The opening to Spectre is the sort of sequence that James Bond films are made for. It’s a dazzling distillation of everything that the franchise should be – visually striking, funny, sexy, explosive and exciting. And if the rest of the film can’t quite match up to that impressive opening, Spectre still makes for a … >
The second episode of BBC One’s River, having established the main plots in last week’s debut, focuses this week on redemption and relationships, as we see John River (Stellan Skarsgard) say sorry, say goodbye and speak some necessary truths. Thor star Skarsgard continues to be brilliant as the emotionally fragile policeman, haunted by ghosts and … >
One of Orphan Black’s favourite twists to pull off is the reveal that there’s yet another layer to what it has been telling us is the complete picture. It’s done this a couple of times over, which makes it all the more impressive that it continues to work so damn effectively. Admittedly, here it’s peeling back a layer … >
Photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker takes us through five John Carpenter films that she was the stills photographer on: Halloween, Escape from New York, The Fog, Halloween 2 and Christine. She gives some amusing commentary on a number of the photos, and the images themselves speak volumes. They really capture the spirit of the low budget everyone-mucking-in … >
‘The Woman Who Lived’ is an unlikely episode of Doctor Who for at least three reasons. Firstly, it is written by a woman – something which shouldn’t be an oddity, but sadly is. Secondly, in taking us to Stuart England, in 1651, it explores unusual historical territory for a series which is typically content to … >
After the dramatic events at the Castor compound in the sixth episode, the seventh feels like it was definitely designed as a breather. It’s a pacy episode with a lot of racing around and a lot of focus on Alison’s storyline, but it never intends to get you to be too worried that anything big is going … >
Of all the filmmakers working in Hollywood today, Guillermo del Toro is one of the most fervently followed. The cult of interest that springs up around any project he’s attached to is well earned: smaller scale Spanish language classics (Cronos, Pan’s Labyrinth) are offset against mega-budget Hollywood blockbusters (Hellboy, Pacific Rim) in his back catalogue, … >
In 2008, Scottish writer John Niven published his first full-length novel, Kill Your Friends: a hilarious, horrifying satire on the music business during the Britpop-saturated 1990s. Based in part on the author’s experiences working in the industry – although to what degree is between him, his conscience and his lawyer – the book chronicles the … >
The fifth episode of Downton Abbey’s final season opens as Daisy helps Mr. Mason move into Yew Tree Farm. Mrs. Patmore supplies a hamper of refreshments and is soon serving tea to a grateful Mr. Mason. We suddenly see – as does Daisy – that Mr. Mason and Mrs. P are perfect for each other. … >
Before this point, Orphan Black has been a show that is happy to subject its central characters to all kinds of emotional pain and agony, but it has not been a show that has pulled the trigger on killing anybody in a main role. Of course, there are many shows where this is not necessary, but arguably this one … >