Have we lost the art of making movie trailers?
Studio Ghibli's decision to forego trailers for "How Do You Live?" has sparked a debate over how modern movies are often ruined by overenthusiastic and excessive trailers.
Posts by: Mae Losasso
From Screen to Stage | The insufferable rise of film-to-musical adaptations
Examining the rise of film adaptations as musicals and their implications on modern attitudes towards art, culture, and entertainment.
Desire, I Want to Turn into You review | Caroline Polachek’s mashed-up rollercoaster ride
★★★☆☆
Desire, I Want to Turn into You, Caroline Polachek’s second solo album under her given name, has been one of this year’s most anticipated releases. And whilst there’s plenty to love about it (it has, after all, been released on Valentine’s Day), its experimentation doesn’t always stack up.
Strikes in France: Delacroix and revolutionary zeal | Deep Focus
The French have protested with great fervour for centuries. Still, in 2023, the latest strikes in France demonstrate the will to rebel is exercised just as readily as in the French Revolution of 1789.
Las Luminarias and how to paint fire | Deep Focus
Spain's ancient Luminaries Festival, Las Luminarias, breathes fire into the lens for this shot by Marcos del Mazo. Fire, an age-old human obsession, has inspired artists since time immemorial, from Britain's Turner to Jackson Pollock.
Five Easy Hot Dogs review | Selecting carpet designs in The Sims
★★★☆☆ Mac DeMarco's new album, Five Easy Hot Dogs, is a bit too experimental, leaving the listener yearning for his earlier sounds.
A revolution won is a revolution lost | Deep Focus
In the latest of our Deep Focus series, where we look closely at a seemingly simple photograph, we compare orderly train attendants in China, with Luigi Rossolo's The Revolt.
London in the snow | Deep Focus
We might not get a white Christmas, but we got a white mid-December instead. In the latest of our Deep Focus series, where we look closely at a seemingly simple photograph, we compare London in the snow to Breugel's 1565 classic, The Hunters in the Snow.
The story of Christmas ghosts | Why does Britain love festive terror?
Why, at the cheeriest time of year, do we like to spook ourselves out of our skins? From Charles Dickens to M.R. James, we investigate a Christmas tradition like no other: ghosts.
Deadpool the Elf gets into the Christmas spirit | Deep Focus
Christmas is just around the corner, but one festive onlooker stood out from the rest. In the latest part of our Deep Focus series, we look closely at a seemingly simple photograph to deduce what’s really happening.
What is Manifesting? | The new materialistic cult with a dark side
What is 'manifesting'? Can you wish a new car or boyfriend into reality? A new craze (or cult?), endorsed by celebs like Cara Delevingne, is here. It's vapid, exploitative, and potentially damaging.
England football fans react | Deep Focus
It seems the whole world is looking at the Qatar World Cup, but this particular picture of English fans caught our eye. In the latest part of our Deep Focus series, we look closely at a seemingly simple photograph to deduce what’s really happening.
The controversial Balenciaga campaign and the Rise of 'Evil'
In the wake of Balenciaga's disastrous advertising campaign, accusations of 'evil' are being levelled at the fashion house. With wider-ranging conspiracy theories flying around as a result, we separate the fact from the fiction.
The Ronaldo mural and the first grinning portrait | Deep Focus
The new Ronaldo mural in Manchester features the footballer smiling with a pearly white-toothed grin. It's a temporary work of art, not made to last.
Sean Penn and Zelensky are The Ambassadors | Deep Focus
This week, Sean Penn handed his Oscar to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a ‘symbol of faith’. But in Deep Focus, we see the echoes of Hans Holbein the Younger's 1533 painting, The Ambassadors.
Just Stop Oil and Ferrari | Deep Focus
Just Stop Oil's attack on the London Ferrari showroom has overtones of Abstract Expressionism in this interesting snapshot.
Kanye West and the Big Lie | Deep Focus
Kanye West has been in the news a lot lately. One picture in particular, however, caught our eye, and we take a closer look by pulling focus.
Ai-Da the robot in Parliament | Deep Focus
Ai-Da the robot has been in the House of Lords, but we're interested in the photo itself. How can we read deeper into what's happening here? By pulling focus.
Ex Nihilo | The Queen’s passing will spark a national existential crisis – even for republicans
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Mae Losasso examines what the future might now hold for Britain’s sense of identity.
‘We tried to save its character’ | The hotel chain preserving Italy's heritage
Sextantio Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a hotel established to preserve the heritage of the Italian South, but while some celebrate it as a model for boutique hotels, others criticise it for its stripped-back asceticism.
Why the Hadrian’s Wall installation widens the gap between past and present
Morag Myerscough's immersive structure is eye-catching, but what does it say about our past and present? Mae Losasso finds out.
'George Harrison is coming to dinner': The Family Who Introduced the Beatles to Indian Music
When George Harrison snapped a sitar string in 1965, a family from Finchley came to the rescue. This is the story of Ayana and Patricia Angadi and the role they played in shaping 60s British popular culture. Mae Losasso speaks to their daughter, Chandrika Casali, about Paul, peanuts, and swimming in George’s pool.
