Love has a great many homes in popular culture – chart-topping songs, poems, TV dramas and sitcoms, books of all genres; honestly, we could happily go on and on and on, so romantically omnipresent is love wherever you turn. But perhaps its most natural home, and the one in which Continue Reading
Movies
Friendship is a trip: Wine Country explores friends, wine and weekends away
SNAPSHOTIn honor of Rebecca’s (Rachel Dratch) 50th birthday, Abby (Amy Poehler) plans a scenic Napa getaway with their best, longtime friends. Workaholic Catherine (Ana Gasteyer), post-op Val (Paula Pell), homebody Jenny (Emily Spivey), and weary mom Naomi (Maya Rudolph) are equally sold on the chance to relax and reconnect. Yet Continue Reading
Easter festival #1: It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
You have to hand it to Linus (Stephen Shea) – in the face of all evidence to the contrary, he continues to believe, and believe with a capital “B”, even when sceptics such as Sally mock him gently, and let’s be fair, not-so-gently. For him Halloween, and the arrival of Continue Reading
Movie review: mid90s
Growing up is a monumental challenge at the best of times. Throw in a less than ideal home life, like the ones alluded to in Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, mid90s, and you have the kind of near impossible situation where simply getting through the day is a feat, never mind Continue Reading
What We Left Behind: The documentary that gives Deep Space Nine its well-deserved place in the Star Trek sun
SNAPSHOTDeep Space Nine is described as “dark”, “edgy”, and “the black sheep” of the Star Trek family – a show that did not fit in Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future. 20 years after it left the airwaves, fans all over the world continue to watch Deep Space Nine with Continue Reading
Think your family is weird? Get ready for an all-new animated Addams Family
SNAPSHOTGet ready to snap your fingers! The Addams Family is back on the big screen in the first animated comedy about the kookiest family on the block. Funny, outlandish, and completely iconic, the Addams Family redefines what it means to be a good neighbor. The movie centers on the family Continue Reading
What if there’s not a villain? Wall-E as sociological storytelling (video essay)
2008’s WALL-E is on the surface a delightful film about two robots falling head over heels in garbage-strewn love. Pretty simple and straightforward, right? Well, yes … and no. As Pop Culture Detective aka Jonathan McIntosh (sponsor him on Patreon) explains, the film is actually considerably more complex than that, Continue Reading
Movie review: Man in a Hurry (Un homme pressé)
If there is one thing Hollywood believes with absolute certainty, it is that sudden disability of any kind automatically and completely ennobles someone. Gone are their abrasive edges, their psychological ticks and their flawed humanity, replaced by an inspirational outlook and persona that makes Mother Theresa look like a serial Continue Reading
Toy Story 4: Another trailer, another poster, more Forky!
SNAPSHOT When a new toy called “Forky” joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy. (synopsis via Bleeding Cool) Is it possible, and I am, of course, asking for a friend, to have too much Continue Reading
Movie review: SHAZAM!
Think back to the heady, carefree days of childhood for a second. Now, anyone will tell you not all days were coloured by idyllic splendour and unfettered enthusiasm, but there were enough of them for most of us to recall the sheer joy of discovering something new and exciting that Continue Reading