Posts

The idea of doubles is a fascinating one; these different, for better or worse, versions of ourselves that either exist, or we create. There are many different ways to explore the concept of duality in this other, and it seems to be especially appealing lately. It’s interesting that Dostoyevsky’s The Double was not only adapted into a film this year, but two, with Richard Ayoade’s The Double and Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy taking this idea of broken symmetry to even greater lengths by exploring it with very different approaches, bifurcating and fracturing everything even further....

We have seen the tension brewing through the most recent of stories, with Arthur initially disagreeing with some of Uther’s decisions and going as far as to downright refuse to do what he is told. This is not a child being impudent, but rather a growing king questioning a leader who, it seems, is losing the grip on his control of his kingdom. With this week’s show, then, we finally see what has been hinted upon over the past few weeks as finally Arthur confronts, and soundly beats, Uther as the father/son relationship climaxes in a duel to the death....

Episode One Vince then recruits Nelson into a secret society that is committed to wiping out the four remaining beagles that took part in fox hunts several years before. Wanting revenge for the death of his grandfather and tempted by the offer of an expense account, an iPhone, and a £30 House of Fraser gift card, he joins up. But after tracking one of the beagles to Arundel in West Sussex (which becomes the subject of quite a nice, if brief, running gag), Nelson finds that he can’t bring himself to murder the beagles, and ends up harbouring the four of them in his den....

Now three seasons in, Mr. Pickles appears to be at its most confident and comfortable with its extreme storytelling. With the new season of Mr. Pickles right around the corner, we got the chance to enter the Satanic doghouse with series creators Will Carsola and Dave Stewart to discuss the show’s aggressive tone, its slowly growing mythology, and what’s the most messed up thing the show has ever done. DAVE STEWART: When Will and I originally came up with the idea we didn’t fully see its whole world right away....

Having successfully permeated most other forms of media, it’s no great surprise to have seen him reincarnated in comic book form for a new generation. British comic book writer Christopher Bunting is the man responsible, having released a number of comics starring the big man. This limited advance edition 100-ish page graphic novel (just 4,000 copies are out there) plays on the myth of Mr.T, while also introducing new characters and placing him in a whole new fictional universe over four separate interlinked stories....

There’s an interesting, understated moment near the end of eps2.0unm4sk-pt1.tc, the typically byzantine spelling of “Part One” of the Mr. Robot season two premiere. It’s interesting because it goes so far against the unbridled and unfocused euphoria that closed out USA Network’s surprising flagship drama in its first season. By the end of season one, Elliot and F Society had won! They wiped out everyone’s debts. The banks were screwed and the people were liberated....

One gameplay hook that has never been explored much outside the realm of point-and-click is the noire-drenched, mysterious and even romantic world of detective work. Murder mysteries, cold cases, and other crimes that aren’t sorted out by some brand of violence rarely get any shine from video game developers. After enjoying L.A. Noire as much as I did back in 2011, I was only made more aware of the detective genre’s absence from the console market....

From the opening montage, which compiles all the goals from their record-breaking 31-0 loss to Australia back in 2001, it’s immediately noticeable that these players are smiling and laughing despite their position at the very bottom of FIFA’s world rankings. It’s a touching story, and an example of the transformative nature of sport, and football in particular. Whereas football films like Goal have told tales of hugely talented players struggling with epic hurdles like, ahem, the rain-levels in Newcastle, Next Goal Wins is a sports film for real people....

Well, I got my wish. The past week or two, I’ve been looking for a bit more screen time for Sally Bretton and Katy Wix in Not Going Out. Much as I enjoy the double act of Lee Mack and Tim Vine, it’s when the four are working together as an ensemble that the show really gels the most for me. And here, as Lucy’s parents hit marital problems, there was a slightly more grounded setting, and more room for more characters....

Pretty intense stuff, so thank goodness we have Alison to keep things light. Alison is stuck in the hell of jealousy and gossiping harridans of suburbia, but that’s not the only drama she must endure. Her husband/handler is still reporting on her and Alison is beginning to get suspicious once again. Alison was willing to stand by as one of her handlers, Aynsley, strangled to death, so hubby Donnie better watch his Ps and Qs....

There are a few supporting characters that prove exceptions to that general rule, of course. One of them is the indelible Jenny Fraser Murray (played with fierce emotionality by the perfectly-cast Laura Connelly), who continues to prove herself unwilling to fade into the shadows as a two-dimensional supporting character. From her initial introduction, Jenny has been a character to be reckoned with. She is just as stubborn as Jamie, if not more so....

Well that was more like it. Last week’s episode of Peaky Blinders felt like the return of a show with much to like, but not quite firing on all cylinders. The second episode felt like a top drama much closer to reaching top gear. Grace continues to enter the thoughts of both Tommy and Campbell, and her departure continues to haunt Tommy. Assuming she returns later in the series (pure speculation on my part), it will be intriguing to see how it affects the duo....

Another week, another storming episode of Peaky Blinders. The sophomore season hit the ground running, and with tension heightening and old faces making their return, the last two episodes promise to be tense. You could tell it was coming. In the episodes running up to this, and certainly the last ten minutes, you could see that Grace’s return was imminent. Even before Annabelle Wallis’ fleeting appearance, the spectre of Grace continued to haunt Tommy, his horse named in reference to her betrayal....

6.12 Charlotte’s Web Killing her off removes that most physical manifestation of their trauma, but it still lingers. Instead of using her as a reminder of the A mystery, the writers chose to have her become the catalyst for a whole different collection of emotions. She’s the victim, the enemy and the malevolent dead girl haunting their dreams all at once. In other words, she’s exactly what Alison represented back in the first season....

1.1 The New World Primeval New World focuses on Evan Cross, played by Niall Matter, who is the leader of the group, and works in the lab of Cross Photonics. Through a flashback near the tail end of episode one, we learn he’s been following the anomalies since an encounter with a hungry Albertosaurus six years ago, which places this open anomaly at about the same time as the start of the UK series, but chronologically, of course, after Helen Cutter’s meeting with a prehistoric creature in the car park of her local supermarket....

The central story follows Marston and his wife’s unconventional relationship with Olive Byrne. Byrne started as a teaching assistant for the Marstons and became the third person in their marriage. The film explores the themes that became key in the Wonder Woman comics – empowered women, truth and the trio’s penchant for a bit of bondage. Oliver Pratt, who plays Max Gaines, an American comic book pioneer, is grossly underused and the most dynamic presence in the whole production, and the usually wonderful Connie Britton adds to the lazy female character roster as the schoolmarmish Director of the Child Study Association of America....

I’d wondered from the very first instalment about why Psychoville was running at seven episodes rather than the traditional six. Now I have the answer. Messrs Pemberton and Shearsmith’s love of film and all things Hitchcock-ian is so great they penned a brave homage to one of the big man’s finest, Rope. And it was good. Very, very good. The ambitious production of this ‘special’ episode saw events happen in real time as the footage was taken in one continuous shot ala Rope (actually, the technology in Hitchcock’s time meant that film was shot in ten-minute takes – watch the excellent documentary on the DVD of the film included in the Hitchcock boxset for a fantastic insight into how that was made)....

The difficult job of updating this comedy fable of railing against monotony and inauthentic living while still remaining true to the spirit of the original ’70s sitcom was carried off in a far more satisfactory way than anyone could have expected. From viewing episode two, I think it’s still got potential to be a memorable comedy in its own right – if it can only find its feet and starting moving forward....

“Afflictions” begins with a young girl sitting—with her seatbelt fastened—in an airplane seat in the middle of a field, with a can of Citrus Fizz clasped tightly in her hand. As the camera zooms out, we see billowing black smoke behind her. The seat attached to hers is without cushions, dented, and haggard. We cut to Bellamy’s icy government boss, Angela, in the modern day, seemingly overcome with memory, staring at a dented Citrus Fizz can in her office....

1.13 Datalore They bring the parts back to the ship to reassemble him, and meanwhile the crew also tries to figure out why a bunch of children have drawn pictures of their colony being destroyed. When Lore is finally reassembled, everyone stands around wondering what’s supposed to happen next (this happens a lot in early TNG) before Lore snaps to life and claims to be the New and Improved model Data, complete with new grin subroutines and a duplicitous intonation service pack....