It is a guilty secret of mine that when in the right mood I love to get a small fix of the unexplained or the macabre true crime documentary type thing. They tend to range from truly ridiculous to the mildly convincing, but tend not to have especially high production value. Netflix seem to know … Continue reading Unsolved Mysteries
A very quick review of a little thing you may have missed on Netflix. Two of my very favourite creative auteurs coming together to make an interesting morsel, combining music, dance and filmic tricks, called Anima. It is the fourth collaboration between the P. T. Anderson and Thom Yorke, the last being the excellently moody … Continue reading Anima
Here is another movie that was put up for consideration for my upcoming book 21st Century Cinema: 200 Essential Films. It didn't quite make the final cut, but is part of the long list of honourable mentions - movies that are easy to like and recommend, but aren't quite of the very highest quality in … Continue reading Fruitvale Station
Some people's worst nightmare isn't just being forced to watch sport, but being forced to listen to commentary or analysis on sport. My passion for a competitive event, and appreciation for an acheivement at the highest level in any sport, is still there, but is a little cooler than it was when I was a … Continue reading The Last Dance
Much like Eurovision itself, this film shouldn't be entertaining in any way, but after watching it for ten minutes it becomes a compelling car crash you kinda have to see out to the end. It doesn't really matter what you think of the songs, you are watching it waiting for the one thing you can … Continue reading Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
It's difficult not to enjoy or at least admire anything Ricky Gervais writes for TV. His track record now speaks for itself. What you are going to get at the very minimum is a well thought out concept, some odd characters, mostly with their hearts in the right place, and a handful of irreverent jokes … Continue reading After Life 2
The next generation start early these days. I have a pretty good track record for spotting acting talent at the very start of their careers. Don't we all? Nothing is more annoying than a child actor who can't cut it. And nothing is worse than seeing someone who doesn't seem at home on the big … Continue reading 12 of the Best… Future Stars under 30
I have been a fan of stand up comedy, erm, all my life... well, at least since Billy Connely kinda invented it, in a way that wasn't all about hating the mother in law and homophobia. When I moved to Edinburgh in 1999, I found myself at the epicentre of new comedy, every August at … Continue reading James Acaster: Repertoire
Just look at what a beautiful object this book is! It gets better on the inside, too. The detail and creativity is immense; the dust cover unfolds into a gorgeous mosaic, with puzzles, and even the copyright notes have a little Easter egg snuck in there. Every satisfyingly thick page of it is dense with … Continue reading Rusty Brown
Look on the bright side, we all said, without really believing it, when lockdown hit in March - time to watch those box sets we've been putting off. Well that was, of course, a great idea! For me that box set was possibly the biggest of all: the behemoth that is GOT. Much like when … Continue reading Game of Thrones
The Wasteland 