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Derek Mcarthur

Derek Mcarthur

Herald Scotland

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War film glory is over and concerning – we still shouldn’t prejudge A24’s Warfare The Iraq War was a disaster but why should we judge a film for its crimes?

In the Errol Morris documentary American Dharma, Morris sits down with Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon to discuss politics and films in an...

20.12.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Respected filmmakers directing mainstream slop is no win for the little guy

This month sees the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, another entry in Disney’s photorealistic revival of its older, much-loved animated properties....

13.12.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Using your phone in the cinema? Well, expect to be publicly shamed The film adaptation of Broadway musical Wicked has recently hit cinemas, igniting a furore over audience singalongs. Now another furore has taken centre stage: documenting the experience with phones.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how audience behaviour in cinemas has been getting worse in recent years. Now with the film adaptation of Broadway...

26.11.2024 2

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

It's not just Edinburgh – Glasgow has its fair share of uni toffs too From the Russell Group’s Glasgow University to the well-renowned Glasgow School of Art, there is no respite from the Saltburn-esque toffs.

When Dani Garavelli wrote in this newspaper about the derision and condescension of working-class students by the private school-educated at Edinburgh...

21.11.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

‘Think of all the great art we’ll get from a Trump win…’ Donald Trump's win in 2016 was supposed to unleash an artistic renaissance – where is that sentiment now?

One of the supposed silver linings of Donald Trump’s presidential win in 2016 was all the great art we would get. The flames of discontent were...

14.11.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Why are you laughing? This is a serious film...

A spectre is haunting your local cinema – the spectre of having no idea how to behave when in a cinema. No, I’m not the fun police. Nor am I...

31.10.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

This musician hates her fans making constant jokes. She is right to be so angry.

“Nobody takes anything f*cking seriously anymore,” starts a now-deleted rant from ambitious alternative musician Ethel Cain. “It makes me feel...

24.10.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

TikTokifying Billie Holiday surely must be against the law On social video app TikTok, speeding up and slowing down music is par for the course, a necessity in fitting tempo to different dance trends. Jazz singing legend Billie Holiday saw one of her several recordings of ‘Solitude’ reach their algorithm.

The art of speeding up and slowing down music is probably not new to anyone. Many first found such wonders mischievously playing around with the...

17.10.2024 3

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Why is Chappell Roan even trying to be a famous pop star?

The biggest come-up of the year surely belongs to pop star Chappell Roan. The singer has seen a neck breaking rise in the past few months, becoming...

26.09.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

No, Kurt Cobain was not killed by his wife Courtney Love According to certain fans, authors, and investigators, Kurt Cobain’s famous 1994 suicide by shotgun was not the consequence of a struggling man with the entire world on his shoulders.

Fandom can be an intense thing. Unsettling, even. Not only are there swarms of Beatles fans who think that the involvement of Yoko Ono is solely...

19.09.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

I don’t want to hear ‘Yoko Ono broke up The Beatles’ ever again

Some myths apparently never die. For some, it’s called conventional wisdom. The conventional wisdom that Yoko Ono broke up the most famous pop...

12.09.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Giving over your biggest hit for a few grand? No thanks, Grand Theft Auto Being asked for your song to be licensed for one of the biggest franchises ever would normally be a cause to celebrate, but for Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware, the offer was nothing short of appalling.

Being asked for your song to be licensed for one of the biggest franchises ever would normally be a cause to celebrate, but for Heaven 17’s Martyn...

09.09.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Can we please move on from thinking pop music is the best thing ever? Poptimism attempted to correct the cultural perspective on pop music – but the scales have now tipped too far in its favour.

In the 2010s, a major consensus shift took over music. Everyone started to take pop music far more seriously, with the term ‘poptimist’ springing...

05.09.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Arts funding in Scotland is drowning in a vast sea of neglect Publicly funded arts commonly play martyr in budgets, disposed of without a care by artless politicians who see the arts as a luxury, not a cultural necessity.

Scotland’s arts and culture sector is drowning, and there is no life raft. No skin comes off the backs of governments when cutting the arts is...

21.08.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Glasgow School of Art is right to leave X, it is no place for art or artists And so it’s written, Glasgow School of Art will no longer post on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, X. You don’t have to squint to see why.

And so it’s written, Glasgow School of Art will no longer post on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, X. You don’t have to...

15.08.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

David Lynch won’t step foot on a film set again – time to give him his flowers It is unfortunate that Lynch will never grace a film set again to craft another dream or nightmare, but he doesn’t have to.

David Lynch says he will never retire – but he certainly won’t set foot on a film set again. That was the news when the 78-year-old surrealist...

08.08.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Did Kamala Harris ruin us all having a brat summer?

As it is and always will be, politicians and campaigns love to get in on the joke, and then the joke's over. That became clear again when pop...

01.08.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

When you die, are you ‘unalived’? The strange world of social media algospeak

“And that’s when he unalived himself, as well as his wife and children,” says one true crime TikTok user as she demonstrates her new Wonderskin...

25.07.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

If you think Bohemian Rhapsody is everywhere again, you’re not going crazy A big payday has arrived for the titans of the music industry – but will their much-beloved work become compromised?

If you’ve heard Queen’s megahit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in an advert, film trailer or thrown into radio and streaming playlists once again, it’s...

18.07.2024 5

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Should we hate Lolita because we hate the horrible, immoral protagonist? It’s only natural to look towards the thing we know best when interpreting art and literature: ourselves.

It’s only natural to look towards the thing we know best when interpreting art and literature: ourselves. After all, how can we make sense of such...

11.07.2024 8

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

When I surpassed the 27 Club, I couldn’t romanticise rock stars anymore It’s only later in life when their struggle becomes real, when the pain seems tangible. The 27 Club is unmasked as mere human, as imperfect and confused, consumed by hardship and self-doubt, as anyone else.

There’s a well-known phenomenon of famous musicians dying at the age of 27. It’s a cliché set in stone at this point, a shortcut to visions of...

04.07.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

If I may defend throwing soup on Van Goghs and slathering paint on Stonehenge

As soon as people saw reports of a soup-drenched Van Gogh painting, a collective visceral anger broke out. And why would it not? Protesters were...

27.06.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Are Scottish cinemas becoming a thing of the past? It sure looks like it

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Oban Phoenix Cinema would be closing, with all staff made redundant. It was a familiar tale. Bathgate...

21.06.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

The two options for musicians: Struggle to survive or ask your parents An integral and important part of our culture has been pushed into the realm of the mere hobby.

An integral and important part of our culture has been pushed into the realm of the mere hobby. Something is missing from the world of music, and that...

13.06.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Why does every live act think they can fill up the Glasgow Hydro? The arena has created a monopoly on live music in the city. If you’re an avid fan of live music in Glasgow, chances are you’ve been to the Glasgow Hydro recently.

If you’re an avid fan of live music in Glasgow, chances are you’ve been to the Glasgow Hydro recently. Chances are also that you’ve returned to...

06.06.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

We’re stuck in an infinite nostalgia loop… where is the culture of tomorrow? It’s not your imagination, culture is stuck on repeat.

Do you ever hear a song and think it’s from a previous decade, only to find out it’s from one of the hot new properties of the music industry? Do...

30.05.2024 30

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

​Perhaps it's time to rethink our ideas about 'highbrow' art Are the descriptors ‘highbrow’ and ‘lowbrow’ relevant anymore to the world of art?

Are the descriptors ‘highbrow’ and ‘lowbrow’ relevant anymore to the world of art? The notion of highbrow and lowbrow art is one originally...

24.05.2024 40

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Roger Corman changed film and then the world with silly B-movies Roger Corman's vision for what film could be changed the course of the medium’s trajectory, and he did it all through being a purveyor of shlock, camp, and low-budget absurdity.

Last week, legendary director/producer Roger Corman passed away at the grand age of 98 years old. To say it was a life well lived would be an...

17.05.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: No, we shouldn’t just ‘let people enjoy things’ Why does it matter if people just want to be left alone to enjoy Marvel movies and listen to Top 40? Just let people enjoy things, right?

Everyone is, understandably, so negative these days. There’s endless list of grievance. Our politics is rotted inside out. Our institutions have...

09.05.2024 50

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

92 minutes is the 'ideal' film length? What nonsense How long while watching a film before you think “when does this end?” According to new market research, that point for most is 92 minutes.

How long while watching a film before you think “when does this end?” According to new market research, that point for most is 92 minutes. More...

03.05.2024 50

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Taylor Swift took vinyl record to new heights… did she also destroy it? Could the vinyl record industry be a victim of its success? Or, rather, Taylor Swift’s success?

Could the vinyl record industry be a victim of its success? Or, rather, Taylor Swift’s success? Vinyl records have ridden an upward trajectory in...

26.04.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: Why do politicians have such godawful taste?

Former prime minister David Cameron once said that his favourite piece of film ever is “the last 10 minutes of Shrek 2”. His successor Theresa May...

11.04.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Beyoncé’s country pivot spotlights our strange parasocial relationship with art

Before discussing the Mona Lisa, where did Leonardo da Vinci stand on the role of the papacy in Renaissance-era Italy? Do our personal feelings...

05.04.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Don’t let taxpayer-funded sex film put off funding daring and provocative art

It's no surprise that a film that aimed to “push the boundaries of what it means to create and show dyke sex on screen” would cause controversy,...

28.03.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Video nasties shocked conservative Britain... what was so bad about them?

The video market of the 1980s was the greatest thing to happen to low-budget horror filmmaking. No longer were splatter fests confined to the dark,...

21.03.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

The films of hate: Is there any value in watching old propaganda?

Film crashed into the 20th century, quickly establishing itself as a perfect vehicle for influence. The first propaganda film was probably already in...

15.03.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: What's the point of tonight's Oscars? Certainly not the films...

It’s not a groundbreaking statement to say that the Academy Awards has never been about excellence in film. In fact, it’s about...

10.03.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: Madame Web and the contractual movies no one wants to see

It used to be that mainstream movies were made because people wanted to see them. The idea would have enough legs that studios knew they’d make...

29.02.2024 6

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: OpenAI’s Sora could kill commercial film – good riddance?

Will AI be the nail in the coffin for the filmmaker? Is the creative just some abstract concept we’ve stubbornly held onto through the ages, ready...

21.02.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: The Zone of Interest and the powerful impact of cinematic space

Jonathan Glazer’s latest film The Zone of Interest immediately drags you into its aura. More than two minutes of black screen, accented by the...

15.02.2024 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: The Zone of Interest and the powerful impact of cinematic space

Jonathan Glazer’s latest film The Zone of Interest immediately drags you into its aura. More than two minutes of black screen, accented by the...

15.02.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: The downfall of Taylor Swift is not a matter of if, but when

At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift announced the title of her new album: The Tortured Poets Department. Well, if there was any artist to...

06.02.2024 4

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: Sex in cinema – have we turned into Victorian puritans?

Are sex scenes ‘unnecessary’? Do they really have to just… show everything? It’s a sentiment showing up increasingly in the past few years,...

01.02.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: Pitchfork folding and the death spiral of music discovery

Pitchfork staff last week did not expect to receive a memo announcing that the long-running music website was folding under the GQ banner. They also...

24.01.2024 9

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Derek McArthur: Why should Poor Things care about Glasgow when we don’t?

The film adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things provoked a weird sort of jingoistic fury.  A writer setting his novel in his hometown, only...

15.01.2024 20

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

Ten of the best rap songs of 2023 from Kendrick Lamar to TisaKorean

2023 was a transitional year for rap. After the attention to drill rap subsided, it seemed no one really knew what direction the genre needed to go...

01.01.2024 7

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

How the Scottish Government made a deal with Hollywood and lost

The Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Greens saw a cascade of headlines centred around the constitution, environmental policy, and how the...

30.12.2023 10

Herald Scotland

Derek Mcarthur

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