For a fable of galactic proportions, Star Wars has never been afraid to confront the realities of war or the destructive excesses of absolute power. The destruction of Alderaan in A New Hope or the freezing of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in carbonate in The Empire Strikes Back are Continue Reading
Movies
On 7th day of Christmas … I watched Office Christmas Party
Office Christmas Party wants to be funny. Desperately, festively, stick-everything-into-the-script-that-isn’t-nailed-down funny. And yet for all the (usually) luminously hilarious comedic talent hired, staging of over-the-top Christmas festivities and provocative posturing – allusions to a Human Centipede in the mens’ room anyone? No? Good choice – the film consistently fails to Continue Reading
Air New Zealand wants you to come walking in a SUMMER wonderland!
As a Christmas romantic, the great disparity between the traditional northern hemisphere visual look of Christmas and the much warmer southern hemisphere reality has never troubled me too much. Sure there are some people who rile at the idea of celebrating sleigh rides, winter wonderlands and chestnuts roasting over Continue Reading
On 5th day of Christmas … I listened to Amy Grant’s new Christmas album
It would be a rare person indeed who would describe Christmas as a quiet, reflective time of the year. But there’s something about Amy Grant’s fourth Christmas offering – it follows 1983’s A Christmas Album, and A Home For Christmas and A Christmas to Remember (both 1990s releases) – that Continue Reading
Star Wars goes Rogue – but will this risky move backfire? (curated article)
Peter Allen, University of Melbourne Star Wars: The Force Awakens left audiences desperate to know WWLS? (What Will Luke Say?) But fans will be waiting quite some time to find out. The new film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which opens in Australia on December 15, does not Continue Reading
On 4th day of Christmas … I enjoyed A Very Calvin & Hobbes Christmas
If you were to imagine a Calvin and Hobbes Christmas, the odds are you wouldn’t imagine a traditional Norman Rockwell moment. Oh sure Calvin’s parents would love that kind of Christmas with everyone grouped around the table in blissful, festive repose, but the reality is that Calvin, who never Continue Reading
Baby Groot totally steals the new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
SNAPSHOT Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Continue Reading
Festive weekend pop art: awesome pop culture Christmas cards from P. J. McQuade
As a pop culture junkie, I love the idea of combining my passion for movies, books, TV shows and music with my equally enthusiastic love of Christmas. So heartfelt thanks to Brooklyn illustrator P. J. McQuade who has designed a range of awesome Christmas card, which you can buy Continue Reading
Movie review: La La Land
Ask most people what springs to mind when you mention musicals and you’ll likely be peppered with words like “romantic”, “fairytale”, “escapist” and “otherworldly”. And it’a true that a lot of musicals do tend to live up to these word pictures, evoking a magical sense of wonder at the Continue Reading
On 1st day of Christmas … I decorated my tree with pop culture ornaments
I am both a Christmas tree addict and a pop culture junkie. All of which means that with the arrival of the most wonderful time of the year, my thoughts tend to go to covering my delightful artificial pine tree – when I was growing natural pine trees were Continue Reading