SNAPSHOTAfter a virus turns most people into zombies, the world’s surviving humans remain locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead. Four survivors — Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and his cohorts Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) — abide by a list of survival rules Continue Reading
Comics review: Monster on the Hill by Rob Harrell
What’s the first thing you look for when you’re deciding if a particular locale is worthy of your hard-earned tourist dollar? Great accommodation? Sublimely-good food? Stellar attractions? Outstanding natural beauty? Scary monsters? Sorry … wait … what what?! You heard me … MONSTERS. In Rob Harrell‘s (Big Top, Adam@Home) delightful Continue Reading
Book review: Ice-Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa
When you are taking in the enormity of a major moment in history, it is easy to forget that behind the epic events lie a multiplicity of individual stories. We may see a monolithic whole but it only exists because a host of people all major contributing personal systems that Continue Reading
Movie review: Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Attempting to nimbly hop like a gazelle on steroids from one medium to another does not always work for every pop culture property. What works delightfully in one may fall to the ground with a dull thud or smashing roar in another, with the essence of what made the character Continue Reading
A celebration of creativity and silliness: The Jim Henson Company Sizzle Reel
I wrote some weeks ago Twitter that Jim Henson was the creator of much of the happiness of my childhood. That may sound like an unholy dissing of those nearest and dearest to me, and of Indian food and cheesecakes, two of the culinary touchpoints of growing up for me, Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: Healthy food with a side order of pop culture
Laleh Mohmedi is an immensely-creative person. A food artist and mother, Mohmedi has never been content to provide pedestrian food offerings to her son Jacob, resulting in meals that are not only vibrantly healthy but striking in their evocation of a vitally-imaginary host of pop culture characters. The delight of Continue Reading
Is there still magic in the world? Pixar’s Onward uses heart and humour to find the answer
SNAPSHOTSet in a suburban fantasy world, Disney•Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. The feature will be directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and produced by Kori Rae. (synopsis (c) Coming Soon) Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: Dinosaurs and humans come too close for comfort in Battle at Big Rock
SNAPSHOTA family on a camping trip to Big Rock National Park, about 20 miles from where Fallen Kingdom has ended, take part in the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans. (synopsis via IMDb) “It’s a dinosaur, it eats what it wants.” Wiser words have never been spoken, especially in Continue Reading
A true selfless act always inspires another: Klaus and the origins of Santa, toys and all that giving
SNAPSHOTWhen Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy’s worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Rashida Jones), Continue Reading
Book review: The Book of Wonders by Julien Sandrel
There is something gloriously refreshing about the way the French approach their storytelling. By some act of the gods or simply a gift for prodigiously good and insightful storytelling, authors like Julien Sandrel are able to write unflinchingly about the most heartbreaking of situations, giving it due gravity and respect, Continue Reading