John Hodson
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mgcroadster.bsky.social
John Hodson
@mgcroadster.bsky.social
Journalist since '73, now retired, film geek for longer. Rejoiner, lefty, love films of all eras. Recovering Man Utd. fan of six decades. Uses admiration of John Ford as a Rorschach test. No followers without a profile - sorry!
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If you can, please support this; from his early teenage years, our late son James did what he could to support Manchester's homeless, whether it was a gift, food, or simply a kind word. It's a charity that means a lot to us & we give every year...
Done all your Christmas shopping but still have that one person left to buy for?
Gift a Bed! 🎁

For £32, you can provide a night of much needed rest for someone who would otherwise have nowhere safe to sleep.

Save the stress and gift a bed today.

www.gmmayorscharity.org.uk/gift/p/gift-...
Reposted by John Hodson
Today on @thedigitalbits.bsky.social website – Criterion’s May slate, Speed Racer #4K in May, new Via Vision, KLSC & Synapse titles, Ben-Hur 4K reviewed & more!
thedigitalbits.com/columns/bill...
February 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by John Hodson
I have read the book and seen at least three screen versions, but this was the first version of Wuthering Heights I saw, and so it's the one I always think of whenever it's mentioned.
In all this talk of best Heathcliff and best Cathy on screen, everyone seems to have forgotten Terry Jones and Carol Cleveland. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIME...
Semaphore Version of Wuthering Heights
YouTube video by Kvetch Hell
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Now THIS is how you do a restoration, and I love this video because it communicates the process to a regular audience quite effectively.

You Won't Believe This is 60-Year-Old Footage | Thunderbirds 4K Restoration Process
youtu.be/BwTObO3lpBg?si=TlVrv... youtu.be/BwTObO3lpBg?si=TlVrv...
You Won't Believe This is 60-Year-Old Footage | Thunderbirds 4K Restoration Process
Go behind the scenes of this stunning 4K restoration with this exclusive featurette from the 4K Collector's Edition Steelbook. Watch as Trapped in the Sky and Terror in New York City are transformed from new scans of the original film negatives into breathtaking 4K UHD. From Thunderbird 1's iconic launch to the intricate sets of Tracy Island, every frame has been lovingly restored to showcase International Rescue like never before. The Trapped in the Sky / Terror in New York City 4K UHD Limited Edition Steelbook includes both episodes in 4K, this complete restoration featurette, FAB at 60 - a feature-length documentary exploring the enduring impact of Thunderbirds with behind-the-scenes stories and rare insights, choice of original mono sound or newly remixed 5.1 surround track, and premium collectable steelbook packaging. This limited edition release is an essential addition for collectors and fans alike. Don’t miss your chance to own this tribute to one of the greatest achievements in television history. Order your Thunderbirds Limited Edition Steelbook today and join International Rescue for two unforgettable missions: https://gerryanderson.com/products/thunderbirds-trapped-in-the-sky-terror-in-new-york-city-4k-collectors-edition-steelbook-blu-ray For those of you new here, we're all about celebrating the amazing universe of Gerry Anderson, the legendary creator of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Space: 1999 and so much more. So buckle up and get ready for an interstellar journey! 🌌 🔔 SUBSCRIBE and hit the bell icon to make sure you never miss our new videos: https://www.youtube.com/gerryandersontv 🛍 Love the world of Gerry Anderson? Visit the official Gerry Anderson Store and bring a piece of this fantastic universe home with you: https://shop.gerryanderson.com/ 🛍 💬 Join our community! Connect with us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GerryAndersonOfficial Twitter: https://twitter.com/GerryAndersonTV Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gerryandersontv/ ✉️ Want to stay up to date with everything Gerry Anderson? Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.gerryanderson.com/contact/ Thanks for watching, and we can't wait to share more of the Gerry Anderson universe with you! Until next time, F.A.B! 👋🏼
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Print The Legend Week, our celebration of classic John Ford cinema, sails into the sunset today with Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary for the navy adventure They Were Expendable!

trailersfromhell.com/expendable/
They Were Expendable | Trailers From Hell
Often cited as one of the finest movies about WW II, John Ford's first film after his Navy discharge is a powerful study of the PT boat squadron in the Philippines. Ford, who made the film at the behe...
trailersfromhell.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
I might very well avoid certain big films until with each one I know for certain it wasn't them. I think though we can eliminate a few possibilities; for example, it can't be The Odyssey because Nolan would have any producer suggesting using AI crucified, and then use that on screen...
Dude regularly works for Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and CN so speculate away. But this sucks no matter which studio is doing it, and gross to think some major movie this year is running with a plagiarized image from ChatGPT.
February 13, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Claude Sautet's "Classe Tous Risques" 4K UHD - Lino Ventura, Sandra Milo, Jean-Paul Belmondo @Criterion
US 4K UHD: amzn.to/4qwBHJ6
US Blu-ray: amzn.to/4kB3VRZ
BONUS CAPTURES:
www.patreon.com/posts/claude...
OUR COMPARISON:
www.dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film...
After hiding out in Milan...
February 13, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
#LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched

Uncompromising. Uncategorizable. Unmissable.

The comedy that goes to new heights.

3 boys wanted to be like their hero Harry Spikes. They got their wish. Soon they were worth a fortune. DEAD or ALIVE.

It's not where you start - It's where you start again.
February 13, 2026 at 12:57 PM
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Derek Fowlds, Clive Francis and Paul Eddington in Yes, Prime Minister - A Victory for Democracy (13th February 1986)
February 13, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
"That Different from the Others survives only in fragments seems rather fitting for a film about loneliness, that emotion of incompleteness, of something missing. And perhaps this emptiness would’ve resonated with Veidt himself..."

Well said indeed.
New today on the site!

“A Language for Loneliness”

- Laura Evers on Conrad Veidt and the 1919 German film, DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS, which was banned by German censorship laws in 1920
Different from the Others (1919): A Language for Loneliness
By developing subtle material techniques to depict loneliness, Different from the Others moves beyond sentimentality.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
I made this playlist.
Our Taxi Driver anniversary piece now comes with a #BernardHerrmann playlist. Herrmann composed scores for approximately 50 films, including Citizen Kane and Vertigo

Become a Quietus Subscriber Plus tier member to access this plus many other wonderful perks:

buff.ly/szc04F4
February 13, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Sid James is a master of yoga, who uses his yogic abilities to simulate his death during a séance. Unfortunately for him he drops dead. The rest of the 70s minutes is kind of a Cinderella story with Sid's daughter up against a stepmother/sister combo. Until the painfully obvious twist.
Tonight's film
February 13, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Telly doesn’t get much better than Small Prophets, six episodes flew by. Best show of 2026? Could be. Yet another reason to cherish the BBC.

(Oh, and iPlayer now has trailers playing automatically on the app)
February 13, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
#NotYourFavourite
#MusicChallenge

Frank Sinatra - Send In The Clowns

Almost my favourite Sinatra song.

youtu.be/1UJtMG7Eexk?...
February 13, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Very pleased to be doing this upcoming online research seminar
for University of Reading's Film, Theatre & TV department: Wednesday 25 February, 14.00 - 15.30, "Muriel Box, 'The Truth About Women', and the truth about women directors" www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/muriel-box...
Muriel Box and the Truth About Women Directors
Professor Melanie Williams presents her current research on the work of film director Muriel Box and her 1957 film The Truth About Women
www.eventbrite.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Happy birthday Peter Gabriel 🥰

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU8O...
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
YouTube video by Peter Gabriel
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Big news for DOCUMENTARY NOW! fans: There's a coffee table book coming out in May, and I wrote the introduction! You can order signed (by me!) copies at the link below. Written by Seth Meyers + cast and crew. It runs 600 pages and includes the complete score to CO-OP. mzs.press/PRE-ORDER-SI...
PRE-ORDER SIGNED Documentary Now!: Fourth Edition (Revised and Expanded) Seth Meyers, Documentary Now!, with Matt Zoller Seitz (Intro)(Hardcover, NEW)
McSweeney's and Broadway Video present the official nearly-600-page comprehensive companion book to IFC's Documentary Now! , including new writing by Seth Meyers , a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-finalis...
mzs.press
February 13, 2026 at 5:08 AM
#BOTD George Segal - THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM #FilmSky
February 13, 2026 at 5:48 PM
'... Music by David Shire..." #FilmSky
youtu.be/6-WYm9nl32Q?...
The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, opening titles
YouTube video by titanb15
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
Coming in May: one of the steamiest erotic thrillers ever made; a strikingly raw debut feature about race, class, and sexuality; a disturbingly prescient ecofeminist parable; a moving tale of one family's generations of trauma and healing;
February 13, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
A chat about The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, a series that had more to say about radicalisation and the role of modern media and indeed social media bias than any shrieking thinkpiece in The Spectator...

timworthington.org/2021/06/03/i...
It’s Good, Except It Sucks: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier With Stephen O’Brien
Stephen O’Brien joins Tim Worthington for a chat about Baron Zemo saying it before and saying it again dance while the record spins in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
timworthington.org
February 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
The website I originally wrote this piece on female composers is now gone, so I decided to put it back up on my blog - enjoy! #filmsky
10 Great Film Scores By Female Composers
Note: This was originally written in 2018 and published on the now-defunct Film School Rejects website. Sadly, we're eight years on and not a lot has changed. If there’s one element of filmmaking tha...
moviedrone.ghost.io
February 13, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
I had great time with this. It was exactly the BlackHat-adjacent film I was looking for. Heat is the obvious inspiration, but it does plenty that Michael Mann wouldn't and worked in its own right for me. Chris Hemsworth is great in the lead role, the ageless Halle Berry is wonderful.
Off to the cinema to see
February 13, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Coming on May 5th on #4K and Blu-ray in the US from @criterion.bsky.social: #StrayDog (1949)!

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering
February 13, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by John Hodson
***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Coming on May 12th on Blu-ray and DVD in the US from @criterion.bsky.social as part of their #CriterionPremieres line: #PeterHujarsDay (2025)!

A loving snapshot of a vanished New York, director Ira Sachs’s captivating cultural time capsule is a warm, witty,
February 13, 2026 at 4:45 PM