I nearly decided not to review Avengers: Endgame. After all, the film is pretty much “review-proof”. If you have even the slightest interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU, for the uninitiated), you’re probably going to see it regardless. If you have no such interest, seeing it will be pretty pointless. But in the end,…
Zodiac mythology binds together 12 acts that are a fusion of circus, burlesque and dance in Oracle. It is the work of the team behind the award-winning Matador. Pulsating, toe-tapping, beats are the order of the day, along with a cavalcade of colourful and risqué costuming and athletic and acrobatic feats on and above the stage. Among…
Canadian band Heat, describes itself as “post-punk” on its Facebook page and lists Sonic Youth and Oasis as influences, while those writing about the band compare them generously to Echo & the Bunnymen, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and Psychedelic Furs. That places the Heat sound firmly in the 80’s, which fits well with the…
My, couldn’t we do with more peace and love in the world now, arguably more than ever? That is why Songs from the Canyon (that is Laurel Canyon) carries even greater weight in 2025. The geographic reference is to a mountainous neighbourhood in the Hollywood Hills, an oasis of tranquillity and the home of counterculture…
After 2011’s The King of Limbs, Radiohead have finally returned! With them, they have brought their 9th LP entitled A Moon Shaped Pool. Now I could go into the groups almost 32 year history together and share all the innovations and artistic changes that they’ve brought with them but, if you are a fan of…
A boss oversteps the mark and the consequences are devastating in Ron Elisha’s incendiary Unsolicited Male. For the past two years Wendy (Kym Valentine), now 38, has been personal assistant to accountant Zeke (Russell Fletcher). She enjoys her job. Middle-aged Zeke has been good to her, grateful for how she has managed to transform the office. One night,…
Prolific historian Dan Jones has turned his deep knowledge to provide the basis of a fictional account of the start of the hundred years war in Essex Dogs. The book is the first of a planned trilogy about a group of scrappy fighters caught up in the wars between the British and the French, a…
Benjamin Stevenson’s first book featuring documentary maker Jack Quick was a revelation, particularly when considered again, in hindsight, from the viewpoint of the second novel in the series. Quoting from my own review of GREENLIGHT at the time: “There’s a something about GREENLIGHT that feels like a non-too-subtle dig at the commercialisation of true crime….
Dazzlingly frocked up, the seemingly ageless Rhonda Burchmore sizzles as the dastardly Carabosse in the delicious pantomime Sleeping Beauty, A Knight Avenger’s Tale. At one point she literally soars above the audience belting out Cher’s 1989 hit “If I Could Turn Back Time”. That’s one of several popular numbers that punctuate a familiar story with…
Okay, let’s say you’re scrolling on Netflix and you come across Trinkets. What do you think? “Ugh, another series about spoiled teens. What, am I on the Disney Channel?”, maybe? Well, yes, Trinkets is about teenagers; and yes, they are privileged in that generic American way. But the writing from creator Amy Andelson and her…
