As no less a storied filmmaker than George Lucas demonstrated with what became the first three instalments of the Star Wars franchise, it is one thing to create a whole new world, or in his case, a galaxy; quite another to keep it fresh and interesting. So you might Continue Reading
Birthday book review: Alberto’s Lost Birthday by Diana Rosie
(image courtesy Pan MacMillan) What must it be like to lose your birthday? For the aged titular protagonist in Diana Rosie’s debut novel, Alberto’s Lost Birthday, it has never really been an issue. As a young boy orphaned in the midst of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), his life has been one of survival, Continue Reading
Yes, I am the City: My 5 big ABBA moments
ABBA were THE defining music group of my youth, and you could well argue my entire life. Though I can’t remember which song I heard first, or when the mania took hold, ABBA dominated my music listening choices all through the 1970s, with the stranglehold – a very welcome stranglehold Continue Reading
The short and the short it: Friendship is forever in Last Shot
You may not think there’d be much of a touching story in the tale of one young budding photographer, her broken and reluctantly-discarded instamatic camera and a whole lot of photos that will never be taken but you’d be wrong. Aemilia Widodo, a graduate of Ringling College of Art + Continue Reading
The Walking Dead: “Go Getters” (S7, E5 review)
*SPOILERS AHEAD … AND WALKER PARTIES LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE WITH LOUD MUSIC, BONFIRES AND ROPED-UP GUARDS* Thank the Diseased Big Walker in the Sky, we have a reprieve from Negan’s swaggering blandness this week. Admittedly we get it still by proxy with Simon (Steven Ogg), The Walking Continue Reading
Tugging at the festive heartstrings. Join #BustertheBoxer in this year’s John Lewis Christmas ad
SNAPSHOT This is the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce. When her mum and dad buy her a trampoline for Christmas, they soon discover that she isn’t the only one with a passion for jumping. (synopsis via Laughing Squid) Christmas is almost upon us Continue Reading
Movie review: A Monster Calls
There is nothing quiet, civil or tidy about grief. It is, in every way you can imagine, disruptive, loud and dark, filled with a thousand regrets, aching, terrible loss and the hollowing sense that comes with the sheer futility of trying to hold onto a loved one who is Continue Reading
Missed it by that much: 29 TV and film spin-offs that almost happened
So near … and yet so very far. As Mike Rugnetta from Mental Floss’s List View details, that’s been the fate of many a spin-off proposed for popular TV shows and movies. You’d think that someone proposing a spin-off from say Friends, Cheers or The Wire would be greeted with Continue Reading
Book review: The Heart of Henry Quantum by Pepper Harding
It has been said, quite possibly once too often, that all good things must come to an end. But what if, wonders the titular protagonist in The Heart of Henry Quantum, if they were never all that good to begin with? Of course Henry has always told himself that Continue Reading
Road to Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life #9: “Wedding Bell Blues” (S5, E13)
As Gilmore Girls continued on its quirky merry way into its later seasons, Amy Sherman-Palladino’s show gradually got darker and darker. Not The Wire or Sopranos darker obviously because frankly where would be the fun in that, but darker nonetheless, with a willingness to leave characters hanging in the Continue Reading