-
BETTER CALL SAUL, 2.7 – ‘Inflatable’
Certain things about Better Call Saul are fated to happen, as we know where Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) will end up in several year’s time. The fun is seeing the details of the journey, but chances to truly surprise us are difficult to execute. Jimmy’s tenure at Davis & Main was doomed from the start,…
-
DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1971) • DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972)
Although both Death Walks on High Heels (1971) and Death Walks at Midnight (1972) fall under the heading of giallo, they differ decisively from what one expects from that cult Italian genre. There are, of course, similarities between these two films by Luciano Ercoli and the ouevre of giallo heavyweights Dario Argento and Mario Bava.…
-
BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)
There was understandable cynicism when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was announced—born of suspicion it was a cynical way to rekindle interest in a sequel to the faltering Man of Steel, and concern that The Dark Knight trilogy had dropped the mic when it comes to modernising Batman. It also felt true that DC Comics were jealous…
-
THE AMERICANS, 4.2 – ‘Pastor Tim’
Any fans of The Americans who, after last week’s season premiere, looked ahead to this week’s episode, had good reason to suspect that Pastor Tim (Tim AuCoin) wasn’t likely to survive an episode that shares his name. Sure enough, early in the episode, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip’s (Matthew Rhys) initial reactions to learning that Paige…
-
EDDIE THE EAGLE (2016)
Sometimes, formulaic films can just be exactly what we need, and Eddie the Eagle is one of those films. While watching it, you’ll be very aware it’s following the template of so many other inspirational and uplifting sports movies, but that doesn’t stop it from working tremendously. That’s especially true if you don’t know all…
-
ZOOTROPOLIS (2016)
Even if you disregard the relatively consistent quality of its Pixar co-productions, Disney itself has been on a hot streak with animated features over the past few years. 2009’s The Princess and the Frog was the last film from Walt Disney Animation Studios that could arguably be called a dud, but was soon followed by…
-
VINYL, 1.6 – ‘Cyclone’
It’s only taken six weeks, but Vinyl finally produced an episode in which the good outweighed the bad. Yes, there were still problems—the Bowie cameo was a particularly cringeworthy moment—but this was a tight, taut episode, which largely focused on Richie’s (Bobby Cannavale) downward spiral; what drugs cost him before. and what they might yet…
-
BETTER CALL SAUL, 2.6 – ‘Bali Ha’i’
As we ease into the second half of Better Call Saul’s sophomore year, it’s becoming clear that Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) storyline isn’t a strong as his occasional partner-in-crime Mike’s (Jonathan Banks). I’ve had concerns about this being the case before on the show, but I think season 2’s highlighting the split more because the…
-
THE CLUB / EL CLUB (2015)
Recently crowned Best Picture at the Oscars, Spotlight detailed the uncovering of the shocking child sex scandal associated with the Catholic Church. While that film focused primarily on the journalists working doggedly to reveal the heinous conspiracy to cover up what turned out to be a long history of systemic child abuse, the latest film…
-
THE AMERICANS, 4.1 – ‘Glanders’
We return to The Americans in the middle of a nightmare, as Philip (Matthew Rhys) dreams about the time, as a child, he beat a bully to death with a rock. When he wakes up, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) asks what’s wrong, and he tells her that he has to let Martha (Alison Wright) know about Gene—the FBI…
