Poptimism in Space
The key moment for me in the new Doctor Who is when the Doctor, having just twigged that the bad ‘guy’ is using the London Eye as a space transmitter, turns to Rose and grins, “Fantastic!”. “Fantastic![…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 28/3/05
Huff: An overnight gap from Help, but here’s another show centred on a psychologist. Hank Azaria, the great Simpsons voice actor, plays a shrink with troubles of one sort and another with wife, son, par[…]

“a form of electricity we know nothing of”
i. the van my family lived in a tiny flat crammed inside a roomy educational institution far out in the country: until i wz five (1965), the only transport was the staff van (actually there were[…]

Life Is A Miracle = Life Is Bloody Loud. There is nothing meaningful in this Bosnia/Serbian satire that is not also accompanied by a cacophonous Wurlitzer soundtrack, a bit of the ultra-violence and some farting. Initially this is rather refreshingly[…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 27/3/05
Traffic: another one where I hadn’t realised there were subtitles (what is it with American films where not everyone speaks American?). I’m at the computer doing stuff, and can barely read them fr[…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 26/3/05
Top of the Pops (taped yesterday): It’s only a couple of hours, but I have forgotten most of what was on. I think Basement Jaxx was the only thing I loved. The Snoop/Timberlake/Neptunes/someone else (Ch[…]

An Open Letter To Trailer Producers Of British Comedy Films:
It has come to my attention that nearly any time a British comedy act make a film, for the big screen, there is only one trope that trailer makers seem fit to exploit. Namely how unlikely i[…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 25/3/05
Zatoichi is covered in the Blind fighters post below. A very good movie.
Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas: An odd mix of animation styles, making some parts look as if they are in different realms of reality,[…]

I have never been to a Dr Who Convention, BUT…
It’s time I told you that I once attended something affectionately called an “Olympiad”. In my own head this is much, much less sad than a (say the word while spitting) “con[…]

Blind fighters
Warning: some spoilers.
There seems to have been a fair bit of this going around of late. I recall Rutger Hauer in Blind Fury as an ex-soldier who lost his sight and was trained to fight in Vietnam, but until recently I can’t thi[…]