Staid image begone! I can’t be completely certain that’s what the Oscars guardians said to each other as they plotted and planned next year’s 85th Academy Awards but that is surely the message being sent by the appointment of Seth MacFarlane to host the Awards ceremony. McFarlane who is the creator Continue Reading
Movie review: “Looper”
Looper is an audacious movie. It’s not only a futuristic noir thriller, replete with seedy dissolute gang bosses, a decadent criminal culture, and junkie hit men “living the good life” but it is also jammed to the philosophical gills with all manner of deep, probing existential questions about fate, Continue Reading
“Doctor Who” farewells Amy and Rory
* SPOILERS ALERT * The departure of a major character from a show, whether universally loved, ambivalently tolerated or loathed with a passion is never easy. However you handle it, you run the risk of upsetting fans, ripping the heart out of the show, and upsetting the delicate equilibrium Continue Reading
Backstage with the stars of TV (1)
One of the biggest revolutions of late has been the way that social media has totally transformed the way stars of any stripe interact with their fans. Avid followers of everyone from pop singers to movie stars to sports gods can now tweet or send a message via Facebook Continue Reading
Music review: “Human Again” – Ingrid Michaelson
Love is a complicated, messy, sometimes elevating, often troubling thing. At least that’s the impression you get from Ingrid Michaelson whose new album, Human Again, is filled with songs that tell of love’s power to trap, beguile, empower, and hurt in equal measure. But lest you think it another Continue Reading
Movie review: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fantastical celebration of the interconnectedness of all things. But while that fact is acknowledged almost from the first frame in this magical movie from first time director, Benh Zeitlin, who also wrote the screenplay with Lucy Alibar (adapted from her play Juicy and Continue Reading
“Primeval” heads to Canada
Primeval is one of those clever British shows that imagines a modern world where portals or “temporal anomalies” open randomly through which all manner of creatures, ancient, and futuristic can come wandering through and create havoc. And create havoc they do, their unchecked rampaging only stopped by the fearless Continue Reading
“Clone” and the marriage of TV and comics
It’s hardly a secret that AMC’s breakout hit of the decade, The Walking Dead, is based on a monthly comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman, and artist Tony Moore, which was launched in 2003. What may not be as well known, and something I hadn’t really thought Continue Reading
“Modern Family” and “Homeland” dominate Emmys 2012
Well the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, held Sunday US time at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles have been and gone and left a lot of people, including me, scratching their heads. It’s not an unusual reaction to the Emmys, indeed any awards show, who sometimes award the right Continue Reading
“The Hobbit” trailer now comes with five endings!
News is coming thick and fast on Peter Jackson’s epic imagining of Tolkien’s 300 or so page novel, The Hobbit, the synopsis of which the official site beautifully summarises thus: “The Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the Continue Reading