Martin McDonagh: No one really tries to make sad films any more | Martin McDonagh

 Posted on March 20, 2024  |  16 minutes  |  3394 words  |  Kary Bruening

The ObserverMartin McDonaghInterviewMartin McDonagh: ‘No one really tries to make sad films any more’Miranda SawyerThe London Irish writer-director on his bad early plays, enjoying a quiet home life with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and his latest film – a friendship breakup movie starring In Bruges’ Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Martin McDonagh, writer, director and creator of small, crazed worlds of fierce people taking their pain out on each other, is talking about his new film, The Banshees of Inisherin. [Read More]

Neil Young every album ranked! | Neil Young

 Posted on March 20, 2024  |  14 minutes  |  2806 words  |  Kary Bruening

Neil Young in the late 80s. Photograph: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty ImagesAs a new live album is released and a 50th anniversary edition of After the Gold Rush approaches, we rate every album by Canada’s irascible godfather of grunge by Alexis Petridis45. Landing on Water (1986)If other 1970s greats, including Don Henley, were having 80s hits with modern, synth-heavy records then why shouldn’t Neil Young give it a go? A question to which the obvious answer is: because it might sound like Landing on Water, on which perfectly good songs – not least Hippie Dream’s devastating portrait of David Crosby in his coked-out ruin – were knackered by sterile, unsympathetic production. [Read More]

Sean Connery a life in pictures | Film

 Posted on March 20, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  1053 words  |  Kary Bruening

Sean Connery – a life in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email A retrospective of the life and career of Sean Connery, former James Bond, Scottish icon and a major Hollywood star for decades Main image: A portrait of Sir Sean Connery Photograph: Cynthia Gould/REX/Shutterstock Sat 31 Oct 2020 08.59 EDT First published on Sat 31 Oct 2020 08. [Read More]

Tacky or trendy? Fake flowers are blooming all over the country

 Posted on March 20, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  892 words  |  Chauncey Koziol

The ObserverPlasticsInstagram snaps of ‘floral’ walls are driving a boom in the plastic plants. But some are aghast at the aesthetic and ecological cost They were once widely sneered at, associated with shabby guesthouses and used as a metaphor for all things depressing in the Radiohead anthem Fake Plastic Trees. But artificial plants, particularly fake flowers, have become an unlikely yet burgeoning trend – despite critics highlighting their negative environmental impact and “vulgar” aesthetic. [Read More]

What no hands? Long sleeves get longer as fashion reaches out for cosy girl aesthetic | Fashio

 Posted on March 20, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  633 words  |  Chauncey Koziol

Alexa Chung wearing oversized sleeves at British Vogue's 2023 ‘Forces for Change’ party in London last week Photograph: Karwai Tang/WireImageAlexa Chung wearing oversized sleeves at British Vogue's 2023 ‘Forces for Change’ party in London last week Photograph: Karwai Tang/WireImageFashion This article is more than 1 month oldWhat no hands? Long sleeves get longer as fashion reaches out for ‘cosy girl’ aestheticThis article is more than 1 month oldTrend for oversized sleeves, popular for a few years now, looks to comfort and a hygge-style homebody feel [Read More]

Bono: Ive had glaucoma for past 20 years | Bono

 Posted on March 19, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  351 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Bono This article is more than 9 years oldBono: I’ve had glaucoma for past 20 yearsThis article is more than 9 years oldU2 frontman says his trademark dark glasses are due to chronic ocular condition that can make eyes more sensitive to light For two decades his insistence on wearing sunglasses, even when indoors, has been seen simply as part of his rockstar image. But Bono, 54, has revealed that his trademark shades are instead there to alleviate difficulties caused by a chronic eye condition. [Read More]

Boredom is good for you, study claims | Psychology

 Posted on March 19, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  679 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Psychology This article is more than 12 years oldBoredom is good for you, study claimsThis article is more than 12 years oldBeing bored can motivate people to 'engage in prosocial tasks and encourage more meaningful behaviour'If this weekend is yawning ahead of you, offering nothing but the same old routines and dull chores, then don't despair: boredom is good for you, a new study claims. Far from dulling the mind and leading to a lack of productivity, boredom can inspire people to seek out ways of being altruistic, empathatic and to engage in prosocial tasks, particularly unpleasant ones such as giving blood. [Read More]

Cows are loving, intelligent and kind so should we still eat them? | Farm animals

 Posted on March 19, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1742 words  |  Valentine Belue

Farm animalsInterviewCows are loving, intelligent and kind – so should we still eat them?Patrick BarkhamRosamund Young, farmer and author of The Secret Life of Cows, says she is really a ‘ghostwriter’ for her herd, with a mission to explain how they play games, babysit and even judge us. But that doesn’t mean she’s a vegetarian … ‘I’ll see who is in the mood for talking,” says Rosamund Young, strolling across a steep field on the Cotswold escarpment. [Read More]

Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed review a slick and starry collection of short st

 Posted on March 19, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  372 words  |  Valentine Belue

The ObserverFictionReviewTackling gendered insults head on, A-list authors deliver a smart anthology of fun and fearless tales to celebrate Virago’s 50th birthday “Attempting to diminish women by name-calling is nothing new,” notes Sandi Toksvig in her introduction to Virago’s 50th birthday anthology. Founded to counteract the under-representation of female writers, Virago has become a publishing powerhouse. Yet the public discourse and the online treatment of women grow ever more aggressive. I’m not sure this anthology can harness the power of a Siren or a Spitfire (to give two sample story titles) to stem the tide, but it’s certainly fun. [Read More]

Man who died in Alabama prison was reportedly returned to family without organs | Alabama

 Posted on March 19, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  860 words  |  Valentine Belue

AlabamaMan who died in Alabama prison was reportedly returned to family without organsSecond recent case involving allegations of missing body parts from Alabama prisoners involves man whose brain was removed A man who died in the custody of Alabama’s corrections department was reportedly returned to his family without his organs, including his brain. The news, which broke earlier this week, is the second recent case involving allegations of missing body parts from people in Alabama prisons. [Read More]