Were you a cynical person, and honestly where is the fun in all that pooh-poohing and condenscening scornfulness, you might think that all songs entered for The Eurovision Song Contest are cut from the same earnest cloth. They’re not, of course, as this year’s diverse crop of tunes showed only Continue Reading
Waiting for a treat: Cookie Monster is, believe it or not, a self-control expert
SNAPSHOT Cookie Monster joins NPR’s Life Kit Parenting Podcast to talk about practicing self-control, especially when you have to wait for something you really want… like a plate of delicious chocolate chip cookies. (synopsis via Laughing Squid) If you’re lucky, you’re one of those people who can wait and wait Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The childlike fun of Coin Operated
SNAPSHOTCoin Operated, written and directed by Nicholas Arioli, is an award-winning 5 minute animated short film that spans 70 years in the life of one naive explorer. This film was proudly made by independent artists. (synopsis via YouTube) Hanging onto your childhood dreams and sense of imagination is tough. Tough, Continue Reading
Book review: Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
One of the most arresting scenes in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz, based on the magically-imaginative books of prolific author L. Frank Baum, is when Toto, Dorothy’s plucky terrier, pulls back the curtain shielding the titular wizard from view and exposing his intimidating spectacle as nothing more Continue Reading
Movie review: Rocketman
If your expectations of a biopic of John Elton include a healthy dose of bright, colourful theatrics and orchestral indulgence set to to epic, then Rocketman, written by Lee Hall and directed by David Fletcher, will not even come close to disappointing. Inventive and imaginative to degrees that delight and Continue Reading
Grab a phone! What would a 2019 iteration of Friends look like?
We know things have changed since Friends finished its 10-season run back on 6 May, 2004 but, wondered Nerdist, just how different would be the show be if I debuted today? What would change? What would be the same? Would the changes be so dramatic that the show would be Continue Reading
Book review: Room for a Stranger by Melanie Cheng
The interior is a place that most of us know only too well. Whether it’s mental health issues, loss and grief, regrets, hope and dreams, or simply dismay at the way a colleague or family member has treated us, our natural inclination seems to be to tuck them far away Continue Reading
Comics review: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
One of the great delights of a being an omnivorous reader is the delight you experience when a piece of work that initially presents as one thing turns out to be quite another. Or both, all at once. Nimona is one of those delightful surprises, the work of Noelle Stevenson, Continue Reading
Weekend movie poster art: The Secret Life of Pets 2
SNAPSHOTThe Secret Life of Pets 2 will follow summer 2016’s blockbuster about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy will produce the sequel to the comedy that had the best opening Continue Reading
Movie review: Someone Great
Is it possible to be both light and frothy and say something about the human condition? Especially if you’re a romantic comedy, a genre known for its romantic froth-and-bubble but not great existential musings on life, the universe and everything? Someone Great, part of the ever-increasing cascade of films from Continue Reading