Watch and Listen

I adore the BBC's Iplayer, which allows you to watch and listen to almost all of the corporation's programmes for a week after their broadcast (and sometimes longer). Their output on the arts is second to none, and thus the Iplayer is a real treat for movie fans, especially since, of late, more movies have started to be available.

I thought it might be a nice idea each week to point up some interesting (and legal) things you can see both on the Iplayer and dotted around the net.

Currently, under Films, you'll find Legally Blonde, Casey Affleck starrer Lonsome Jim, Guillaume Canet's enjoyable thriller Tell No One and indisputable horror classic Witchfinder General. Which is a good weekend in by any standards.

Under Arts, Culture and the Media you can also find a good selection of movie programmes. For instance The Review Show (which is usualy divided up between film, theatre and music, art or books) this week concetrates entirely on the Oscar nominations and looks at films including Avatar and A Single Man. Film 2010 is its lightweight counterpart, presented, at least for a few more months, by Jonathan Ross, but for the best film coverage you have to go to the radio. Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's two hour movie show is some of the best movie discussion I've ever heard. Kermode is the kind of critic I aim to be; intelligent, incisive, passionate and unafraid to defend a controversial opinion. Radio 4's The Film Programme is middlebrow stuff, often touching on arthouse, but also embracing the more mainstream. There is also an extensive archive for The Film Programme.


Link of the Week
You can watch recent Documentary Oscar nominee Burma VJ, free and legally, on youtube's new 'shows' section. Enjoy