Michael Brooke
@marbleicehook.bsky.social
Freelance writer, editor and DVD/Blu-ray producer/commentator specialising in British and central/eastern European cinema. Indexes to my regular posts celebrating the latter (9am daily, 9pm most days) can be found at http://www.michaelbrooke.com/bluesky
I had to check to see if this had been published today, as opposed to half a century ago during the last Harold Wilson administration, which was the last time that Britain had anything even vaguely paying the most token lip service to the concept of full-blooded socialism. But no, it was today.
November 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
I had to check to see if this had been published today, as opposed to half a century ago during the last Harold Wilson administration, which was the last time that Britain had anything even vaguely paying the most token lip service to the concept of full-blooded socialism. But no, it was today.
RIP Udo Kier. In late 1983 and early 1984 I saw his Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr Jekyll on assorted big screens, in all cases absurdly too young, in films that had a worryingly disproportionate impact on my entire cultural worldview. He truly fucked life in the gall bladder and no mistake. RIP.
November 24, 2025 at 8:32 AM
RIP Udo Kier. In late 1983 and early 1984 I saw his Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr Jekyll on assorted big screens, in all cases absurdly too young, in films that had a worryingly disproportionate impact on my entire cultural worldview. He truly fucked life in the gall bladder and no mistake. RIP.
Reposted by Michael Brooke
Not sure how "sophisticated" this supposedly sophisticated publishing scam is when their fake photos haven't even been cropped to hide the watermarks showing that they're fake.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
November 16, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Not sure how "sophisticated" this supposedly sophisticated publishing scam is when their fake photos haven't even been cropped to hide the watermarks showing that they're fake.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
My latest commentary commission. I was honoured to be asked, and I hope I did these incredible films something vaguely approaching justice—although I can definitely say that I’m as proud of my work here as I’ve been of pretty much anything else I’ve ever done.
Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol 3 - The Short Films of Yuri Nostein
THIS IS A PRE-ORDER SCHEDULED TO RELEASE LATE DECEMBER/JANUARY.PRE-ORDERS CANNOT BE CANCELLED OR MODIFIED.YOU WILL BE CHARGED AT CHECKOUT. ALL ITEMS ORDERED WITH A PRE-ORDER WILL SHIP TOGETHER. IF YOU...
deafcrocodile.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
My latest commentary commission. I was honoured to be asked, and I hope I did these incredible films something vaguely approaching justice—although I can definitely say that I’m as proud of my work here as I’ve been of pretty much anything else I’ve ever done.
Proofreading an OCRed document about Turkish popular cinema, I find that the name of the director Çetin İnanç has been misread as “Cretin Inane”.
Everyone’s a critic.
Everyone’s a critic.
November 13, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Proofreading an OCRed document about Turkish popular cinema, I find that the name of the director Çetin İnanç has been misread as “Cretin Inane”.
Everyone’s a critic.
Everyone’s a critic.
Does this mean that Donald Trump has seen the error of his former ways and will no longer be grotesquely misrepresenting people several times a day via a combination of selective quotation and flat-out lying?
I mean, one would hope so, but...
I mean, one would hope so, but...
BBC resignations latest: Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1bn if it does not respond within days over speech edit error
Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1bn, after its chair admitted an error in the editing of a speech by the US president in a documentary about the January 6 riots in 2021. Downing Street...
news.sky.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Does this mean that Donald Trump has seen the error of his former ways and will no longer be grotesquely misrepresenting people several times a day via a combination of selective quotation and flat-out lying?
I mean, one would hope so, but...
I mean, one would hope so, but...
I’m absolutely thrilled for my New York friends who - expectedly but still gratifyingly - cut through the same bullshit that Londoners were fed in 2016.
And, ten years later, London still hasn’t become the hotbed of Islamist Communist terrorism that we were assured was inevitable under Sadiq Khan.
And, ten years later, London still hasn’t become the hotbed of Islamist Communist terrorism that we were assured was inevitable under Sadiq Khan.
November 5, 2025 at 9:16 AM
I’m absolutely thrilled for my New York friends who - expectedly but still gratifyingly - cut through the same bullshit that Londoners were fed in 2016.
And, ten years later, London still hasn’t become the hotbed of Islamist Communist terrorism that we were assured was inevitable under Sadiq Khan.
And, ten years later, London still hasn’t become the hotbed of Islamist Communist terrorism that we were assured was inevitable under Sadiq Khan.
Reposted by Michael Brooke
1) She has proof Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion colour swapped
2) Mrs Doubtfire & Rose from Titanic are the worst
3) She has a 3rd, correct, way of putting Jam and Cream on a Scone
4) Arsenal scoring from set pieces is perfectly acceptable and whining about it makes you a loser
5) Han shot first
2) Mrs Doubtfire & Rose from Titanic are the worst
3) She has a 3rd, correct, way of putting Jam and Cream on a Scone
4) Arsenal scoring from set pieces is perfectly acceptable and whining about it makes you a loser
5) Han shot first
October 29, 2025 at 5:08 PM
1) She has proof Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion colour swapped
2) Mrs Doubtfire & Rose from Titanic are the worst
3) She has a 3rd, correct, way of putting Jam and Cream on a Scone
4) Arsenal scoring from set pieces is perfectly acceptable and whining about it makes you a loser
5) Han shot first
2) Mrs Doubtfire & Rose from Titanic are the worst
3) She has a 3rd, correct, way of putting Jam and Cream on a Scone
4) Arsenal scoring from set pieces is perfectly acceptable and whining about it makes you a loser
5) Han shot first
Well, there’s lovely.
Here's my look at the mesmerizing masterpiece THE DEVIL'S BRIDE from @deafcrocodile.bsky.social featuring my buddy @marbleicehook.bsky.social giving another excellent commentary. This is an exceptional release for one of my favorite recent discoveries. Loved every frame of this.
#filmsky #bluray
#filmsky #bluray
With Sympathy: Arūnas Žebriūnas’ THE DEVIL’S BRIDE (1974) from Deaf Crocodile
An overwhelmingly wonderful and completely wonderous film from Lithuanian director Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1974’s Velnio nuotaka (The Devil’s Bride) is an astonishing and incredibly special w…
nostalgiakinky.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Well, there’s lovely.
A thing what I wroted. I'd gladly have made this two or three times longer - it's a phenomenally rich subject - but the BFI has a standard template and word count for these pieces.
Where to begin with Theo Angelopoulos
Ninety years after his birth, and as a season of his films begins at the ICA, we suggest a beginner’s path through one of the heavyweights of European arthouse cinema: Greek master Theo Angelopoulos.
www.bfi.org.uk
October 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
A thing what I wroted. I'd gladly have made this two or three times longer - it's a phenomenally rich subject - but the BFI has a standard template and word count for these pieces.
@ohsinnerman.bsky.social has probably seen this already, but just in case...
October 6, 2025 at 10:40 AM
@ohsinnerman.bsky.social has probably seen this already, but just in case...
Reposted by Michael Brooke
FERAT VAMPIRE is fantastic. Not only is it a fun "Car Horror Film" but it's a nifty little snapshot of Czechoslovakia before the fall of the Iron Curtain. @severinfilms.bsky.social put the transmission into top gear for this one. Also, @marbleicehook.bsky.social gives a fascinating commentary.
Ferat Vampire [Blu-ray w/LE Slipcase]
“IT REMAINS IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN…Communist reality merges with horror realityin the spookiest film to emerge from the former Soviet bloc.”Blu-ray.com THE NORTH AMERICAN HOME VIDEO PREMIEREWITH 5+ HO...
severinfilms.com
September 15, 2025 at 1:50 PM
FERAT VAMPIRE is fantastic. Not only is it a fun "Car Horror Film" but it's a nifty little snapshot of Czechoslovakia before the fall of the Iron Curtain. @severinfilms.bsky.social put the transmission into top gear for this one. Also, @marbleicehook.bsky.social gives a fascinating commentary.
If someone gave me $30bn, I wouldn't become "energised and focused", I'd say "thank you very much", put my feet up and enjoy the rest of my now extremely pampered existence in a state of blissed-out relaxation.
(Actually, I'd most likely give 99.999% of it away and live comfortably off the rest.)
(Actually, I'd most likely give 99.999% of it away and live comfortably off the rest.)
The rich must be incentivised; the poor must be disciplined.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
August 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
If someone gave me $30bn, I wouldn't become "energised and focused", I'd say "thank you very much", put my feet up and enjoy the rest of my now extremely pampered existence in a state of blissed-out relaxation.
(Actually, I'd most likely give 99.999% of it away and live comfortably off the rest.)
(Actually, I'd most likely give 99.999% of it away and live comfortably off the rest.)
Reposted by Michael Brooke
After watching Michael Brooke's hour-long history of Polish animation on this set last night I now have a better idea of how to pronounce the names of directors that I've been mispronouncing for years. Also a much better idea of the history of Polish animation.
Our 27 shorts of ESSENTIAL POLISH ANIMATION are out now. This collection traces their evolution through 50s breakthroughs to 80s experimentation, displaying the inventive creativity of the medium.
July 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
After watching Michael Brooke's hour-long history of Polish animation on this set last night I now have a better idea of how to pronounce the names of directors that I've been mispronouncing for years. Also a much better idea of the history of Polish animation.
Reposted by Michael Brooke
There are 3 types of newspapers columns
I am an utter sociopath
I am extraordinarily thick
Thank Christ for nepotism
They can, obviously, overlap
I am an utter sociopath
I am extraordinarily thick
Thank Christ for nepotism
They can, obviously, overlap
July 20, 2025 at 11:07 AM
There are 3 types of newspapers columns
I am an utter sociopath
I am extraordinarily thick
Thank Christ for nepotism
They can, obviously, overlap
I am an utter sociopath
I am extraordinarily thick
Thank Christ for nepotism
They can, obviously, overlap
Reposted by Michael Brooke
I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.
July 9, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.
Cleaning up the automated transcript of @horrornonna.com and @joshnelsonfilm.bsky.social's latest commentary (which I'm having to create for Sony's legal department; oh, the glamour), I note that one of these esteemed speakers has been rendered as the distinctly Greek-sounding "Alex Helenikos".
June 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Cleaning up the automated transcript of @horrornonna.com and @joshnelsonfilm.bsky.social's latest commentary (which I'm having to create for Sony's legal department; oh, the glamour), I note that one of these esteemed speakers has been rendered as the distinctly Greek-sounding "Alex Helenikos".
This month’s nearly 1,200-page extravagance. I’d been umming and aahing about it for ages, my now 30-year-old copy of Bendazzi’s single-volume ‘Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation’ was getting a bit long in the tooth, and I’ve had than one animation-related commission this year, so...
May 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This month’s nearly 1,200-page extravagance. I’d been umming and aahing about it for ages, my now 30-year-old copy of Bendazzi’s single-volume ‘Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation’ was getting a bit long in the tooth, and I’ve had than one animation-related commission this year, so...
Today's post, courtesy of the estimable
@johnnymains.co.uk (as its creator, not its donor; I was happy to pay for it!).
I'm very glad I went for the almost 550-page hardback, as it feels seriously meaty in a way that I imagine the paperback doesn't quite match.
@johnnymains.co.uk (as its creator, not its donor; I was happy to pay for it!).
I'm very glad I went for the almost 550-page hardback, as it feels seriously meaty in a way that I imagine the paperback doesn't quite match.
May 24, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Today's post, courtesy of the estimable
@johnnymains.co.uk (as its creator, not its donor; I was happy to pay for it!).
I'm very glad I went for the almost 550-page hardback, as it feels seriously meaty in a way that I imagine the paperback doesn't quite match.
@johnnymains.co.uk (as its creator, not its donor; I was happy to pay for it!).
I'm very glad I went for the almost 550-page hardback, as it feels seriously meaty in a way that I imagine the paperback doesn't quite match.
Deeply sobering, but hard to deny right now.
It's abuser tactics wrought on a whole nation. Destroy your finances so you are dependent, destroy your friendships so you are isolated and alienate everyone else so nobody will help you.
May 23, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Deeply sobering, but hard to deny right now.
The last couple of minutes of @horrornonna.com and @joshnelsonfilm.bsky.social's commentary for Indicator's upcoming The Taming of the Shrew is now right up there with my favourite commentary endings.
(It's not all like this, by the way - the rest is admirably scholarly and informative.)
(It's not all like this, by the way - the rest is admirably scholarly and informative.)
May 21, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The last couple of minutes of @horrornonna.com and @joshnelsonfilm.bsky.social's commentary for Indicator's upcoming The Taming of the Shrew is now right up there with my favourite commentary endings.
(It's not all like this, by the way - the rest is admirably scholarly and informative.)
(It's not all like this, by the way - the rest is admirably scholarly and informative.)
Reposted by Michael Brooke
Nancy Banks-Smith meets Dennis Potter.
April 15, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Nancy Banks-Smith meets Dennis Potter.
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders/Valerie a týden divů
(Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovakia, 1970)
This celebrated Gothic-Surrealist fantasy about a young girl on the cusp of womanhood explored, to quote its director, "the juncture of reality and dream and the playful struggle between horror and humour".
(Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovakia, 1970)
This celebrated Gothic-Surrealist fantasy about a young girl on the cusp of womanhood explored, to quote its director, "the juncture of reality and dream and the playful struggle between horror and humour".
April 12, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders/Valerie a týden divů
(Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovakia, 1970)
This celebrated Gothic-Surrealist fantasy about a young girl on the cusp of womanhood explored, to quote its director, "the juncture of reality and dream and the playful struggle between horror and humour".
(Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovakia, 1970)
This celebrated Gothic-Surrealist fantasy about a young girl on the cusp of womanhood explored, to quote its director, "the juncture of reality and dream and the playful struggle between horror and humour".
Children of Glory/Szabadság, szerelem
(Krisztina Goda, Hungary, 2006)
By some distance the biggest and splashiest of the handful of films made in Hungary to mark the abortive 1956 uprising's 50th anniversary, this is an unwieldy but often fascinating fusion of local and Hollywood approaches.
(Krisztina Goda, Hungary, 2006)
By some distance the biggest and splashiest of the handful of films made in Hungary to mark the abortive 1956 uprising's 50th anniversary, this is an unwieldy but often fascinating fusion of local and Hollywood approaches.
April 11, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Children of Glory/Szabadság, szerelem
(Krisztina Goda, Hungary, 2006)
By some distance the biggest and splashiest of the handful of films made in Hungary to mark the abortive 1956 uprising's 50th anniversary, this is an unwieldy but often fascinating fusion of local and Hollywood approaches.
(Krisztina Goda, Hungary, 2006)
By some distance the biggest and splashiest of the handful of films made in Hungary to mark the abortive 1956 uprising's 50th anniversary, this is an unwieldy but often fascinating fusion of local and Hollywood approaches.
Vassilisa the Beautiful/Василиса Прекрасная
(Aleksandr Rou, USSR, 1939)
Long-term fairytale specialist Rou's second feature was based on a Russian folk tale about a beautiful young maiden cursed by an evil serpent after she spurns its advances, and who is finally freed by the love of an honest man.
(Aleksandr Rou, USSR, 1939)
Long-term fairytale specialist Rou's second feature was based on a Russian folk tale about a beautiful young maiden cursed by an evil serpent after she spurns its advances, and who is finally freed by the love of an honest man.
April 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Vassilisa the Beautiful/Василиса Прекрасная
(Aleksandr Rou, USSR, 1939)
Long-term fairytale specialist Rou's second feature was based on a Russian folk tale about a beautiful young maiden cursed by an evil serpent after she spurns its advances, and who is finally freed by the love of an honest man.
(Aleksandr Rou, USSR, 1939)
Long-term fairytale specialist Rou's second feature was based on a Russian folk tale about a beautiful young maiden cursed by an evil serpent after she spurns its advances, and who is finally freed by the love of an honest man.