COVID-19 is really making a mess of our world at the moment. One of the many consequences of its unceasing trampling of normalcy are the lockdowns which have taken place in countries as diverse as India, France and the UK, forcing people used to a life of restaurants, farmers’ markets Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The raw, aching longing of Raymonde or the Vertical Escape
SNAPSHOT“Raymonde is really fed up with peas, aphids, dirty panties and her kitchen garden to dig. After all, she would prefer sex, and love, and the immensity of the sky…” Raymonde or the Vertical Escape (also titled Raymonde ou l’évasion verticale originally in French) is a stop-motion animated short film Continue Reading
Weekday pop art: When pop culture and reality seamlessly merge
SNAPSHOTI visit film locations and re-create scenes through the use of a camera & some imagination! …Film has been a huge part of my life since I was small and the passion has only increased as I’ve grown. I’ve always had a thirst for adventure and creativity so it was Continue Reading
Book review: Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Coming to grips with you really are is a massive rite of passage for most people. (Not everyone; some people choose to remain blissfully unaware of their true selves or repress if they can’t stand the uncomfortable truth of it all.) This is a particular challenge for members of the Continue Reading
Wanna get away from your family? Come join The Willoughbys
SNAPSHOTConvinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children (Tim, Jane, Barnaby A & B) hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. The Willoughbys is directed by animation filmmaker Continue Reading
Book review: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
You have to hand it to humanity – no matter where we go, or what we accomplish or how grand and impressively expansive we become, we never really relinquish the inherent things that make us human, good and bad. Just how stubbornly we cling to the building blocks of our Continue Reading
A Douglas Adams trio of TV shows: Upload, The Midnight Gospel, Never Have I Ever, What We Do in the Shadows (s2), Nailed It! (s4)
COVID-19 is a nasty piece of work and as such does not have a lot of redeeming features and precious few silver linings. One of the few things it does have in its favour is that it offers the chance, with cinema offerings gutted down to just about zero and Continue Reading
Book review: Sharks in a Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn
There are novels that quite happily skim the surface of the deep well of emotions that make up most people and then there are novels like Sharks in the Time of Saviours, the immersively impressive debut novel from Kawai Strong Washburn, which dive in, hard, deep and long, unafraid it Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: It’s not a yolk – cute cartoon characters end up on eggs
SNAPSHOTJapanese mom Etoni Mama turns fried and boiled eggs into adorable cartoon characters. Etoni Mama is also a culinary artist in her own right and a published author. The title is “Saiji-ki Foods For Children” This book is full of recipes that offer a fun and delicious take on seasonal Continue Reading
COVID-19 strikes again – #Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled
To my great sorrow, COVID-19 has claimed yet another event – the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. It is nothing compared to the suffering it has caused countless people worldwide and you could well argue it’s cancellation is a minor thing in the grand scheme of things. But it’s something I Continue Reading