There is an exquisite beauty and loveliness to the writing of Sarah Winman. With every artfully-chosen word – artful in the sense that it is rich and poetic, not artificial or posed – and perfectly-expressed idea you are subsumed into stories that are suffused with humanity, joy, sadness, regret Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: Trapped inside Tweety Bird and other clever pop culture icons
While peeking behind the curtain to see what lies beyond doesn’t always the hoped-for dividends – exhibit A being The Wizard of Oz who turned out to be not so wizard-y after all – we can help wondering what we might see if we go beyond initial appearances an Continue Reading
The dystopian mash-up #AlteredCarbon is peak Anthropocene TV (curated article)
by Mitch Goodwin, University of Melbourne The opening image of Altered Carbon is of a male human form. We see him from below, suspended in the shimmering blue expanse of water, beams of angelic light creating a silhouette of his splayed body. The image evokes Scottie Ferguson on the Continue Reading
Who is Ethan Hunt? Mission: Impossible – Fallout may have the answer (trailer + poster)
SNAPSHOT The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Mission: Impossible – Fallout finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Continue Reading
Book review: The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
It is safe to say that the end, and indeed the beginning of the world, have never been rendered so poetically, or daringly, as in The End We Start From by English author Megan Hunter. A poet whose work has been shortlisted for illustrious awards such as the Bridport Continue Reading
Saturday morning cartoons: Josie and the Pussycats
I like to think of myself as being a fairly self-aware kid, in touch with my emotions, willing to think through the big issues, and creatively critical where needed. But hey, at the end of the day, which by the way were sooooo much longer when I was younger, Continue Reading
Movie review: Black Panther
Hollywood is the most well-oiled of well-oiled machines. Films come cascading off its production line with often ruthless efficiency, keeping the cinemas of the world stocked with films that are bright, blockbuster-y and made to a finely-honed formula. The only downside to this approach, and it’s one that Marvel Continue Reading
Even the maggots are adorable! New Isle of Dogs trailer
SNAPSHOT Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the Continue Reading
Movie review: The Incredible Jessica James #ValentinesDay
It was those learned pop philosophers ABBA who once remarked that “Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure is Hard Enough)”. It’s a fair bet that Jessica James (Jessica Williams, The Daily Show), an aspiring Brooklyn playwright who is without a relationship after dumping seemingly indifferent boyfriend Damon (Lakeith Stanfield), Continue Reading
Risk it all for love? The heatedly romantic decisions of Extinguished #ValentinesDay
Love is a beautiful, wonderful, fabulous thing. But what lengths would you go to make it happen? To go from looks of longing and sweet interest to unrequited love be damned? To stoke those gloriously bright fires of love? In Extinguished, a delightfully retro animated short film from Ashley Anderson Continue Reading