David Heslop

@dtheslop

Producer and writer of TV and online video, as well as some marketing, social, and events stuff. Once won a BAFTA, which was nice. Currently writing a book.

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David Heslop@dtheslop· 22d

And the greatest car in fiction is... 1: The Batmobile - specifically the Animated Series version, with its sexy art deco style! For my reasoning, and more of my fave made-up motors, check out the whole list: britesparc.tumblr.com/post/8224698...

number 1: the batmobile from Batman the animated series

David Heslop@dtheslop· 22d

This week I've been ranking my favourite fictional cars - that is to say, cars from fiction! Please check out the top five: 5: Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo! 4: Bluesmobile from The Blues Brothers! 3: DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future! 2: ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters! And no. 1...

David Heslop@dtheslop· 22d

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Superhero movie as teen drama as we follow the high school travails of Peter Parker. Far more down-to-earth than previous adaptations, this has an amazing (ho ho) turn by Holland at its core. Fun, incredibly likeable, and with a colourful aesthetic. #SciFi2026

Scene from Spider-Man Homecoming. We're looking down on Spider-Man as he climbs the Washington Monument; behind him, in the distance, we can see the ground and tons of tiny people staring up at him.

David Heslop@dtheslop· 22d

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Seminal sci-fi with a serious message. An icon of the genre, from its classic robot to the proliferation of "Klaatu barada nikto". Surprisingly dark in its questioning, with great location photography selling the global drama. Masterpiece, frankly. #SciFi2026

Shot from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Michael Rennie, in shiny spacesuit, stands before his flying saucer, his silver robot Gort behind him.

David Heslop@dtheslop· 25d

Supergirl (2026) A refreshing spin on the character, anchored by a barnstorming performance by Milly Alcock, who gives us a punky, spiky, very damaged Kara. The overall adventure is fun and it has some great moments, but it's let down by an uneven tone and some odd story decisions. #SciFi2026

Supergirl (2026 vintage) standing in the cockpit of a ship, yellow light framing her from behind as it streams in through the windows.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 12

The Iron Giant (1999) Gorgeous Cold War spin on Ted Hughes; age has made its marriage of cel-shaded CG and traditional animation all the more impressive. Like the best of Amblin it's child-friendly but mature, and in its bleeding heart, the best Superman movie ever made. Masterpiece. #SciFi2026

Scene from The Iron Giant. In an autumnal woodland setting, the vast mechanical Iron Giant squats down on its haunches as it studies the small human boy, Hogarth, who sits on the ground looking up at the creature.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 11

Them: the photorealistic Dwayne Johnson Maui doll can't hurt you The photorealistic Dwayne Johnson Maui doll:

A doll of Dwayne Johnson as Maui in the new Moana film, still in its packaging. The face is incredibly realistic and has a fixed grin with bright white teeth

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 9

And my favourite screenwriter is... 1: Aaron Sorkin, combining poetic, musical dialogue with social-conscience filmmaking, giving actors meaty, beautiful words to chew on. For my full list and more detailed explanations, head this-a-way: britesparc.tumblr.com/post/8212543...

Number 1: Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, all indignant in the courtroom with his fist clenched. Inset is an image of Aaron Sorkin.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 9

Do please enjoy my ranking of my favourite movie screenwriters! 5: Mel Brooks, sultan of silliness, king of comedy 4: Shane Black, the best buddy-action guy in the biz 3: the Coens, witty dialogue, twisty plotting, jet-black humour 2: Tarantino, lyrical dialogue maestro stay tuned for no. 1...!

Number 5: Zero Mostel from The Producers, with an inset image of writer Mel Brooks

Number 4: Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Inset is an image of Shane Black from the movie Predator, which he was cast in so they could keep an actor on set

Number 3: Tim Robbins, wearing an apron and smoking a huge cigar, from the film The Hudsucker Proxy, which remains my favourite Coen joint. Inset is a photo of the brothers themselves

Number 2: Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction, enjoying a five-dollar shake. Inset is Quentin Tarantino

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 5

Just imagine the speech he'd give.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 4

Johnny Mnemonic (1995) Flawed but fascinating attempt to adapt Gibson's cyberpunk story into a mainstream blockbuster. Definitely dated and kinda conventional but its retro-futuristic style is compelling and Reeves is a frazzled yet cool centre to the action. Fun product of its time. #SciFi2026

Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic. In a suit and tie, in close up, he is about to put a slick silver VR headset over his face, with weird interface gloves on his hands.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jul 1

Oblivion (2013) A sumptuous post-apocalyptic epic with gorgeous photography and beautiful production design, right down to every futuristic gadget. However the script is woolly on its concepts, unclear on what it wants to say, and its characters ill-defined; it's enjoyable but empty. #SciFi2026

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 28

Here's my sincere one AND my funny one.

Panel from a Transformers comic. Close up of Scorponok's face, which is all melting and he's dying. He's saying "Did... Kuuuu... I do... Good?"

Panel from a Transformers comic. Swerve is talking to Rewind. They're both whispering. Their conversation goes:

Swerve: guess what? I pressed it and nothing happened.
Rewind: I didn't see you press it...
Swerve: yeah, it must have happend off-panel.
Rewind: what does that mean?
Swerve: I have no idea.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 27

Starship Troopers (1997) Frankly terrifying vision of a fascistic future, a note-perfect satire of authoritarianism via militarism and propaganda. And amidst all that it manages to be a tense, exciting action epic with stunning visual effects that have aged exceptionally well. #SciFi2026

Casper van Dien in Starship Troopers. Decked out in futuristic military armour, he stands before the gutted carcass of a colossal beetle the size of small plane, its thorax exploded, the landscape - and Casper - covered in orange goo.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 26

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) I class all Frankenstein stories as sci-fi, but this is more of a supernatural spin on Heathers than a genderbent Weird Science. The 80s vibe is great, and Kathryn Newton shines as damaged, demented Lisa, but it's tonally inconsistent and lacks a bit of bite. #SciFi2026

Cole Sprouse as the Creature, a reincarnated Victorian dude with lots of eye shadow and a cravat, is held by Kathryn Newton's Lisa, with bright makeup, a big 80s perm, and a bow in her hair.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 26

And the best moustache of the 1980s is... Number 1: my dad! For more of my witterings and the rest of the Top Ten Moustaches of the 1980s visit the ol' blog: britesparc.tumblr.com/post/8200240...

1: my dad in the 1980s, a man with a leather jacket, thick mop of hair, and big black moustache

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 26

The best moustaches of the 1980s continues! Number 3: Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop Number 2: Tom Selleck in Magnum PI Stay tuned for the number 1 best moustache of the 1980s! 2/3

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 26

Ahead of this coming weekend's new Top Ten, a brief look back at the special Father's Day-themed one from a week ago. I present: the best moustaches of the 1980s! Number 5: Bernard Hill in Boys from the Blackstuff Number 4: Wilford Brimley in Cocoon 1/3

5: pace, skinny Bernard Hill with a thick tache

4: Wilford Brimley with a big thick tache

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 23

Me visiting the reflecting pool.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 23

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 22

I remember his weird cameo in Look Who's Talking Too.

Still from Look Who's Talking Too. An infant is turning away from a toilet, which has morphed into a terrifying face, with eyes and nose on the cistern and the toilet lid a mouth with huge fangs

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 19

Because I love Garfield so much, here's another look at an old Top Ten: my favourite Garfield TV specials! britesparc.tumblr.com/post/7932950... Rounded out with: 4: Here Comes Garfield 3: A Garfield Christmas 2: His 9 Lives 1: Babes & Bullets Happy birthday Garfield! Which was also good!

Garfield and Odie in "Here Comes Garfield"

Garfield and a tree in "A Garfield Christmas"

Garfield as a space cat in "His 9 Lives"

A monochrome Garfield as private investigator Sam Spayed in "Babes & Bullets"

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 19

To celebrate Garfield's birthday, here's a quick run-down of my old Top Ten Garfield Characters - and those who really rounded out the list! britesparc.tumblr.com/post/7648410... Yeah, OK, it's a bit first-base but the full list includes everyone from Irma to the spiders, so check it out!

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 18

Rounding out my Spielberg Top Ten. For more, read my explanations here: www.tumblr.com/britesparc/8... 3: ET: beautiful, heartbreaking, life-affirming 2: Close Encounters of the Third Kind: marries sci-fi conspiracy with euphoric joy 1: Jaws: tension, excitement, and stunning performances combined

2: Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 18

Here's more of my Steven Spielberg Top Ten! 6: Jurassic Park: technical wizardry and filmmaking skill combine to thrilling effect 5: Raiders of the Lost Ark: iconic central performance and sublime stuntwork create a classic 4: Schindler's List: heartbreaking in its horrors but filled with humanity

5: Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 18

To celebrate Disclosure Day, please enjoy my Top Ten Spielberg films updated for 2026! 10: The Last Crusade: witty banter from the Jones boys 9: Lincoln: like an 18th century West Wing 8: West Side Story: incredible technical prowess 7: The Fabelmans: love letter to cinema & art itself

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 18

These questions always make me think of the relatively obscure shows I had to promote on CITV 10-20 years ago, how cool and weird some of them were, and how basically nobody remembers them. Almost Naked Animals, anyone?

Still from the animated show Almost Naked Animals. A variety of cartoon animals rush into a room through large patio doors. All the animals have a stubbly appearance, as if they were shaved or had removed their fur like a suit. They are all wearing various types of underwear, from tiny briefs to Y-Fronts to big pants.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 17

Disclosure Day (2026) A paranoid conspiracy thriller about the transcendental power of empathy. The script is a bit wonky in places but it's magisterially directed by Spielberg and features a stunning performance from Emily Blunt. Genuinely wonderful in a lot of different ways. #SciFi2026

Still from Disclosure Day. In what looks like an ordinary suburban living room, Emily Blunt stands near the camera holding a short metallic rod that appears to be glowing with a white/blue light. Several other people stand behind her with worried expressions.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 6

Hoppers (2026) A fun sci-fi spin on an anthropomorphic animal eco-yarn. Surprisingly weird in its depiction of a critter kingdom, and earnest environmentalist Mabel is a great lead. But it pulls its punches somewhat, both visually and thematically, so never hits as hard as it could. #SciFi2026

Mabel, a young woman with wild, unkempt black hair and an arm in a cast, cradles a lifelike beaver robot in a dark lab/office. Behind her are dingy filing cabinets and old computers; she is also surrounded by mechanical animal skeletons and partly-disassembled robotic creatures.

David Heslop@dtheslop· Jun 5

And so the Top Three Beards in the MCU are... 3: Frank Castle 2: Ego 1: Steve Rogers Find more rubbish like this every week on my blog: www.tumblr.com/britesparc/8...