Permanent Plastic Helmet is an independent UK-based online zine which focuses on the expansive, beauteous world of film and film culture. We take our name from an early line in Spike Lee’s 1989 classic Do The Right Thing. Here’s some stuff about us:

What we will do

• Provide regular features, reviews and opinions on the films, genres, characters and issues we are passionate about
• Aim to write to a consistently high standard, hopefully proving witty, informative and accessible in the process
• Cover a broad range of film, encompassing classic and contemporary in roughly equal measure. We’re just as interested in what’s perceived as low culture as high. In the spirit of Nathan Rabin’s ‘My Year Of Flops’ project, we believe there’s gold in the places you’d least expect. Moreover, we’ll look to promote underrepresented groups, and unearth hidden cinematic gems
• Try to keep critical savagings to a minimum. We recognize just how difficult it is to get a film made
• Engage our readers with regular competitions and giveaways and hopefully, further down the line, screenings and events

What we won’t do

• Cover anything and everything that comes out. We’re a labour of love project, and will blog only about the stuff we care about
• Knowingly engage in the worryingly pervasive trend of “snark”. We don’t know everything, and we don’t think we’re better than anyone. We’re passionate about film, but we’ve got a lot to learn about it too
• Regurgitate trailers, posters and inconsequential news items. You can get that elsewhere, delivered no doubt with a great deal more enthusiasm

What we might do

• Indulge in our fondness for tangential pop culture detritus, such as this deconstruction of a Hall & Oates music video, or this report on the whereabouts of Art Attack host Neil Buchanan
• Go quiet from time to time. As mentioned above, we’re purely a labour of love project with zero funding, and sometimes real life gets in the way of a good story! Bear with us though, we’ll bounce back before too long

Do we accept contributions?

Sure. If you’re interested in writing for us, and think your style would suit, please feel free to get in touch. pplastichelmet@gmail.com is the address you’re looking for, though it’s probably best to make it clear from the off that we’re not currently (and are a long, long way away from being) in a position to be able to pay contributors.

You can find us and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.