Balancing light and dark in any story is always a tricky proposition. Veer too much to the bright and cheery and you risk leaching the narratively-necessary darkness from the more intense elements of your storyline; but go too dark and the comic quotient looks oddly out of place and Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The endangered voice of the Sun Bear
SNAPSHOT Sun Bear imaginatively embodies the life of a sun bear and discusses the issues of poaching and habitat loss due to palm oil in Borneo from the bear’s perspective. It’s all too easy these days to look at the state of the world and see only a giant Continue Reading
Book review: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
As the temporary custodians of relatively short lifespans, humanity has always looked longingly at the idea of immortality. Everything from the fabled Fountain of Youth through to vampires and religious dogma (though in many cases you have to die to get this extension to your lifespan, rather complicating the Continue Reading
Monday is missing in the first Steven Sisters movie trailer
SNAPSHOT In a not so distant future, where overpopulation and famine have forced governments to undertake a drastic “One Child Policy,” seven identical sisters live a hide-and-seek existence pursued by the Child Allocation Bureau. The Bureau, directed by the fierce Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close), enforces a strict family-planning agenda Continue Reading
Just 40 minutes to say yes: The Will and Grace revival picks up speed
It began with a short skit during last year’s blighted US presidential campaign, became a revived TV series with a teaser trailer, and now Will & Grace, whose ninth return season (it’s first since 2006) episode count was upped from 10 to 12 and then 16, has now Continue Reading
Book review: Deadline by Mira Grant
With a built-in warning that humanity is its own worst enemy – by a considerable margin and that’s without a nasty zombie-creating virus on the loose in the world – Deadline picks up the shambling good work of its brilliant predecessor Feed, and runs with it, far faster than Continue Reading
Inside Big Bird: Witness how one of Sesame Street’s most-loved residents comes alive
Big Bird is one of Sesame Street‘s most beloved characters, the perfect embodiment of sweet childlike innocence, playfulness and an eagerness to learn. For much of his time on Sesame Street, he was given life by Caroll Spinney, a charming man who devoted much of his life to his Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: The thoughtful fun of Joey Spiotto’s Firefly Back From the Black
I love the work of Joey Spiotto. He has a keen eye and obvious love for pop culture and invests all this art with a playful sensibility that still manages to convey everything you love about the characters and shows or movies he draws inspiration from. Take his Little Continue Reading
Game of Thrones: “The Queen’s Justice” (S7, E3 review)
SPOILERS AHEAD … AND DRAGONS … AND SOILED PANTS You have to hand it to Jon Snow (Kit Harrington). Against near-unanimous advice from his bannermen and his sister Sansa (Sophie Turner) – who got the keys to Winterfell, and the even more-obsessive attention of Lord Petry Baelish (Aidan Gillen) Continue Reading
Free Bird Seed: The street artfulness of Wile. E Coyote
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