Film

Film theories: cinema techniques, how to ‘read’ movies, and what makes them work.

A stylish but old-fashioned blue telephone with a dial.

The Conversation (1974) and the art of betrayal

Wiretapper Harry Caul finds it’s not always good to talk. The irony is he doesn’t even know how to listen

How sci-fi horror Alien is all about the android

Bad robot, but maybe the android is the lead character in sci-fi classic Alien

Close-up of woman holding retro sunglasses

Horror movie The Nanny (1965) explained: the other mother

1965 psychodrama The Nanny wages a disturbing war of the sexes

An open red door in a shadowy wall.

Parasite (2019) explained: the poverty trap

Poverty, pretence and the meaning of stairs in Boon Jong Ho’s Parasite

A woman wearing a tiara stands in front of a verdant backdrop.

Girls on film: why cinema loves the beauty pageant

5 films set in or around the high stakes world of the beauty contest

Why so many movies are about the same three themes

From sci-fi to cop capers, most films are actually about love, money and family