Eurythmics – Who’s That Girl? (1983) The Eurythmics are one of the first acts that come to mind when I recall the music of the eighties. Sweet Dreams (are Made of This) was their breakout song and after that they enjoyed a string of popular hits. Among my favourites is this gem from 1983. Who’s That Girl? was a [...]
Review: Wasting Away Matthew Kohnen’s Wasting Away is the latest zombie comedy I have come across and given that previously I’ve enjoyed Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, it had some hard acts to follow. The film tells the story of a serum that is effectively green goo and has accidentally been unleashed. A group [...]
Today Petteri Hannila stops by to share an excerpt from his book, Fargoer. Excerpt from Fargoer While listening to the rain coming down on her grim thoughts, Vierra heard a sound that broke her out of the gloomy prison of her mind. There was a racket coming from the woods, as if something big was moving [...]
Review: The Player Hollywood. It’s one of the first words that comes to mind when you think of the film industry but what happens in the run up to all these films being released? Robert Altman’s The Player is something of a satire of the Hollywood studios but weaves an intriguing murder mystery together while [...]
Review: Intolerable Cruelty The Coens reunite with George Clooney for this black comedy about lawyer Miles Massey (Clooney) who specialises in winning big divorce cases but more than meets his match when he comes up against Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who does not suffer defeat gladly and what follows is a fierce exchange between her [...]
Review: Requiem for a Dream Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream is one film I’ve wanted to see for ages. The feedback I’d heard was very positive though strangely my knowledge of the film’s plot was basic to say the least. All I was assured of was this was going to be a gritty experience [...]
Review: Norwegian Wood Those that know me well would tell you Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is my favourite novel and one I have loved ever since I first read it. When I learned that a film was being made I was both excited and apprehensive. I’m not against film adaptations of books but they have [...]
Review: Asterix at the Olympic Games (Wii) The indomitable Asterix the Gaul first appeared in 1959 and has been defying Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire ever since. Asterix’s comic book adventures took him throughout the Ancient World and now he has found his way onto the Wii. Asterix at the Olympic Games follows Lovestorix [...]
Review: Notes on a Scandal Based on the novel by Zoe Heller, Notes on a Scandal tells the story of Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), a history teacher who lives a lonely life, her only friends being her cat and the diaries she keeps. When a new teacher, Sheba (Cate Blanchett), joins the school, Barbara is [...]
Review: A Cock and Bull Story I remembered studying The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy at university. I wrote an essay under exam conditions on it and got 74%, my highest ever mark, a 1st class distinction, yet I’d only read 10 pages of this unusual and complex novel. Its author Lawrence Sterne was [...]
Review: Mimic An earlier effort from director Guillermo del Toro, Mimic begins with a deadly disease that is killing children in Manhattan and is coming from cockroaches. Entomologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) is called in and with her husband Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam) develops Judas Breed, a large insect that secretes an enzyme to kill [...]
Review: Burke and Hare I hadn’t heard anything of John Landis for years until I happened upon this film. The director of The Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf in London had not made a film for a decade so naturally I was eager to see if he was still churning out the same classics [...]
Supertramp – The Logical Song (1979) Supertramp’s biggest hit was released in 1979 and hit the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Praised for its lyrics, music and clever use of sound effects, the song has endured over the decades and remains a popular choice on the radio. Lead singer, Rodger Hodgson, was [...]
Review: Rosemary’s Baby (1968) It’s hard being a fan of films and not hearing something about Roman Polanski’s classic horror film, Rosemary’s Baby. I had never seen this one until now I’m ashamed to admit but I knew the film had something to do with a pregnant woman carrying a somewhat sinister child but other [...]
We are delighted to welcome J Cunningham, author of Secrets (Clockwork Skies), who joins us to share a guest post about airships and steampunk. Guest Post: Zeppelin Zeitgeist I was reminded during Emerald City Comic Con why I like to attend comic and sci-fi conventions. The theoretical exposition of the unreal is everywhere! Turns out most people are freely [...]
Review: Gentleman’s Agreement It’s not unreasonable to assume that if Jewish people come up in a conversation there will be mention of the Holocaust which is something none of us should ever forget. What may surprise many people, myself included here, is the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the aftermath of the Second World War, a [...]
Review: Killer Klowns from Outer Space Directed by Stephen Chiodo, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of those films that doesn’t require much explanation given its title. The locals at Crescent Cove, California, witness a comet or meteor falling to earth and first a farmer and later a young couple Mike (Grant Cramer) and [...]
Review: Phenomena Dario Argento’s cult horror classic tells the story of Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) who is sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. There she learns that murders have been taking place for the last year and the girls at the school are very much in danger. Nice welcome, eh? One night, Jennifer goes [...]
