a few. For those interested, my list of gigs attended with photos was blogged here. I've also bought quite a lot of vinyl this year, but haven't had a huge opportunity to play it, so other than favourite Cœur De Pirate (I bought her entire back catalogue on vinyl from Canada, taking advantage of free postage), most of the music was streamed via Spotify - an app which believes I'm 83 years old because I played a lot of Link Wray whilst writing a movie this year!

Special mentions to the following which I've previously listened to but haven't heard in a while: Rachel Sweet's "Protect The Innocent" (a darker second album compared to her debut); Hugh Cornwell & Robert Williams' "Nosferatu" (an incredibly inventive album from 1979, which I was lucky enough to hear Hugh perform in full this year); Howard Devoto's "Jerky Versions Of The Dream" (an album I'm always glad to revist, lyrically and musically brilliant); Bow Wow Wow's "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!" (a contender for the longest album title ever); various Sparks albums, including favourites "Propaganda" and "Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins"; and Blondie's first (self-titled) album and their (as it was then) comeback album "No Exit" which remind me how much I love that band. And also The Residents' "The Third Reich 'n' Roll (pREServed edition)", a sonic wonder of phonetic organisation!

Older records heard for the first time (some surprises here!) which I especially enjoyed included the eponymous "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (not sure why I've never heard that in full before); "The Clash" by The Clash (likewise, although they were always a bit too rough and ready for me; I do prefer "Give 'Em Enough Rope" from that period); "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys (the production on this record is insane!); Throbbing Gristle's "20 Jazz Funk Greats" (I thought I had heard this before, but after listening to it this year I certainly couldn't have done); "Faust IV" by Faust (some tremendous sounds on this!), The Residents' "The King & Eye" (our eyeball heroes perform some nifty Elvis tracks); De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising" (lovely trip-hop); Laurie Anderson's "Big Science" (which I knew I would always love, but had never actually listened to), but also her album "Homeland", which I thought was excellent; Nigerian desert blues band Mdou Moctar's "Funeral for Justice" which has a compelling rhythm; the album "Systems Music for Home Defence" by bis (a band I have always loved but this 2022 record had gone under my radar); Barry Adamson's moody and filmic "Cut To Black"; and Nadine Shah's "Kitchen Sink" (I'm catching up with her material after last years "Filthy Underneath" absolutely blew me away).

Onto 2025 releases. There were two which weren't quite as compelling as I thought they might have been. Having seen Welly last year perform an infectious gig I had hopes for "Big In The Suburbs", but found it overlong where it could have distilled their bis/Sultans of Ping/Art Brut style more succinctly; and Viagra Boy's support act, Boko Yout, who were excellent when I saw them, delivered "Gusto" with not quite enough...er...gusto. Although having only listened to both of these records once, perhaps I'm doing them a disservice. Alternatively, I thought there were some great albums this year, including The Linda Lindas "No Obligation" (especially the song "All In My Head" which is an incredibly compulsive pop song from this very young band); Peter Perrett's ambitious double album "The Cleansing" (and yeah, I've just realised these first two are late 2024 releases, but who cares); Panic Shack's self-titled debut album, full on girl-power and brilliant live; laconic Hotel Lux's "The Bitter Cup", which consolidates their previous sound and then takes it further; Blonde Redhead's "The Shadow Of The Guest", an album of remixed and choral renditions of songs from their superb 2023 album "Sit Down for Dinner"; "Midnight Concessions" by Throwing Muses (almost a continuation of 2020's "Sun Racket"); Lambrini Girls first full length album, "Who Let The Dogs Out?", which encapsulates their great live sound, but does make me wonder if the targets are becoming too by-the-numbers (despite how heavily I agree with their politics); Taylor Swift's "The Life Of A Showgirl" which is one-half of an absolutely brilliant pop album coupled with some half-baked songs I wasn't quite as keen on; Snapped Ankles' fourth record, "Hard Times Furious Dancing" which continues to plough their same field, but perhaps not quite en pointe as previously; and "Princess of Power" by Marina (formerly ...and the Diamonds), which is a great return to form and an album I thoroughly enjoyed (the track, "Cuntissimo", is absolutely infectious.

Whilst my favourite album this year has never been in doubt, I've found it extremely difficult choosing my second and third places. There are five albums would might easily rotate in those positions, and so my decision today might be different tomorrow. Either way, I highly recommend all of the following, which - interestingly - were all released in 2025 (and four out of the five acts I saw live this year).

Those albums which came extremely close then are "MAD!" by Sparks. At times, I think Sparks might be my favourite band ever, and considering this is their 26th studio album you might think they could have tailed off a bit, but here songs such as "Do Things My Own Way", "A Little Bit Of Light Banter", "Lord Have Mercy" and especially "My Devotion" make this an extra special album for me; "Don't Laugh It Off" by Japanese band Hitsujibunaku who in a previous year came top in my list with "Powers", is a storming record of melodic songs with a hard edge, all complimented by Moeka Shiotsuka's beautiful voice, and deservedly is up here with the best (perhaps not quite making it as I have no idea what the lyrics might be); and "Cavale" by Cœur de Pirate, a brilliant pop album and definitely the best from her (Béatrice Martin) recently, however a record which doesn't quite make my top three possibly because it's only been out a few months and I haven't totally been able to immerse myself in it.

Bearing in mind the above might easily be listed below, here are my top three records of 2025 in reverse order:

"Pe'ahi 2" (2025) - The Raveonettes

I've been following this band for the past twenty years, and frequently listen to their records (especially "Whip It On" and "Chain Gang Of Love") when writing fiction. Whilst I've heard later albums less frequently, "Pe'ahi 2" has come to the fore especially due to finally seeing the band live for the first time in early December (what a gig!), but also because - again - I've found it the perfect record to play whilst I'm writing. It's only just over thirty minutes long, and I've been listening to it three times daily whilst writing the novelisation of my film, "Armadillotown". Sonically, it's an inventive wall of sound, and has cemented my appreciation of this band ten-fold. A great record.

"Viagr aboys" (2025) - Viagra Boys

Definitely one of my favourite bands of the last few years, Viagra Boys are funny, energetic, lyrically interesting, and have a much broader sound than might be initially imagined. Their performance at Brixton Academy was probably my favourite gig this year. Whilst this record initially didn't seem to match the themes set by their previous, "Cave World", this fourth album has continued to grow on me, especially "Man Made Of Meat", "Uno II", and "Medicine For Horses" (the lyrics on that song being my favourite of the year: Hey baby, can I borrow your car? / I wanna drive into a wall and make us two-dimensional / And, by the way, I need your credit card / I need to pay a guy to get my pineal gland re-calcified). I also love the title of this record, which is how I usually write the band's name when sending emails to friends to avoid them being marked as spam. The acknowledgement of that seems to sum up the band for me - they don't take themselves too seriously (whilst simultaneously taking themselves seriously). Another great record.

And the winner is...

"Doctor Dark" (2025) - The Residents

I've been listening to The Residents for years and some of my favourites are early in their back catalogue ("Not Available", "Eskimo", "Commercial Album" etc), and this three-act opera described as 'a journey into the greasy world of euthanasia, drug abuse and an unhealthy obsession with heavy metal' is definitely up there with their best. Considering this album is 76 minutes long, I've heard this repeatedly since its release. The 'plot', which merges the true story of two teenagers who entered into a suicide pact, coupled with the Doctor Dark (based on Doctor Kevorkian, an advocate of a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide), is ably supported by a wide breadth of music, and it's an absolute stonking classic. If you've never heard The Residents before, this would be a good place to start (bearing in mind their longevity, like Sparks, for this is their 47th studio album!). It's diverse, elegaic, and dirty-beautiful.

So that's it, my summary of what I read, watched and listened to this year! Drop back in next year, but as has become usual I'll end with a song that captivated me during 2025 and is sufficiently quirky to deserve the final note to send off this long post. As previously mentioned, here is "All In My Head" by The Linda Lindas with its absolute killer chorus.

Gigs - 2025

Last year I wrote a post detailing the gigs I'd attended that year, and I think I'll make this an annual thing to keep my photos in one place. This year, it amounted to 27 gigs (more than ever before in one year). I don't take many photos as I prefer to be in the moment, but early on I like to get my phone out and take at least one snap (as a reminder more than anything else). And I do mean snaps, there's no professionalism here! Anyway, no doubt this might be of interest to someone, somewhere, so here, listing the main act only unless there is a very significant other, are the gigs I attended in 2025 with accompanying pic. It's probably worth noting that some of these I attended as chaperone for my daughter, but on the whole I enjoyed all of them.