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THE LEFTOVERS, 2.2 – ‘A Matter of Geography’
After the premiere unexpectedly whisked us to the completely new location of Jarden, Texas (to introduce a whole new family who live there), “A Matter of Geography” delivered the opening episode most people were expecting: a chance to catchup with small-town cop Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) back in Mapleton, New…
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DOCTOR WHO, 9.4 – ‘Before the Flood’
The TARDIS feeling grumpy about temporal anomalies, and the tolling of the Cloister Bell, do not prepare you for the mind-scrambling deconstruction of the ‘bootstrap paradox’ The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) serves up in the pre-titles of “Before the Flood”. Rather than info-dump the nature of recursive time loops (a staple of SF literature, with said…
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WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE (2014)
Times are tough for traditional, two-dimensional, hand drawn animation. The mainstream is dominated with glossy, shiny, digitally-animated movies that, while often hits with audiences, always struggle to conjure something as simple and as visually compelling as sensitively drawn pictures brought to life on the screen. The Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli has long been a…
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THIS IS ENGLAND ’90 – ‘Winter’
Breaking up is hard to do. Or at least that’s what The Carpenters told us. And if this was the break up of the This Is England franchise (I’m not convinced) then it’s fair to say it was hard for quite a few people. Hard for Shane Meadows to successfully tie and loop his beloved…
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YOU, ME & THE APOCALYPSE – ‘Episode Two’
Things kicked up a gear this week, as the effects of the on-coming apocalypse became clearer and we were introduced two new characters: Paterson Joseph’s preternaturally calm General Arnold Gaines, and his nervy sidekick Scotty (Cousin Francis from Poldark, actor Kyle Soller)—who also happens to be the brother of escaped convict Rhonda (Jenna Fischer). I also…
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AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL – ‘Checking In’
I skipped American Horror Story’s first season at the time because it looked like hot garbage. I wasn’t entirely wrong—I checked it out after friends encouraged me, and it is trash; but it’s trash that’s way more entertainingly bonkers than it has any right to be. I flat-out loved the second season, Asylum; as with the other…
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SICARIO (2015)
Do you like your meticulously-paced and superbly-shot action movies with a side order of bleak nihilism? You’re in luck: Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario may well be the film for you. But while there’s no doubt this thriller is highly accomplished in many ways, you should be warned it’s not for everyone. It’s wilfully vague throughout; shadowy in…
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THE LEFTOVERS, 2.1 – ‘Axis Mundi’
The first season of HBO fantasy drama The Leftovers was a hit with critics, but audiences were less receptive. It’s easy to see why, because this is a show with a tantalising hook (that 2% of the world’s population inexplicably, instantaneously vanished), but isn’t offering answers to that mystery. It just wants to explore the myriad…
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DOCTOR WHO, 9.3 – ‘Under the Lake’
The strongest opening for a series of Doctor Who in a while continues with Toby Whithouse’s “Under the Lake”. Series 9 may not be benefiting from unfortunate scheduling against the Rugby World Cup, or from Strictly Come Dancing’s lead-in, but so far the decision to run with two-part stories is at least paying off in terms…
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THE X-FILES – Examining the ‘Essential Episodes’
With The X-Files returning next year, over a decade since it closed the door on its cabinet of weirdness in 2002, creator Chris Carter revealed there are 10 episodes that X-Files groupies and newbies alike should watch before diving back into the adventures of FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).…
