In his 1798 epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge penned the immortal lines – “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”, a lamenting of the fact that though you may be apparently surrounded by something, some quirk of circumstance may mean you not able to Continue Reading
TV
A colourful collection of streaming trailers: 1899, Wednesday, Sweet Tooth (season 2), the Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild
So many streaming platforms … and not a thing to watch? To hear some malcontents on social media that’s precisely the case, but honestly there are so many diverse and amazing programs coming down the pike that it’s hard to see how you could possibly find nothing that interests you. Continue Reading
Weekend poster pop art: Meet (sort of) some of the characters from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
SNAPSHOTThis epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung Continue Reading
The frontier awaits: Thoughts on Strange New Worlds (S1, E 1-5)
It is a rare, rare thing indeed, especially in an age of multitudinous streaming abundance where derivative ideas and leveraged brands are everywhere like rabbits in plague numbers, to find a new show that feels like a freaking breath of fresh air. It’s even more remarkable when said show, in Continue Reading
“I never imagined any of this”: Meet the cast of Ms. Marvel
SNAPSHOTMs. Marvel, launching on Disney+ in [U.S.] Summer 2022, is a new series that introduces Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit Continue Reading
Weekday streaming poster art: New characters posters for Obi-Wan Kenobi
SNAPSHOTThe story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. The series stars Continue Reading
When life is broken and you’ve lost it all … or have you? Thoughts on Obi-Wan Kenobi (S1, E1-2)
There’s a point in the opening episode of any new TV series where you discover whether you are going to be watching a pedal-to-the-metal affair, where things move fast and really stop to collect their breath, or whether you will be treated to a far more thoughtfully meditative affair, one Continue Reading
“That’s what a reckoning looks like”: Teaser trailer released for Star Wars: Andor
SNAPSHOTThe Andor series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with Continue Reading
A tantalising ton of TV trailers: Prehistoric Planet, Only Murders in the Building, Asteroid Rush, Queer as Folk + The Umbrella Academy (S3)
My To Be Watched list is beginning to look unsettlingly like my To Be Read pile – toweringly big, bigger than Canada and unlikely to be fully conquered in my lifeline. And yet, despite the implacable odds arrayed against me, I keep believing, thanks to a weird hope springs eternal Continue Reading
Thoughts on Picard (S2, E6 -10)
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD … AND BORG … AND Q … AND TIME TRAVEL-Y STUFF … One of the great joys of Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) return to the small (now streaming) screen is the chance we have had to see who he is as a person now, and how that Continue Reading