Christopher Connor

James Grady’s debut novel Six Days of the Condor, was a smash hit in 1974, the basis for the classic Robert Redford film Three Days of the Condor. Since then, he has written a string of successful novels, covering espionage, noir and more. At 77, he proves he is still a writer to be reckoned with in his latest, Shadows on Sidewalks, which combines elements of neo noir and erotic thrillers. It’s an accomplished effort full of bang-up-to-date cultural references, and even though it might be tel...

Released: 15 May 2025
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, James Corden, Jessica Gunning
Steven Soderbergh is never one to stand still. After the success of Presence and Black Bag, he once again changes lane, although remaining in London with The Christophers. The black comedy follows Lori Butler an artist who never quite reached her full potential, she is asked to finish the series of paintings known as The Christophers by the renowned but reclusive Julian Sklar...

With a sound fuelled by classic harmony bands with shades of glam rock, The Lemon Twigs – anchored by the brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario – have earned a rave response. ‘Everything Harmony’ and ‘My Golden Years’, while throwbacks of a sort, offered plenty of gorgeous harmonies and musical variety to prove that the band is far from simply a pastiche. Their much-anticipated sixth album is further proof of this and features the band’s touring members for the first time on record, enrichenin...

Released: 8 May 2026
Director: Kyle Balda
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Chris O’Dowd, Bryan Cranston, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Patrick Stewart, Emma Thompson
Leoni Swann’s 2005 novel Three Bags Full combined a story of a flock of sheep, whose shepherd read them bedtime stories with a murder mystery. When the shepherd, George is found dead, the flock take it on themselves to find his killer. The core traits of the story are kept intact for Kyle Balda’s cinematic ...

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Maul Shadow Lord season 1 episodes 9 and 10.
The latest animated entry in the Star Wars universe, Maul: Shadow Lord, has brought its first season to an action-packed conclusion.
The penultimate episode saw the teams of both Maul and the Jedi and Captain Lawson coming to an unlikely alliance in an effort to escape Janix and its imperial blockade.
Would they all make it to the ship of Dryden Vos and the sanctuary of Crimson Dawn, or would the inquisitors catch ...

After not releasing an album between 2014 and 2019, the following years have been some of the Black Keys’ most productive, with just one year since 2021 without an LP and Dan Auerbach filling that with an Arcs record. The duo’s latest ‘Peaches!’ is a cover record that attempts to capture the garage-rock mantra of their debut, ‘The Big Come Up’. While the pair aren’t the early 20-somethings they were on that record, that intensity and vitality come through here in one of their most urgent rele...

James McAvoy’s debut film as a director, California Schemin has earned a rapturous response since premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in 2025. It tells the true story of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, two unlikely lads from Dundee who turned the hip-hop world on its head in the early 00s.
The story perhaps not widely known as it should be, is now brought to the masses, capturing Scotland and London of the early 00s, and of course, the hip-hop scene.
We sat down with the breakout star of the f...

The likes of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Denise Mina have become household names and figureheads for Scottish crime fiction. One of the latest to join this crew is Andrew Raymond, whose DCI John Lomond series, set in Glasgow, has built a dedicated readership, which grows with each new novel. After initially self-publishing digitally, Raymond has signed with Vinci Books whose print editions are finding him new audiences in the UK and North America. Books five and six in the series, The Long D...

Jessie Ware’s ‘That! Feels Good!’ seemed like an arrival of sorts for Jessie Ware, offering a perfect encapsulation of her sound five albums in. Its deft blend of pop, disco and more earned some of the best reviews of her career to date, leaving her sixth LP ‘Superbloom’ with a lot to live up to.
It does so by cannily building on the sonic textures of its predecessor, delivering another magnetic representation of Ware’s charm beyond her sideline as a superstar podcaster, channelling artists o...

Rebuilding, 2025.
Written and Directed by Max Walker-Silverman.
Starring Josh O’Connor, Lily LaTorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, and Amy Madigan.
SYNOPSIS:
After wildfires take his ranch, a cowboy named Dusty winds up in a FEMA camp. He finds community with others who lost homes, while reconnecting with his daughter and ex-wife.
Josh O’Connor is not one to stand still; fresh off the likes of Wake Up Deadman, The Mastermind and History of Sound, he returns with the indie film Rebuilding, a Neo W...

Released: 17 April 2026
Director: Brian Cox
Starring: Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Shirley Henderson, Alexandra Shipp
Brian Cox has long been a formidable screen presence, known for his roles in Braveheart, the Bourne franchise, and, most notably, Succession as the iconic Logan Roy. Now he turns his hand to directing with Glenrothan, which, as the name suggests, is a love letter to his native Scotland. Cox’s Sandy owns a distillery in the picturesque Scottish Highlands, and his brother Donal (Ala...

The Writer and The Traitor – A terrific examination of two lives defined by espionage
Neither the legendary spy and double agent Kim Philby or author Graham Greene needs an introduction. What’s less well documented is the pair’s friendship and work together in the war years. Robert Verkaik's book The Writer and The Traitor documents the peaks and troughs of both their espionage careers, how their paths crossed and how Greene may have gently teased that Philby was working for the Soviets in se...

Since Casino Royale’s publication in 1953, there has been no shortage of content in the James Bond universe. In addition to Ian Fleming’s 13 novels and 25 official films, there have been over 40 continuation novels set both within the original novel timeframe of the 50s and 60s and in the present day, offering differing takes on the character’s origins.
IO Interactive’s 007 First Light tells a fresh origin story for the character in video game format and, refreshingly, offers a take on the ch...

Sky’s Spymasters: The Great Spy Writers should have been catnip for Spybrary readers. A four-part documentary series tracing the evolution of spy fiction from its origins to the present day, with names such as John Buchan, Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, John le Carré and Mick Herron in the frame, sounds like essential viewing.
There is no shortage of great spy novelists, many of whom have had their place in the sun and the adulation they deserve, with many more slipping under the radar. The news...

Released: 10 April 2026
Director: James McAvoy
Starring: Samuel Bottomley, Séamus McLean Ross, James McAvoy, Lucy Halliday
James McAvoy is a name familiar to many for his roles in Split, the X-Men series, Atonement, Starter For 10, Filth and many more. Now he turns his hand to directing with his debut feature, California Schemin’, as it focuses on the true life story of Dundee rap duo Billy Boyd and Gavin Bains, who passed themselves off as Americans.
This seems like an appropriate story for ...