Tag: roger watson

Character-Building

A Memorandum on the Perils of a Gullible Mind (Part 1)

BY THE EDITOR As Editor of this esteemed publication, my duties are many and varied. I am a curator of fine prose, a guardian of grammatical fortitude, and a shepherd to a flock of writers who, while brilliant, occasionally possess the common sense of a startled pheasant. It is, therefore, paramount that my successor, the ever-keen Deputy Editor James ‘Bembers’ Bembridge, possesses a quality even … Continue reading A Memorandum on the Perils of a Gullible Mind (Part 1)

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Education

Old College, New Guilt

BY ROGER WATSON How to decolonise a university without returning the money The University of Edinburgh’s comedy show—aptly performed while the Fringe Festival is underway—continues. First, in June, they brought us the highest-paid Scottish vice-chancellor who does not know how much he is paid. Now they present us with a recently published report, Decolonised Transformations: Confronting the University of Edinburgh’s History and Legacies of Enslavement and … Continue reading Old College, New Guilt

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Comedy

Comedy in a Time of Compliance

BY ROGER WATSON I have almost given up on late-night comedy on BBC Radio 4. In fact, I have almost given up on the station entirely. The news is biased, and the comedy—studiously avoiding the tripwires of the woke and hypersensitive—is rarely funny. One of my favourite programmes used to be Dead Ringers, the topical satirical impressions show fronted by Jon Culshaw. Some of the impressions … Continue reading Comedy in a Time of Compliance

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Political Philosophy

Continuism

BY ROGER WATSON A Philosophy of Preservation in a World Obsessed with Change Karl Marx’s famous declaration—inscribed on his tomb and drawn from his Theses on Feuerbach—reads: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” Yet this call to action, once revolutionary, may have outlived its usefulness. In its place, Continuism, an emerging philosophy, offers a … Continue reading Continuism

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Films

Heretic

BY ROGER WATSON I briefly owned a copy of The Book of Mormon which reached me in extraordinary circumstances a few years ago while checking into the Hamilton hotel in Washington DC. “There’s a parcel for you Mr Watson”, I was told and a package containing a copy of The Book of Mormon was handed to me. A Facebook friend, and Mormon, had asked where … Continue reading Heretic

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Architecture

A Hidden Gem: Vienna’s Schänzel Chapel

BY ROGER WATSON Tucked away along the bustling Danube Canal, like a secret waiting to be discovered, stands the Schänzel Chapel – officially known as St. John Nepomuk Chapel. This unassuming, pint-sized sanctuary is so easy to miss that most passersby barely glance its way. But for those who pause, who dare to peer beyond its weathered exterior, a hauntingly beautiful mystery unfolds.  At first … Continue reading A Hidden Gem: Vienna’s Schänzel Chapel

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Film Review

The Zone of Interest

BY ROGER WATSON I only recently came across The Zone of Interest, released in 2023 to critical acclaim and solid box office returns. With its limited UK cinema release, I might have missed it entirely if not for Cathay Pacific’s in-flight entertainment system. Filmed in German with English subtitles, the movie explores the domestic life of Rudolf Höss, the longest-serving commandant of Auschwitz. Although it … Continue reading The Zone of Interest

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Films

A Complete Unknown

BY ROGER WATSON I came to Bob Dylan relatively late. It wasn’t until university that a girlfriend introduced me to Nashville Skyline (1969)—his most country-influenced album, and my belated introduction to Johnny Cash, who duets with Dylan on Girl from the North Country. I wasn’t exactly hooked, but I liked a few songs. Everything changed the following year when I moved in with my cousin, … Continue reading A Complete Unknown

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Royals

Watching Tennis with the Queen

BY ROGER WATSON A good friend lent me The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning. For a while, it sat untouched by my bedside as I worked through Neville Shute’s novels (I’m almost done). But with a long-haul flight looming, I finally began reading—and was hooked from the first chapter. Rather than lug the hefty book to the Far East, I downloaded it on Kindle and kept reading. … Continue reading Watching Tennis with the Queen

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Film Review

Sisu

BY ROGER WATSON The film Sisu, made in 2022, had passed me by. A box office success on its release in the United States, I don’t recall it being shown in the United Kingdom. But it is available now on Netflix and if you like a good revenge movie with Nazis dying in ways you never imagined possible, then Sisu is the film for you. … Continue reading Sisu

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Films

Small Things Like These

BY ROGER WATSON Fast car chases, energetic sexual encounters, and bloodthirsty violence—none of these feature in Small Things Like These (2024), set in County Wexford, Ireland. Also devoid of humour, the film carries dark undertones, focusing on coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) and his growing suspicion that something untoward is happening at the local convent. Indeed, something untoward and evil is taking place. The … Continue reading Small Things Like These

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Television

Godless

BY ROGER WATSON There seems to be an appetite for tense, violent Netflix western mini-series these days. The latest in the genre, the previous one American Primeval having been reviewed in these pages, Godless does exactly what it says on the can. Godless delivers buttock-clenching tension along with such blood-splattering violence that you are compelled to let the remaining seven episodes roll on. As with … Continue reading Godless

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Films

Number 24

BY ROGER WATSON Number 24 (2024) is a Norwegian production directed by John Andreas Andersen. The film, available on Netflix this year with English dubbing, tells the true story of Norwegian World War II hero Gunnar Sønsteby. Sjur Vatne Brean and Erik Hivju portray Sønsteby in his youth and later years, respectively. The narrative shifts between two timelines: Sønsteby’s wartime resistance efforts and a lecture … Continue reading Number 24

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