You could hear the cries of lament from space. Guillermo del Toro has chosen not to helm the sequel to his intelligent, bombastically brilliant 2013 film Pacific Rim, a critical and commercial hit that saw the Earth attacked by fearsome giant monsters known as Kaiju from the dimensional beyond Continue Reading
Now this is music #105: Loma, Django Django, Jesse Saint John, Becky & The Birds, Bonsai Mammal
Do not be one of the great banal unwashed. That should be the creed for every last one of us, but as we know all too well from the swelling ranks of conservative, unthinking herds around us, not everyone wants to push that envelope, avant that garde and sit Continue Reading
A proclivity for greatness … or not? Find out what you’re made of with Prospect
SNAPSHOT A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They’ve secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon’s toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the Continue Reading
Road to Eurovision 2018: Week 1 – Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium
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 Continue Reading
Torn apart by teeth or bullets: Lose yourself in Fear the Walking Dead season 4
SNAPSHOT In Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 we will see the world of Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and her family through new eyes — the eyes of Morgan Jones (Lennie James), joining the story from the world of The Walking Dead. The characters’ immediate past mixes with an Continue Reading
Cinema sounds: My three current favourite soundtracks (Black Panther, Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water)
Soundtracks are knitted into the soul of every movie you see. Often well done, sometimes not, but where they work, and work superbly, they add immeasurable depth, breadth and spine-tingling, soul-stirring emotion to a film, augmenting stellar performances by the cast. elevating key plot points and ensuring that, Continue Reading
Mash-up of #GoT and Monty Python’s Holy Grail sniffs scornfully in your general direction
It goes without saying, but hey, I’m going to say it anyway. Game of Thrones is serious, very, VERY serious. Monty Python, and specifically, The Holy Grail, is not (although, as a satire, it conveys some fairly serious ideas). So then, does combining the two rather disparate approaches to Continue Reading
No Small Parts: The superlative acting style of Sally Hawkins #TheShapeofWater
SNAPSHOT On IMDB the following is described as one of her trademarks; an apologetic and grateful presence with a shy and nervous demeanor that’s pretty accurate but there are still a few surprises …Sally’s role as as Elisa in the ‘Shape of Water’ suits her perfectly. Elisa has elements Continue Reading
Movie review: BPM (120 Battements par minute)
We often forget in the cold, reflective light of history, that there are real flesh-and-blood people in the events we’re examining. People who stormed the battlements, fought in wars, made bold scientific discoveries, and in the case of Robin Campillo’s BPM (120 Battements par minute), made repeated and concerted attempts Continue Reading
The present, the future … or both? Can Barry have it all? (trailer)
SNAPSHOT Barry is a dark comedy starring Bill Hader as a depressed, low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life, he reluctantly travels to Los Angeles to execute a hit on an aspiring actor. Barry follows his “mark” into an acting class and ends up finding Continue Reading