Hope is an intensely powerful thing. It persists in the belief that things can, and will be better, even in the face of all evidence to the contrary, when events time and again betray the fact that the thing that is being hoped against has already, regrettably, come to pass. Continue Reading
Movies
The sublime in the mundane: Ross Marquand impersonates A-list stars doing everyday things
You could be forgiven for being surprised that Ross Marquand, who plays beleaguered survivor Aaron on AMC’s The Walking Dead (to be fair every single last person on the show is beleaguered), is a man of 1001 celebrity impressions. But he is, and damn good ones at that, and the Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: Artists draw their greatest fears, inspired by Bird Box
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who, in his first inaugural speech in 1933, famously said, “the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” And while that may well be true, the fact is there are a great many other things to fear as Netflix’s recent hit film, Bird Box, Continue Reading
Movie review: Aquaman
(image via IMP Awards) Being a superhero is a pretty serious undertaking. You are, after all, usually the one responsible for not only stopping the bad guy/gal/weird mutant person with delusions of grandeur from ending the world in some of over-complicated and avowedly-cataclysmic fashion, but also coping with a host Continue Reading
Toy Story 4: Little Bo Peep has found her … poster and teaser trailer
SNAPSHOTBo Peep is back! This long-lost friend of Woody, Buzz and the gang always shared a special connection with Woody, but they have not seen each other in years, and Bo has become chipped and faded over time. Bo’s strength and sarcasm always belied her delicate porcelain exterior, and it Continue Reading
Mash-up mania: Men in Black meets up with The Blues Brothers
Has it ever occurred to you to mash up Men in Black and The Blues Brothers? No? Me neither. But it did, pop culture gods be praised, occur to French filmmaker Fabrice Mathieu who has quite the inventive track record of coming up with mash-up videos that make merry with Continue Reading
One long adventure: The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot
SNAPSHOT Sam Elliott stars as Calvin Barr, an American legend who’s haunted by a secret from his past. Once upon a time, he was the man who managed to get close enough to Hitler during World War II to shoot him dead. Now, decades later, he’s a man of mythic Continue Reading
You love them, you really love them? A montage of this year’s Oscar-nominated films
SNAPSHOT As they’ve done in past years, movie theater chain Cineplex has put together a wonderful montage of celebrated scenes from films, actors and director nominated for an Academy Award in 2019. This year includes The Favourite, BlackKklansman, Roma, Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born and Vice. (synopsis Continue Reading
Can you sing 22 musicals in just 12 minutes? Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and James Corden can!
James Corden, host of, as luck would have naming-wise, The Late Late Show with James Corden, love musicals. And Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda are currently starring in a musical at the moment by the name of Mary Poppins Returns (which is a supreme delight, and yes you must see Continue Reading
Sweet arachnid music: Lucas the Spider and his one man band
Lucas the Spider might be little but boy can he create some beautifully-big music. In this delightfully musical piece from creator Joshua Slice, Lucas uses violin, xylophone, drums and other instruments to create a jauntily-upbeat slice of mellow rockabilly that’s sure to get you up and dancing. (Just watch where Continue Reading