Mark Grassick

Freelance copywriter, screenwriter, editor and journalist

Features and Lists

Features

Dapper Confidential •

How To Wash Out Pomade (& 5 Easy-to-Remove Pomades)

How do you remove pomade from your hair? Every man has their story. A couple of years ago, my wife and I were on our merry way to spend a long weekend in Barcelona. At the airport, I discovered I’d forgotten to pack one of my many tubs of ludicrously expensive wax, clay, paste and pomade, so I made a detour to buy another one to tide me over.

The old-school pomade I picked up was one of those tins of oil-based, heavy duty gloop that goes in and doesn’t come out. At least, not without a fight. I
Dapper Confidential •

How to Grow a Decent Mustache

I have a complicated relationship with mustaches. I’ve had a beard for over 15 years, but there’s a little voice in the back of my head that keeps prodding me towards its smaller, trickier cousin.

When I think of mustaches, I picture Sam Elliott’s glorious effort, simultaneously rugged and dashing, like a cowboy with a tendency for the theatrical. The reality, however, whenever I’ve even slightly shifted my weight in that direction, is something closer to a morally suspect second-hand car sales
Dapper Confidential •

How to Style a Quiff: 10 Iconic Celebrity Quiffs

The quiff has had one hell of a resurgence in the last ten years. For a while, it dropped out of sight, save for some dedicated rockabilly folk who kept it alive alongside brothel creepers, bowling shirts and enough pomade to squeeze a whale through a keyhole. Now, everyone from soccer players to movie stars have sky-high styles that would make Elvis weep with pride. We decided to pay homage to the most iconic pompadours in hair history.

How to Style a Quiff in 6 Easy Steps Andrew Fitzsimons, c
The HotCorn •

Remembering Albert Finney

Today’s film industry seems to allow little room for anyone to be larger than life. Watching the speeches veer between politely dull and uncomfortably self-aggrandising at last night’s BAFTAs, you can’t help but pine for the unpredictability – for better and worse – of yesteryear’s more vividly drawn stars. I didn’t know Albert Finney, who sadly passed away on Thursday, but there was little about the man that ever came across as blank or boring. Finney the man always seemed as fascinating…
The HotCorn •

Sharp Objects and its exceptional use of music

It’s a wonder that we don’t revere music supervisors the way we do directors, writers and cinematographers. When you consider how intertwined music and images are in our minds, how the right song can lift the emotional impact, they arguably play as big a role as anyone else involved in the construction of a scene. Probably the finest example of the power of the music supervisor is Susan Jacobs. Her stellar judgement made soul music the backbone of Big Little Lies…
The HotCorn •

From Light Of Day to Lilyhammer: Springsteen on screen

Stephen King once lamented that Bruce Springsteen never became an actor. From his music videos, the great horror scribe theorised, it’s obvious he would have been pretty damn good. King even went as far as to deem Bruce his top pick to play Larry Underwood in The Stand, and it’s hard to argue with his logic. Watch the videos for ‘I’m On Fire’ and ‘Glory Days’ and all the hallmarks of a great, naturalistic actor are there in plain sight, a languid ease that brings to mind Mitchum or Viggo Mor
The HotCorn •

They Don't Make 'Em Like That No More: Robert Mitchum

There’s an old saying that goes, “They broke the mould when they made him”. It’s one that could be applied to so many iconoclastic actors over the decades, but it seems to evolve beyond cliché and into an accurate description when applied to Robert Mitchum. Whatever force created him – whether it was an almighty deity or a biological collision – it must have figured it got it right the first time and called it a day thereafter.

Born in 1917 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mitchum’s father was…
The HotCorn •

TV Column: I've never seen Seinfeld

I firmly believe there’s a danger in first experiencing certain pop culture so far out of its time. I understand why people who didn’t grow up in the 80s think The Goonies is over-rated. I would hesitate before forcing someone who never saw Star Wars as a child to watch it now. And, at the risk of being immolated by hordes of Bowie and Jim Henson fans, I didn’t see Labyrinth until I was in my early 30s and it annoyed the living hell out of me.
The HotCorn •

TV Column: Does all kids’ TV have to be so noisy?

There are so many ways to prepare yourself for parenthood. You could take a pre-natal class and learn useful tips while building a support network of other expectant couples. You could read What To Expect While You’re Expecting and learn what fruit your baby is currently the size of. You could watch One Born Every Minute and scare the living crap out of yourself as women emit guttural noises while their partners try to scoop poo out of birthing pools with what looks like a child’s fishing net…
The HotCorn •

TV Column: Can a TV show truly be considered ‘great’?

On Screenwipe, the esteemed Charlie Brooker often listed the three greatest TV shows of all time as The Wire, Deadwood and The Sopranos. It’s hard to argue there, but it’s been quite a few years since those shows called it a day and, in the meantime, TV has changed in ways that few foresaw. So, if Mr Brooker, or anyone else was to draw up that list today, would those three pillars remain intact or would they have been usurped by more contemporary equivalents?

There are arguments to be made on b
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