SNAPSHOT Set in the 1880s American West, Godless follows notorious criminal Frank Griffin (Daniels) and his gang of outlaws on a mission of revenge against Roy Goode (O’Connell), a prodigal son type who betrayed his former brotherhood. While on the run, Roy seeks refuge at the ranch of hardened, Continue Reading
Book review: The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
There is an immersive sense of otherworldliness that must be present in any fantasy tale worth it’s magical salt, if we are to truly buy into its escapist narrative. A sense that you are in a world completely and utterly not your own, and yet, and here lies the Continue Reading
Blade Runner — Constructing a Future Noir #MichaelTucker
SNAPSHOT Blade Runner was the first film to take the deep thematic elements of classic film noirs and put them into a future sci-fi world. This video explores what those elements are, and how they were incorporated. (synopsis (c) Michael Tucker) Blade Runner is rightly hailed as one of Continue Reading
Now this is music #99: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chela, Rae Morris, Butter, Noah Slee
Ever have those moments in life where you feel like a good song would not only soundtrack things perfectly but add immeasurably to what you’re going to? Or at least emote or articulate better than you’re managing at that point? You’re not alone, and these five artists have not Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The Inksect and the loss of books and freethinking
SNAPSHOT In a dystopian future where fossil fuels were exhausted, ruling corporations had turned to desperate measures to generate energy. Books were banned & confiscated as fuel for the fire, and with them free thinking had been lost. Human beings had morphed into illiterate cockroaches. In New York City Continue Reading
Movie review: Ingrid Goes West
Who are you? I mean, who are you really? Away from the public spotlight, in those quiet moments when it’s just you and your existential angst, and particularly in today’s hyper-connected world, where Facebook and Instagram are temporarily foregone, WHO … ARE … YOU? It’s an intense, penetrating and Continue Reading
Never say no to tamales: Family is forever in final Coco trailer
SNAPSHOT Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead Continue Reading
Star Trek Discovery: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” (S1, E7 review)
SPOILERS AHEAD … AND THE SAME OLD TIME SPAN AGAIN AND AGAIN … Let’s do the time loop again! OK, it’s not the time warp, and Dr. Frank n Furter is nowhere to be seen, but it is a staple of science fiction storytelling and happily, Star Trek: Discovery, Continue Reading
Otherworld beckons but should you answer its siren call? (book trailer)
Who doesn’t want a holiday from reality? Given all the hellish commuting and bills to pay, the threat of climate change and terrorism and endless repeats of Law and Order, it can be tempting to think that a world in which all your most delectable fantasies could be realised Continue Reading
Mr. Roosevelt: Just like a Pinterest board come to life … or not
SNAPSHOT Mr. Roosevelt follows a young comedian named Emily (Wells), who leaves Los Angeles for her hometown of Austin after the titular character falls ill. There, she winds up rooming with the ex-boyfriend (Nick Thune) she dumped to move to L.A. — and his seemingly flawless new girlfriend, Celeste Continue Reading