Unusually, I’m plugging a book rather than a move, The Atheists Guide to Christmas, an excellent and borderline bestselling volume penned by 42 Atheists and edited by the new poster girl of Atheism, Arianne Sherine is out in all good book shops now.

David Baddiel and I wrote an essay together for the book, on the question of why they aren’t any Atheist Movies. And then as soon as we had written it, bloody Ricky Gervais went and made one in THE INVENTION OF LYING.

But in any case, the essay, and the book (and the cause behind the book, 50% of all royalties go to the Terrence Higgins Trust) are all excellent. You can hear David and I talking about our piece here and buy the book from Amazon and anywhere else. Click on the jacket to be taken there….

So our beloved, bloody  teen horror-comedy TORMENTED is now out on DVD at good (and bad) shops everywhere.  If you haven’t already been persuaded by the 80% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, and presence of a clutch of fabulous teenagers being beautiful, naked and dead (normally in that order) then check out the first 12 minutes, which we are making available absolutely free through The Sun online (click on the image below to be taken to it), and then buy it, buy it, buy it.  We thank you.

There’s rather nice coverage in yesterday’s Guardian; and we are in very good company – including companies I love like Spotify, my friend Brent Hoberman’s MyDeco, MoonPig and Mind Candy.  I blogged a while ago that Richard Wray, the Guardian’s communications editor had interviewed me about innovation. Turns out this is why. Here’s the soundbite:

“In the film industry, Arvind Ethan David, chief executive of Slingshot Studios, can see the same changes coming: “There exists a large and widening disjunction between how audiences want to consume films – when, where and how they want – and how the film industry insists on providing them, according to rigid windowing patterns, fixed price points and non-coordinated marketing between the platforms. Companies that actually work with consumers can reap benefits.”

The full piece is here; and here’s a funny image that the photo editor has chosen to represent what early adopters look like!

Nothing to do with the film industry. But somethings are just too good:

A piece I wrote last month in this week’s Comment Page in Screen International.  The topic is the worrying state of Digital Literacy in the UK Film Industry – even in its twenty-something, purportedly “digital native” recruits.

Full article (subscription required) here: