In Praise Of | Little White Lies

In Praise Of

Woman in white gown and red shoes standing in shadowy alleyway.
In Praise Of

The dark heart of Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes

by Adam Scovell

The British filmmaking pair’s 1948 masterpiece is an elegant ballet of myth and fairy tale.
A young woman with blonde hair, wearing a red jumper and holding a small dog, walking along a desert road.
In Praise Of

Please Stand By was the film I needed after my autism diagnosis

by Chloe Smith

Ben Lewin’s 2017 film allowed me to better understand my condition and myself.
Close-up of a middle-aged Black man with dreadlocks, wearing a grey zipped jacket and looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.
In Praise Of

How The Stairs provides an honest insight into drug addiction

by Manuela Lazic

Hugh Gibson’s 2016 documentary is a sensitive and important portrait of addicts in Toronto.
A person wearing a white martial arts uniform stands in a dilapidated doorway, appearing serious and focused.
In Praise Of

How Session 9 explores the horrors of toxic masculinity

by Thomas Hobbs

This forgotten 2001 horror set in an abandoned asylum offers a pertinent look at a modern issue.
Muscular humanoid figure in close combat with a large white cat.
In Praise Of

Why Small Soldiers is one of the deepest kids’ movies ever made

by Nadine Smith

There’s a sly satiric message at the heart of Joe Dante’s 1998 tale of action figures running amuck.
Illustration of the four members of the Beatles band in psychedelic artwork style, surrounded by a colourful crowd of diverse people.
In Praise Of

Remembering Yellow Submarine and Head at 50

by Ethan Warren

How do these psychedelic fantasias, starring The Beatles and The Monkees respectively, hold up today?
Man in a dark room, looking concerned.
In Praise Of

Why I love David Thewlis’ performance in Naked

by William Carroll

The British actor casts a gaunt, morbid, uncompromisingly human figure in Mike Leigh’s nocturnal London odyssey.
Black-and-white image of a man and woman in formal attire outdoors.
In Praise Of

Why Bringing Up Baby is my favourite classic Hollywood comedy

by Adam Scovell

Howard Hawks’ screwball is one of the first truly great sound comedies.
Persons, dressed in white garments, resting in wooded area.
In Praise Of

Discover the secret ending to Picnic at Hanging Rock

by Georgina Guthrie

The unresolved conclusion to Peter Weir’s film is much more satisfying than the posthumously published final chapter.
Close-up of a woman's face with blood and scratches on it, intense blue eyes, and dark hair.
In Praise Of

‘What a woman will do for a good f*ck’ – Julia Cotton’s sexual agency in Hellraiser

by Kaite Welsh

All hail the lusty, bitchy antiheroine of Clive Barker’s visceral 1987 body horror.