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
Weekend pop art: Solo – A Star Wars Story character posters
SNAPSHOT Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty Continue Reading
Book review: The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
Ah, the endlessly expansive possibilities of youth! There are a lot of things in our younger years that might make us cringe – the lack of knowledge about life, stunted self-awareness, naive belief in the goodness of others – but there’s one thing that we likely still have a Continue Reading
It’s time to go wembling again! Fraggle Rock comic books return
Fraggle Rock is one of those shows that you sink into with warmth, nostalgia and a comforting sense that, all evidence in the real world to the contrary, everything is going to be all right. The show itself is long over (1983-1987), although not even close to being forgotten, Continue Reading