April 12, 2025 – SparklyPrettyBriiiight

(courtesy IMP Awards) Stories of empowerment generally take the form of someone discovering they are lost and trapped in a place shorn of agency and vivacity who then takes steps to change their lives in ways that are triumphant and overcoming. But while these stories are meant to be inspiring, Continue Reading

“Please, open the door for me …” Jurassic World: Rebirth puts the fear of dinosaurs in everyone all over again (new trailer + poster)

(courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTThis action-packed new chapter sees an extraction team race to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park, inhabited by the worst of the worst that were left behind. Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion (released in Continue Reading

The humour and heart of humanity: Thoughts on Murderbot S1, E1-2

(courtesy IMP Awards) Watching a literary adaptation spring to life is always a fascinating exercise. Will it spring fully formed from the page like the visual manifestation of all the little films your mind inevitably feeds you as you read or will it feel like another story entirely, one that Continue Reading

New places to go, a new mystery to solve … Zootopia 2 releases new trailer + poster

(courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTZootopia 2 is directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, written by Bush, and stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, and Quinta Brunson. In the film, detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves Continue Reading

Book review: Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino

(courtesy Scholastic) If you have grown up and are comfortably ensconced as a member of the heteronormative majority, you will have likely seen little to trouble your secure worldview. Almost everything caters to the idea that society, and indeed civilisation as a whole, has been shaped in its entirety by Continue Reading

Eurovision 2025 wrap-up: No “Wasted Love” as Austria wins this year’s contest

(courtesy Eurovision.tv) We’re off to Austria! The superbly passionate and gloriously operatic performance by Austria’s JJ aka Johannes Pietsch, a singer at the Vienna State Opera, garnered 258 points from the international jury vote, which was allocated first by the traditional appearance of representatives from all 37 competing countries, and Continue Reading

Building something … ICONIC: First trailer lands for Ironheart

(courtesy First Showing) SNAPSHOTSet after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel’s Ironheart series pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but Continue Reading

We reach the end … or is it the end of the beginning? Thoughts on Andor S2, E10-12

(courtesy YouTube (c) Star Wars/Disney+) One of the enduring strengths of the flawless perfection that has been Andor right throughout its two superlatively good seasons has been its attention to detail when it comes to joining up the dots with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: A Continue Reading

Take a big swing … the heartfelt trailer for Stick

(courtesy First Showing) SNAPSHOT“His comeback is a long shot.” In Stick, Owen Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed prematurely 20 years ago. After the collapse of his marriage and getting fired from his job at an Indiana sporting goods store, Pryce hedges his Continue Reading

Eurovision 2025 cultural festival Swiss movie review: The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse)

(courtesy IMDb) There is one line towards the end of this singularly charming but emotionally meaningful film with which anyone who has ever grown up in an oppressive environment where they cannot be themselves will readily identify. The titular protagonist of The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in Continue Reading

Songs, songs and more songs #122 – Eurovision 2025 cultural festival music review: 5 great Swiss music artists

(via Shutterstock) One of the great gifts of the Eurovision Song Contest is discovering the incredibly talented and richly imaginative music artists that each country possesses. But while we meet a new artist from each country each year, the truth is that beyond that one person or group are a Continue Reading

She has nowhere to go but up: Thoughts on North of North

Road to Eurovision 2025: Week 3 – Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Sweden + Ukraine (semi-final 1, part 3)