If the cast of Community were Batman villains…

(artwork by the very talented Ben Deguzman (@abouthebenjamin) from Southern California.)

Movie review: Long Story Short (Feste & Freunde – Ein Hoch auf uns!)

(courtesy IMDb) Being part of a solid and constant group of mutually supportive, caring friends is undoubtedly one of life’s great and often enduring gifts. Far from having to navigate life alone, we can do it, with all of its challenges and opportunities, its highs and lows, triumphs and deplorable Continue Reading

Road to Eurovision 2025: Week 7 – The Big 6 – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, UK (Grand final)

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?Started way back in 1956 as a way of drawing a fractured Europe back together with the healing power of music, the Eurovision Song Contest, or Concours Eurovision de la Chanson – the contest is telecast in both English and French – is open to Continue Reading

The darkness and violence of absolute power made manifest: Thoughts on Andor S2, E7-9

(courtesy IMP Awards) There is a fearful moment when something known only in the abstract, but horrific even so, suddenly becomes real, takes manifest palpable form and you are unable to pretend even for a second that within humanity lies the kernel for great evil if so nurtured. (Thankfully, great Continue Reading

Movie review: Thunderbolts*

(courtesy IMP Awards) Once as close to a sure thing as any blockbuster can be, Marvel’s prodigious output of epic superhero storytelling has stumbled more often than not over the last few years, offering up films that felt they were mere Xeroxes of the studio’s previous glories which, if you Continue Reading

Book review: Letters to our Robot Son by Cadance Bell

(courtesy Ultimo Press) I know, I know, I KNOW that you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (unless you’re part of a publishing company’s marketing team in which case that’s all you want to do). BUT, and in the case of Letters to our Robot Son by Continue Reading

Graphic novel review: I Heart Skull-Crusher! by Campbell/Zonno/De Santiago

(courtesy BOOM! STUDIOS) SNAPSHOT18-year-old Trini will do anything to compete in her favorite sport, Screaming Pain Ball, aspiring to the heights of her longtime hero Skull-Crusher! But she can’t do it alone, and a gaggle of misfits is just what she needs to cross the American wastes and battle in Continue Reading

“Let’s keep our distance… because someday, I’ll be flying off to space.” The push-and-pull of love in Lost in Starlight

(courtesy First Showing) SNAPSHOT“Don’t forget. Out here in space, there’s someone who’s always rooting for you.” In 2050 Seoul, astronaut Nan-young’s ultimate life goal is to visit Mars. ✨ But she fails the final test to onboard the fourth Mars Expedition Project. The musician Jay buries his dreams in a Continue Reading

Book review: Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells

(courtesy Tor Publishing Group) There have been more than a few stories of artificial lifeforms who have ended up being considerably more human than their creators. But is there anyone more human than the eponymous protagonist of this marvellous series by Martha Wells, a robot created to enforce, with extreme Continue Reading

“If it goes up in flames?” “It will burn”: Andor S2, E4-6 review

(courtesy IMP Awards) Star Wars: Andor is a superlatively impressive show on all kinds of levels but where it is really excelling in this humble reviewer’s opinion is the way in which it is deconstructing a host of romantic myths about what it means to be standing in defiant opposition Continue Reading

Dance your pain away with Mon Montha #StarWars #Maythe4thBeWithYou #Andor

(image courtesy IMP Awards) Star Wars: Andor, now four episodes into its second season, is a remarkable show in many ways. But one of the things that really sets it apart is the sheer raw humanity of many of the characters, best exemplified in the third episode, “Harvest”, where a Continue Reading

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