Traditionally endings are not meant to precede the beginning and middle of the story. It makes sense – starting off on the finish line can rob a story of the narrative momentum built up in the first two acts of its emotional power and storytelling impact, and leave you feeling Continue Reading
Book review: A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno
Death, to our never-ending despair and ever-present grief, is a very final thing. That’s not necessarily a commentary on life-after-death or any of the philosophical or religious beliefs that evoke ideas of what happens to our supposedly incorruptible souls; it’s more a resigned acknowledgement that when somebody passes away, that’s Continue Reading
Keep believing … Ted Lasso drops a heartfelt teaser trailer for its third season
SNAPSHOTPer the official logline, the 12-episode third season of Ted Lasso will follow the newly promoted AFC Richmond, which faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League, while Nate, now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert at West Ham United. In Continue Reading
A mini-mass of movie trailers: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Flash
I don’t watch sport as a rule and even though it is sporting juggernaut that bestrides the globe, that included ignoring the Superbowl (save for Rihanna who was red hot fabulous!). However, that exclusion of that epic sporting event from my life did not include the trailers release during the Continue Reading
Valentine’s Day book review: Nobody Puts Romcom in the Corner by Kathryn Freeman
Who of us, at least those with a love for watching films about people falling in love, hasn’t wished they could step into the frames of their favourite romantic comedy? They are usually so perfectly put together, so wonderfully alive with romantic possibility and eventually, after many twists and turns, Continue Reading
Valentine’s Day retro rom-com movie review: Keeping the Faith
Returning to a film after a considerable gap in time, in this case 23 years, is a risky business. Will the film be as rose-coloured glasses good as you remember it? Will you sigh in all the places you did the first time around, laugh in all the others and Continue Reading
A streaming selection: Thoughts on The Last of Us (E4 & 5) + Shrinking (E1-4) + Not Dead Yet (S1, E 1-2)
Much as I would love to save episodes up and watch whole seasons at a time, the fact of the matter is that bingeing, still fun in its own if you have great stretches of time free, is more stressful than its worth. The fact of the matter is that Continue Reading
Book review: The Whispering by Veronica Lando
The corrosive power of secrets is on full, ever tense, slowly building display in Veronica Lando’s debut novel The Whispering, a story which understands how the past can come crashing into the present and throw the future, in its all troubled and glorious possibility, into doubt. Set in Far North Continue Reading
Songs, songs and more songs #82: Noah Kahan, Leanna Firestone, Arlo Parks, Gracie Abrams and Låpsley + new ABBA lyric video
Life comes with a LOT of emotions.Expressing them can sometimes feel all but impossible but that’s where we are lucky to be gifted with talented music artists who ponder and feel and articulate the deepest feelings of the human heart and pair it with music resonant it’s hard not to Continue Reading
Book review: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
High fantasy is not usually the stuff of warm and cosy feels nor do second-chance stories of found family and hopeful new starts feature all kinds of mythical creatures. These two genres do not normally share a narrative bed since one, the former, is usually all high stakes and intense Continue Reading