Yes, tis I, reviewing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. I'd heard bad things and good things about this second instalment. I'm pleased to report while there are criticisms to be made, this is a surprisingly upbeat, nay almost saccharin outing for Star Lord et al. There were tears and revelations and CGI characters that looked … Continue reading Review: Galactic Families
Firefly
Review: Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad felt like a long introduction, followed by a self-generated plot, all to lead up to the next Batman film. I think the writers and producers should have taken notice of the marketing and lead ins for Marvel's Deadpool and ripped them off so as to knowingly set Squad up as a tale of multiple twisted love … Continue reading Review: Suicide Squad
Doctor Who: Eye Spy
I wonder if writer Mark Gatiss has a thing about sleep, what with this episode Sleep No More, but also Night Terrors with monsters in the dark and things that haunt us. And also, both have frames. Night Terrors had a cupboard containing the terror inside a flat, while Sleep No More has a story-teller … Continue reading Doctor Who: Eye Spy
Post review musings on Ultron, Mad Max and The Fall
On the last sunny day before Melbourne's erratic winter settles in, I thought I'd pull together a few stray thoughts I've had after recent viewings. It might be a bit spoilery. Avengers: Age of Ultron felt like a welcome visit from wise-cracking friends with very busy international schedules, a bit of bling, and brittle but brave facades. … Continue reading Post review musings on Ultron, Mad Max and The Fall
Avengers: Never ending cast of thousands
I've been thinking about Avengers: Age of Ultron since I saw it a week and a bit ago. I'm not a huge fan of heroes creating their own problems to solve, vis a vie Ultron. But I get it is less complicated for the heroes to go around pulverising robots than killing people. We can … Continue reading Avengers: Never ending cast of thousands
Stories: bigger on the inside
Analyse this? I came across a fairly thorough psychological interpretation of Harry Potter via FB recently. The page linking to it had a lot of comments - people were either upset as it had 'ruined' the books or they were angry that someone had 'bothered'. Whatever the complaint, there was so much entitlement, or ownership. I … Continue reading Stories: bigger on the inside
Fellowship of the Orb: Review of Guardians of the Galaxy
If you like Marvel films you'll like Guardians of the Galaxy. You may like it even more if you don't like everything Marvel has done. I liked it. It was smart and sweet and nostalgic, with some great performances from the cast, plus with added bonus surprise cameos and shout outs for long-term comic readers. … Continue reading Fellowship of the Orb: Review of Guardians of the Galaxy
Strength of Character
I keenly dislike the phrase 'strong character'. It's a cliché and it is often unclear what is meant - either an individual who is well-defined, and/or easily identifiable, or actually physically and/or emotionally tough. And it is different to powerful. Power is about agency. You can be well-defined or even tough, without power. For example, Jayne … Continue reading Strength of Character
The myth of the mad man and his box
Dr Who has a mythic arc to it, with epic battles with worlds at stake, but it's also a fairy tale. It always was. There is the eponymous hero (with not 1000 but) 13 faces. He has special devices to solve problems (like psychic paper) and unique abilities, which puts in a category similar to … Continue reading The myth of the mad man and his box
Ah, (the Serenity of) Firefly
While I'm writing (too much) about TV I may as well write about why Firefly was So Damn Awesome. It's also timely as actor and Cap'n Nathan Fillion recently dreamed out loud in a TV interview about how he would relaunch the program if he won a gazillion dollars (or some such). I know maybe some of you … Continue reading Ah, (the Serenity of) Firefly
Writing Bec 