I watched a lot of cartoons when I was a kid. I mean, a LOT of cartoons. It explains why, even now, that I’m obsessed with new cartoons, their look, feel and sensibilities, but why the old ones such as Hanna-Barbera suite of lamentably shortlived series (The Flintstones and Continue Reading
Now this is music: Kick back and chill (Louis the Child, MÖWE, Tokyo, Snow Culture, Imogen Heap)
Life is a crazy, busy descent into delightful chaos, spirited freneticism and colourful explosions of love, joy, sadness, deadlines and expectations. Most of us manage this dance of extremes with aplomb because we have to, but also because we have the rhythm down right and we’re perfectly synced to Continue Reading
Get out of the flushing toilet bowl of life: Syfy says it’s time to be Happy!
SNAPSHOT Happy! will follow the journey of Nick Sax, a disgraced ex-cop who, as intoxicated and corrupt as he already is, keeps falling into his old habits of murder, sex, and betrayal and doesn’t seem to be getting out anytime soon. After suffering a heart attack, he finds himself visited Continue Reading
Movie review: War for the Planet of the Apes
Despite its many great achievements, humanity often fails spectacularly at one critically-important thing – being human. It is an existential Achilles heel, witnessed in our ongoing lack of willingness to show mercy instead of vengeance, pursue peace in place of conflict, practice love over hate, and it proves to Continue Reading
Is marriage dead? The fun and angst of I Do … Until I Don’t
SNAPSHOT In Vero Beach, Florida, a trio of couples at various points in their relationships become the subjects of a film about marriage being an antiquated idea that needs a reboot: Why not turn marriage into a seven-year deal with an option to renew? For Alice and Noah (Lake Continue Reading
Book review: The 9th Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen
When it comes to popular parlance, love, to put it mildly, is a popular topic. Whether we are falling into it, breaking up with it, celebrating its longevity or mourning its unexpected brevity, it consumes a lot of pop culture air. For all that well-deserved ubiquity, one aspect of Continue Reading
Dead Friends: Even zombies need loyal companions
SNAPSHOT Decades after a mysterious incurable zombie virus spreads throughout the world mankind is in danger of going extinct. Among the infected there is an old zombie and a dog that remains loyal to his master and hopes he will become human again one day. (synopsis via Laughing Squid Continue Reading
The Secret Garden to Thirteen Reasons Why: Death is getting darker in children’s books (curated article)
Young adult literature is starting to explore death in depth. Erin Farrow, Victoria University The inevitable and universal nature of death has made it a popular topic of children’s literature. While death has appeared in these stories for centuries, death in young adult novels has become much darker and more Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The delightful hand drawn slapstick of The Inspector and the Umbrella
We’ve all been there on a rainy day. We go to pop up our umbrella, our flimsy but vital protection against a soacking from the elements, and end up in a battle royale to get it to perform the very task for which it was designed. If any proof Continue Reading
What’s life like when you’re Atypical? You’re about to find out
SNAPSHOT Atypical is a coming of age story from the point-of-view of Sam (played by Keir Gilchrist), an 18-year-old on the autistic spectrum searching for love and independence. While Sam is on his funny and emotional journey of self-discovery, the rest of his family must grapple with change in Continue Reading