Showing 1 - 10 of 10
The last word on weird book titles
Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/12/2025
» Being somewhat old-fashioned I still love browsing in bookshops. It provides a brief escape to a completely different world, both relaxing and therapeutic. Alas it is a pleasure future generations are unlikely to experience as these days bookshops are something of an endangered species.
The time I really put my foot in it
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/10/2025
» A half-hearted spring-cleaning session at home during the week came to a welcome halt when I unearthed a couple of my father's wartime RAF books under a pile of disintegrating paperbacks. The Air Ministry books, published more than 80 years ago, always serve as a reminder of when as a kid I made a faux pas of embarrassing proportions.
A rare occasion when 'dogs are allowed'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/04/2023
» Earlier this month an art museum in Athens opened its doors to dogs so the canine community could experience a quiet sniff around important works of art. This might seem rather trivial but when you consider that the "No Dogs Allowed" sign is one of the most familiar around the world the dogs need as much moral support as they can get. It must be a bit disheartening for hounds to be greeted everywhere by signs that they are not wanted… an odd way to treat man's best friend.
It still remains an offer you can't refuse
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/07/2022
» Francis Ford Coppola's epic film The Godfather has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, a frightening thought as I can recall queuing up to see it at a Bangkok cinema all those years ago. It was 1972, in the days long before multiplex cinemas emerged in Bangkok, so when a big film came out there would be massive queues at the theatre showing the blockbuster.
Situations vacant: Bouncer, must be polite
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/10/2021
» Troubling news from Britain. One in five nightclubs in the UK have not been able to reopen owing to a shortage of bouncers. For anyone unfamiliar with this terminology, bouncers are the big blokes at club doors whose main role is to chuck out undesirables. And if you still don't get the message, they are usually dressed in black. However, they are officially known as "door supervisors" which certainly looks better on a CV than "bouncer".
The Soliloquy of Harold Callahan
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/07/2021
» My thanks to former colleague Alan Dawson for alerting me to a scene from the Clint Eastwood film Sudden Impact which may throw some light on the hot dog and ketchup debate which featured in last week's column.
Bookshelves behind the talking heads
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/07/2020
» One result of the coronavirus is that the majority of news interviews on television are coming from people's homes, whether they be professional broadcasters, celebrities or the general public. They tend to get a bit tedious after a while and it is easy to find yourself examining the backdrop. This is invariably a bookshelf or a couple of weird paintings that are often far more interesting than what the person is actually saying.
Theme tune that lasts the test of time
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/05/2020
» Watching the BBC World Service's Panorama documentary on the coronavirus situation, it struck me that it is one of the few TV offerings in which the theme music is just right. You wouldn't want to hear it too often, but its distinctive authoritative tones with a hint of foreboding, suggests the show is of some substance, which it usually is. It was surprising to discover that this serious music was adapted by Francis Lai from the soundtrack of the 1966 hit film, Un Homme et Une Femme (A Man and a Woman), basically a love story. The music, which has introduced Panorama for nearly 50 years, is called Aujordhi C'est Toi (Today it's You). Well, that's enough French for one day.
In the Land of the Midnight Sun
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/08/2019
» Living in the tropics probably explains why I tend to enjoy reading books and watching films set in places where really cold weather prevails. It must be that perverse, but comforting, feeling that once you step outside the cinema or put down the book you are immediately back in the more friendly temperatures of the tropics again.
Ministry of Wishful Thinking might help
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/06/2019
» All week we have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new cabinet, although maybe eagerly is not quite the right word. The selection of cabinet ministers has always been a tricky affair for any new government. It is hardly a secret that certain ministerial posts are a lot more popular than others, owing to what could be politely termed "fringe benefits" -- and we are not talking about free rides on the skytrain.