Sign in

David Cottis

@davidcottis.bsky.social
683 followers 183 following 715 posts

Academic, director, snapper up of unconsidered trifles.

PostsRepliesMedia
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Clerkenwell vignette: As I'm walking past Spa Fields, I see a group of people in full lion dance costume, getting ready to rehearse. Some, but not all, are Chinese. As I move on, one guy arrives late and apologises in German. He takes his place, the rehearsal starts.
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A cult item, because of its script by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, based on the elaborate puzzle games they used to organise for friends in NYC (which also provided the inspiration for Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth). A famous flop at the time... (1/3) www.imdb.com/title/tt0070...
imdb.com
100
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Sorry about the reason this came up on my YouTube feed, but still... good lord: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Xc...
youtube.com
Harris, Parton, Ronstadt on Late Show, March 24, 1999 (full, stereo)
YouTube video by Don Giller
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Just got back from watching a Tim Curry film (Times Square) to discover he's died. This happened with Gene Hackman as well.
100
Reposted by David Cottis
Mr. Blabalino 🇳🇴🇺🇸💙 @blabalino.com · 22/08/2026
Found this recording of Rita Moreno performing “Fever” on The Muppet Show from 1976. 14/10
345119722990
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Two people behind me in the Piccolo Theatre, Edinburgh: She: Would you mind if I sat next to you? He: I would be delighted. I may have just witnessed a real-life meet-cute.
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Overheard in the Courtyard of Surgeon's Hall, Edinburgh: 'I'm polite to everybody, but I hate loads of people.'
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Worthwhile crowdfunder for a South London landmark: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-cinema...
crowdfunder.co.uk
The Cinema Museum: HELP US BUY OUR HOME
After 40 years of uncertainty, we have a chance to secure our home. We need £500,000 to purchase our home and we have five months to do it!
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Saw these guys at the Cambridge Folk Festival this weekend - a little hymn to one of my favourite parts of town: www.youtube.com/watch?v=51va...
youtube.com
Somerstown
YouTube video by Man The Lifeboats - Topic
000
Reposted by David Cottis
Tracy Wise @frauwise.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
#Booksky Just received my copy of my friend @davidcottis.bsky.social HOW STAGE PLAYWRIGHTS SAVED THE BRITISH CINEMA, 1930-1956 Recommend picking up a copy if you are interested in first-half 20th C British theatre and film.
Book cover. Black and white photo of woman in bathtub. Title is HOW STAGE PLAYWRIGHTS SAVED THE BRITISH CINEMA, 1930-1956: THE WELL-MADE SCREENPLAY by David Cottis.
161
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
At the NFT, to see Jonathan Coe and Kazuo Ishiguro introducing this. At one point KI commented on its combination of British comedy acting with Germanic visual style, and compared this to Arsene Wenger's management of Arsenal...(1/2) www.imdb.com/title/tt0023...
imdb.com
110
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
'Verify your age' I handwrote all my University essays.
021
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Two women overheard before the start of a play in the West End. First: Do you have any idea how long it is? Second: (shrugs) Longer than The Gruffalo, shorter than Hamlet.
001
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Weird to remember how relieved many Americans were, back in 1976, at the fact that Richard Nixon had resigned, thus saving them from having an embarrassing President for the Bicentennial...
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Not sure how I've managed to miss seeing this for so long, but it was worth the wait. Tracy and Hepburn crackle with barely-suppressed lust as a pair of married lawyers who end up on opposite sides of an attempted murder case (1/3) www.imdb.com/title/tt0041...
imdb.com
110
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I've got a chapter in this: mcfarlandbooks.com/product/beyo...
mcfarlandbooks.com
Beyond Bozo - McFarland
Beyond Bozo Essays on Clowns in Popular Culture Meredith A. Harmes Marcus K. Harmes 978-1-4766-9818-2 979-8-3686-0067-3
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Given how much they disliked each other, this seems quite fitting.
001
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I've just unfollowed someone who argued that Reform deliberately lost Makerfield by putting up a poor candidate, in the hope that a leadership contest will weaken the government more than losing a by-election. Truly, the British left's ability to find a bad/pessimistic take never ceases to amaze me.
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Interesting list, which suggests two things about Stephen Sondheim: 1. He didn't listen to many songs that weren't from musicals, 2. He had an ear for the diamond in a generally undistinguished score - how many people would quote a song from Kelly? www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
Stephen Sondheim: Fifty Songs I Wish I'd Written - YouTube
As listed in Mark Eden Horowitz’s book of conversations with the songwriter, “Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions.” I was unable to find Pet...
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Cardiff Uni wants to scrap the 2nd floor of the Arts and Social Studies Library. We're talking 7km of books and vital study space gone to make way for classrooms. Please help us save this crucial campus resource before it's ripped out in June! Add your name here: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Stop Cardiff University from scrapping the ASSL's second floor!
thousands of books and crucial study spaces are at risk. Cardiff Uni wants to repurpose the busiest library on campus into classrooms. Help protect our library and sign the petition today.
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
A highlight of the NFT's current season of postwar British films: a noir-ish criminal-on-the-run film shot in bombed London and the Scottish highlands, featuring Bogarde and the remarkable Jon Whiteley, an amazingly talented seven-year old Aberdonian... www.imdb.com/title/tt0045...
imdb.com
100
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Not technically a @secondmentions.bsky.social, as it comes first, but still...
151
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Saw this, part of the specifically Italian genre of the unauthorised sequel, at the Trash Film club at KCL. It's not quite as bad as its IMDb rating makes it look, and doesn't really have much to do with Alien... (1/4) www.imdb.com/title/tt0078...
imdb.com
100
Reposted by David Cottis
archivetvmusings @archivetvmusings.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
'Carry on James!' Sid James feature from Look-In (29th April 1972)
1103
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The Prince Charles is cannily having a season devoted to those films with the highest ratings on Letterboxd, including some that are quite hard to find in the UK. This is No. 1, and it is indeed pretty terrific... (1/2) www.imdb.com/title/tt0056...
imdb.com
100
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
An accurate description of my piano playing: theonion.com/man-finally-...
theonion.com
Man Finally Good Enough At New Hobby To Understand How Bad He Is At It
ST. LOUIS—Voicing frustration as he discussed his lack of even the most rudimentary skills, local man Henry Right told reporters Monday that he had finally gotten good enough at his new hobby to under...
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
So... I'm in one of the Exchange shops in Notting Hill, and I notice that the assistant is carrying out an informal survey in which she asks male customers 'Do you think Sydney Sweeney is hot or not?' I spend a few minutes shopping, thinking up a good answer. When I reach the counter...(1/2)
100
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Been doing a watchthrough of 'Frasier' lately, and it's striking what a stroke a genius the character of Martin Crane, and the performance of John Mahoney, was and how central to the success of the series. It would have been so easy to make Frasier's dad boorish and uncouth... (1/2)
130
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Okay, fingers on buzzers, no conferring or YouTubing: what is the connection between 'The Bump' by Kenny, and 'Pop Muzik' by M?
210
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Nice award for one of our alumnae: www.mdx.ac.uk/news/2026/4/...
mdx.ac.uk
Film graduate’s character-driven black comedy lands major student TV award
Film graduate’s character-driven black comedy 'Birthday Boy' lands a major RTS Student TV Award. Read about the award-winning project and the creative journey of MDX film students.
010
Reposted by David Cottis
Open Culture @openculture.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Watch 434 Avant-Garde and Surreal Short Films Online: Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Luis Buñuel and Many More
openculture.com
Watch 434 Avant-Garde and Surreal Short Films Online: Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Luis Buñuel and Many More
Much has been written lately about the crisis in Hollywood, which has left many apparently sure-fire blockbusters floundering, theaters empty, and production jobs lost.
03319
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I wrote the accompanying essay for this: www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/products/idl...
powerhousefilms.co.uk
IDLE ON PARADE (aka IDOL ON PARADE) - LE
(John Gilling, 1959, 88 mins)Release date: 23 February 2026Limited Edition Blu-ray (World premiere) William Bendix (The Web), Anthony Newley (The Last Man to Hang), and Anne Aubrey (The Man Inside) st...
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
It's been nearly a century since Show Boat, and still some twerp in the Guardian opinion pages is referring to musicals as a 'gloriously daft' form. Come on folks, you can do better than that.
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
The book's coming out in paperback: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/how-stage...
bloomsbury.com
How Stage Playwrights Saved the British Cinema, 1930-1956
Examines the film careers and work of British playwrights who worked as screenwriters between 1930-1956.During the period between the 1927 Cinematograph Films A…
010
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Had a new experience today - I was lecturing on vertical dramas, and a student buttonholed me at the end and asked if I ever felt like a sellout. Mate, I don't earn enough to be a sellout.
000
Reposted by David Cottis
Tom Sutcliffe @tds153.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
I knew that you could add "-AI" to a search to avoid the slop. But there are a lot of very neat tricks here.
213168
Reposted by David Cottis
English Folk Dance and Song Society @efdss.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Merry Pancake Day! This week's Classic Folk includes tracks by: The Demon Barbers Cupola:Ward Nick Drake Vishtèn Dr Strangely Strange Sandy Denny Shirley Collins Blackbeard's Tea Party Alistair Anderson & Northlands Bottle Bank Band Megson Dave Burland and more! www.efdss.org/listen
efdss.org
Listen: Classic Folk
Classic Folk with Mike Norris Classic Folk is unique. It mines a rich seam of wonderful folk and roots music and song from around 75 years of recordings. From the great source singers to the legends o...
183
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Bit of a basic @secondmentions.bsky.social
141
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Proof that there are still masterpieces to be found, even in a field as well-examined as Hollywood cinema. Lewis Milestone invents the screwball comedy working from a script by Lubitsch collaborator Hans Kraly, itself based on a play by Avery Hopwood... (1/4) www.imdb.com/title/tt0018...
imdb.com
The Garden of Eden (1928) ⭐ 6.7 | Comedy, Drama
1h 19m | Not Rated
130
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
1935 version of Jerome K. Jerome's play about a modern-day Jesus changing the lives of the inhabitants of a London rooming-house, updated to the then present day. (1/3) (1/3)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026854/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_0_in_0_q_passing%2520of%2520the%2520third%2520floor%2520back
imdb.com
The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935) ⭐ 7.0 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
1h 30m | Approved
100
Reposted by David Cottis
Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
8394362028
Reposted by David Cottis
Dr Sam Hirst @romgothsam.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Wuthering Heights is not a romance. Obviously. But why do people think it is? So many reasons but... I'm going to be exploring how we got here through adaptation history in a workshop so come join me! www.eventbrite.com/cc/romancing...
eventbrite.com
Romancing Wuthering Heights
An interactive workshop with two different times to choose from
95214
Reposted by David Cottis
Matthew Steggle @matthewsteggle.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Really enjoyed this, in which @oldfortunatus.bsky.social, @lucycmunro.bsky.social, and my esteemed colleague Laurence Publicover, all wearing lightly their massive learning, talk about how much fun the Henry IV plays are. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
In Our Time - Henry IV Part 1 - BBC Sounds
Shakespeare's powerful exploration of power and succession with Hotspur, Hal and Falstaff.
3308
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
So, Paul Simon (and Billy Bragg), if you were 21 years when you wrote the song, and 22 now you're singing it, does that mean you didn't sing it all while you were writing it? That must have been tricky.
000
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
@secondmentions.bsky.social 'the carrot-chomping icon' www.tcm.com/articles/now...
tcm.com
Star of the Month: Bugs Bunny
061
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Woman overheard coming out of American Psycho at the Almeida theatre: 'Well, that was a headf*ck.'
010
Reposted by David Cottis
Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
There are 14 great choices in this favorite-Sondheim-song roundup, and together, they still represent just a tiny fraction of his brilliance. Come for the wonderful picks; stay for the guy in comments insisting that he's a "fraud" and that musicals died 60 years ago. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/a...
nytimes.com
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sondheim
88211
David Cottis @davidcottis.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
It's indicative of what a fecund period the postwar years were for Westerns that even a minor example like this should be a bit of a masterpiece. (1/3) Gehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041625/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_man%2520from%2520col
imdb.com
The Man from Colorado (1948) ⭐ 6.6 | Romance, Western
1h 40m | Approved
100
Reposted by David Cottis
Plenty Wenlock @plentywenlock.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Eric spoke to Samuel McIlhagga at @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social for this brilliant article on the seminal Penda's Fen and its impact today. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/pendas-fen-r... #pendasfen #birminghamdispatch #penda #pinfin #pinvin #worcestershire #midlands #midlandshorror #folkhorror
birminghamdispatch.co.uk
Penda’s Fen reinvents Mercia for the modern age
How an experimental British 1970s television play pioneered a folk horror revival
122