I’m kinda-sorta going through a break up type-thing (I think) at the moment and while everything I have read and everyone around me tells me to stay away from romance/love/rom-com’s (they aren’t a favourite genre anyhow), I have found myself with a need to revisit some ‘relationship’ films that explore the idea that love and … Continue reading
It’s difficult to ‘like’ “Closer”, but it’s difficult to simply dismiss it either – and this makes it an interesting film. I have been watching and re-watching Patrick Marber’s (1994) film adaptation of his stage drama for about 5 years; I have been enthralled every single time without every really putting my finger on exactly … Continue reading
I have just reviewed the harrowing ‘Snowtown’ (released in the US as ‘The Snowtown Murders’) here so I am going to review two more Australian films that deal with isolation, crime and the claustrophobia of circumstance; Animal Kingdom and Lantana. Animal Kingdom is about a rather ordinary and uninteresting suburban crime family – the Cody’s – … Continue reading
It’s sometimes really hard to know what TV shows are worth watching and will pay off your investment of time/money. The following 25 are those that I consider to be well above average and essential viewing for anyone interested in ‘quality’ TV (not a term I would have used pre 1990). Some are more mainstream … Continue reading
Fringe is what I consider to be ‘B’ TV It’s ok for wiling away an hour (or part thereof) but the premise, or execution of the premise never really grabbed me. Once the parallel universe mystery was solved, it always seemed like it was trying very hard to create and sustain an interesting mythology – … Continue reading
The Fall and Fall of Wesley Wyndam-Price (and Why I Can Watch it Over and Over Again) I have watched BtVS & Angel, in full, about 15 times each (and Firefly about 6 times, but i’m catching up) The Rise and Fall of Wesley Wyndam-Price Angel’s original side-kick was half-demon Doyle (played by Glenn Quinn) … Continue reading
If you live in Australia or NZ there is very little chance that you haven’t heard about or watched Underbelly. It all started with the original Underbelly , a 13 part series which depicted the Melbourne gangland wars that took place between 1995-2004. Although accused of inaccuracies, the hard-hitting drama was a hit across Australia … Continue reading
If you remember the pain and humiliation of dodgeball, then freaks and geeks is for you Yet another short-lived TV show that was perhaps ahead of its time. Freaks and geeks is a bit harder hitting than ‘That 70’s Show’ and that may explain why it was cancelled in its infancy but the legacy of … Continue reading
It’s difficult to describe Carnivale to someone who hasn’t seen it – not only is this series visually and symbolically dense but it is mired in mythology and a universe that takes a long time to reveal itself – and even then, never does so entirely. Carnivale is not for the faint hearted viewer, it … Continue reading
As a BtVS/Angel devotee, I often find myself asking other fans for their thoughts on “Firefly”, Whedon’s third TV series which he started at the end of Angel. I am horrified at how many people who adore BtVS & Angel have not or are not interested in seeing Firefly. I get the reluctance, I really do … Continue reading
LIke most cinephiles in the Western world, I was and am a huge Sopranos fan. I spent over eight years, or six seasons to be precise half in love with Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti – my biggest issue was who to choose – the charismatic, sociopathic Boss or his sexy, violent, drug-addicted protege. I … Continue reading
A confession before I begin. I love Dustin Hoffman. Chances are I could watch anything with him in it and find it utterly wonderful (okay, so there was Little Fockers, but he was still pretty great in it). So, the chance to watch Hoffman week after week in a TV show is almost too good … Continue reading
It’s creepy, spooky, scary, violent, sexy, bloody and disturbing – what’s not to love? American Horror Story could have gone horribly wrong. For a start, they made some suspect casting decisions – I mean Dylan McDermott? Come on! McDermott plays dad and the mother from Friday Night Lights plays the er .. mother and to … Continue reading
I just finished watching the first sex episodes of Alcatraz. the new Fox series exec produced by JJ Abrams of Lost fame. It’s pretty easy to spot the similarities between these two shows – for a start Hurley (Jorge Garcia) plays main character “Doc” and it is based upon a supernatural type premise. In Lost it was … Continue reading
I hate Twilight. It’s not just the poor writing, lack of storyline, insipid lead characters or mysoginistic overtones (ok, so that all sucks) it’s that thanks to Twilight losing its sheen with the tweens, texts about vampires are now passé. Not that I have a particular interest in vampire texts per se, but BtVS/Angel are … Continue reading
Drowning-By-Letters 
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