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THE LEFTOVERS, 2.7 – ‘A Most Powerful Adversary’
A lot of The Leftovers is about ordinary people seeking explanations for extraordinary events, and the lure of accepting outlandish theories that avoid common sense. These concerns usually play out with the big picture issue of 2% of the world’s population vanishing, and how such an irrational event has upended everyone’s belief systems. “A Most…
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DOCTOR WHO, 9.9 – ‘Sleep No More’
I find enthusiastic claims made by the creators of any film or television episode that it’s going to be scary rarely ring true, and my expectations often evaporate into disappointment. “Sleep No More” is, alas, just that—even though there’s a huge amount to admire about its intriguing ideas and ambitious story. However, the story doesn’t…
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THE KNICK, 2.5 – ‘Whiplash’
At the midway point in the season, it feels like The Knick is beginning to tread water somewhat. There are plenty of strong scenes, but few of them seem to be really advancing the storylines. Harry (Cara Seymour) continues to be scorned and demonised in the women’s shelter, Cleary (Chris Sullivan) continues to manipulate his…
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STEVE JOBS (2015)
Biopics tend to follow a painfully familiar template. Frequently, out of an eagerness to not miss a single detail, films based on real events strain to include everything about a person’s life story. That trend is changing, though, with films like Lincoln and Selma narrowing in on specific events to increase focus and heighten the clarity of their…
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AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL – ‘Room 33’
With Jessica Lange having left the repertory cast of American Horror Story, the show has taken a more ensemble-driven approach this season than ever before, with varying degrees of success. Not that the cast itself have suffered—the show has never lacked for strong actors, and judging by the loyalty Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have inspired in the…
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YOU, ME & THE APOCALYPSE – ‘Episode Seven’
Watching You, Me & The Apocalypse this week it occurred to me that what I love about this show is its humanity. It’s a drama suffused with a desperate yearning for human connection; stuffed full of characters who are all in some way lonely and desperately trying to reach out. That’s the reason its premise works…
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SPY (2015)
When she was a kid, Susan Cooper’s (Melissa McCarthy) mother used to leave a note in her lunchbox each day that read: “Give up on your dreams.” This formative experience, and others, have led to Susan, now a CIA agent who has never been out in the field, lacking confidence. Instead, from the safety of…
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THE LEFTOVERS, 2.6 – ‘Lens’
There were a lot of revelations in the mid-season “Lens”. Personal secrets were revealed, and some of the oddness about ‘Jardenian’ culture and its people was rationalised. The Leftovers still loves teasing us with the prospect of its cornerstone mystery being explained—one day, somehow—but even if it never happens I’m enjoying the crackpot theories the…
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DOCTOR WHO, 9.8 – ‘The Zygon Inversion’
As many have commented, the opening scenes of this week’s Doctor Who uncomfortably mirror the suspected terrorist bombing of Russian passenger Metrojet 9268, which crashed in the Sinai peninsula. No doubt there are viewers who felt this was too close to the bone. What it demonstrates, I suppose, is how fiction and reality become so intertwined when…
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THE KNICK, 2.4 – ‘Wonderful Surprises’
The Knick season two has had a reliably strong start, but “Wonderful Surprises” sees the pace drop ever so slightly, and highlights an issue that’s almost unavoidable in a series with as much ambition as this one. Namely: are we spending enough time at The Knick? The series has always had one eye on the…
