Contributions from Stephen Puddicombe | Little White Lies

Contributor Stephen Puddicombe

Three young people, two women and one man, embracing while holding a banner that says "OBADASS".
In Praise Of

Just Keep Livin’ – In praise of Dazed and Confused at 25

by Stephen Puddicombe

Richard Linklater’s sem­i­nal high school movie is the ulti­mate endorse­ment of liv­ing in the moment.
Two people, a man and a woman, stand close together in a black and white image. The woman has short dark hair and appears pensive, while the man has a serious expression.
In Praise Of

How A Taste of Honey put a female spin on the British New Wave

by Stephen Puddicombe

She­lagh Delaney’s voice stood out from the angry young men who dom­i­nat­ed British cin­e­ma in the mid 20th century.
Couple sitting at a table in a formal dining setting, dressed in formal attire. Black and white image.
In Praise Of

Why The Palm Beach Story is my favourite screwball comedy

by Stephen Puddicombe

Con­tem­po­rary Hol­ly­wood could learn a thing or two from Pre­ston Sturges’ pro­gres­sive and dar­ing film.
A woman with curly brown hair wearing a white dress and pearls stands in front of a floral patterned window.
In Praise Of

How Safe shows the realities of living with an incurable illness

by Stephen Puddicombe

Todd Haynes’ 1995 film stars Julianne Moore as a woman who becomes ​“aller­gic to the 20th century”.
Monochrome image of four men in suits embracing four women in low-cut dresses on a stage.
In Praise Of

How Orson Welles subverted the film noir genre

by Stephen Puddicombe

The Lady from Shang­hai is a prime exam­ple of the leg­endary filmmaker’s com­pli­cat­ed genius.
A man with a beard and furrowed brow, wearing a dark garment, gazing intently.
In Praise Of

How the original Planet of the Apes reflected the counterculture of the 1960s

by Stephen Puddicombe

Franklin J Schaffner’s satire was a response to an era of social upheaval.
Trailers

Queer classic Prick Up Your Ears is returning to cinemas

by Stephen Puddicombe

Gary Old­man deliv­ers a sen­sa­tion­al turn in this biopic of the late play­wright Joe Orton.
A young man with dark hair sits on a bed, looking thoughtful.
In Praise Of

Why Funny Games remains just as shocking 20 years on

by Stephen Puddicombe

Michael Haneke’s home inva­sion hor­ror is a chill­ing satire of vio­lence in pop­u­lar entertainment.
Intense close-up of a sinister, scarred face with wide, piercing eyes and sharp, protruding teeth.

Are some films actually better suited to smaller screens?

by Stephen Puddicombe

The ter­ri­fy­ing inti­ma­cy of The Silence of the Lambs lends it to a dif­fer­ent kind of view­ing experience.
Two men sitting on steps, one reading a newspaper headline, the other looking pensive, wearing coats and boots.
In Praise Of

Thirty years on, Withnail & I feels more relevant than ever

by Stephen Puddicombe

Bruce Robinson’s cult clas­sic will strike a chord with any strug­gling young artist liv­ing in a big city.
Trailers

Al Gore takes aim at Trump in the sequel to An Inconvenient Truth

by Stephen Puddicombe

The for­mer Vice Pres­i­dent turns up the heat in the fol­low-up to his award-win­ning cli­mate change doc.
A woman screaming in terror as a monstrous creature grabs her face, conveying a sense of horror and danger.
In Praise Of

The groovy, gruesome legacy of Evil Dead 2

by Stephen Puddicombe

Released 30 years ago, Sam Raimi’s blood-drenched hor­ror-com­e­dy is as grotesque and hilar­i­ous as ever.