When I established this blog, I intended to semi-regularly review novels. Instead, I’ve spent the last six months reading through the same novel – David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, a thousand-page epic set in the near future and concerning a film so entertaining that it drives anyone who views it to permanent, drooling catharsis. The…
The presentation of Game of Thrones second season on Blu-Ray is, frankly, exceptional – the packaging is sumptuous and the discs come with a raft of special features, most impressive of which is the “In-Episode Guide” – essentially an appendix, providing for each scene, character bios, setting details and animated shorts where the characters narrate…
Aunty Peg’s death was a surprising development at the end of last week’s episode of Please Like Me, but it served as a springboard for the strongest episode of the show yet (and, sadly, the finale of this short season). “Horrible Sandwiches” largely eschewed comedy to focus on the characters’ reactions to Peg’s death at…
“Peace of Mind” followed many paths that the show has travelled in the past, but effectively put a new twist on familiar ground. Like “Decoy,” the episode concerned a hunt for one individual; except this time Boyd, Augustine and Givens were after Ellen May rather than Drew. Like “Decoy,” there was a constant threat (and…
Lincoln Flynn’s recent essay argues that No Country for Old Men’s primary aim is to analyse the thematically significant perspective of Sheriff Bell, but that the film’s tonal disparity limits its artistic success: I don’t agree that the shift in tone is a shortcoming. NCFOM is a faithful adaptation of McCarthy’s novel, leaving the Coens’…
“Comedown Machine” is indebted to summery ‘80s pop (suggested by almost-title-track “’80s Comedown Machine”) rather than the rough-edge ‘70s garage/punk sound that drove The Strokes’ still-great debut. It’s a bit stale compared to the breath of fresh air of Is This It, but it’s not fair to criticise an album for what it isn’t, and…
Given there’s only have three episodes left, the first half of “Separate Paths” is surprisingly slow, bringing the inevitable Crixus/Spartacus conflict to a head with genuine respect for the difficult relationship that has developed between the men since they met in Batiatus’s ludus. Given the short shrift Crixus has had this season, it was good…
Samantha Hughes watches out the window as the elderly couple who’ve hired her to “babysit” their bedridden relative leave, and while she doesn’t say a word, you can see her trepidation in her expression and body language. “It’s only four hours,” you can imagine her thinking. “How bad could it be?” Of course, Samantha doesn’t…
“I’m not listening to anything you have to say!” “Then I won’t speak. Just let me show you.” There’s been a renaissance in animation over the last decade, thanks to technology developments but also – significantly – some versatile and creative directors. Films like Wall-E, Up, Wreck-It Ralph or How to Train Your Dragon aren’t…
The first two episodes of Please Like Me underwhelmed me – the characters were too likeable. Significantly, there was too little conflict. How things have changed. “Spanish Eggs” is wall-to-wall conflict. There were enough quarrelsome conversations in the half-hour that it might have well been an episode of Justified. Tom’s pregnancy scare turns out to…
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