Life can be a piece of crap sometimes. Thank god we have fictional universes to divert our attention. Sometimes it is the little things. Here are three of my little highlights this month. One: Dolores in Westworld saying, "I imagined a world where I didn't have to be the damsel." (There are so many reasons to love … Continue reading Fiction Fix: March
Category: TV Fix
What was your favourite story in January?
Books The pick of the month: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Winner of the Man Booker and perfect journey for me. You just have to go with it. This was the Pocketbook Club read for the month. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, iconic Australian book and movie still worth the effort. I … Continue reading What was your favourite story in January?
What’s wrong with Stranger Things
SPOILER WARNING Stranger Things was last year's word of mouth Netflix hit. I finally watched it the week before Christmas while simultaneously making marmalade. I enjoyed it. It was fresh, retro and good fun. The second season was much the same. Not in a good way. Monster arrives, kills people, the boys make a new … Continue reading What’s wrong with Stranger Things
Revisiting Twin Peaks
I was there in 1990 when Laura Palmer was found wrapped in plastic. What I remember, thinking back was being perplexed. Some context is required. In 1990 we had five television channels. There was no cable tv, and definitely no streaming services. Just five television stations and the video store down the road. There had … Continue reading Revisiting Twin Peaks
Costumes maketh the character
Costume designers are underrated. While directors are celebrated, who remembers the person who designed the characters' clothes and yet clothes are important to who we and what we want to project to the world. We might not consciously notice the message being sent by a costume. Colours There has been much written about the use of colour … Continue reading Costumes maketh the character
UnREAL – what do anti-heroes want?
My binge show on the weekend was the television show UnREAL - a behind the look at a making of a reality television show called Everlasting - which is a pretty much the Bachelor. Rachel, Quinn, Chet and every other character in the show are manipulative and immoral but I love every single one of them … Continue reading UnREAL – what do anti-heroes want?
The Movie was better than the Book
Sometimes the movie is better than the book. I know, contentious. I am a reader and a writer I not supposed to say that. But as a consumer of stories, sometimes the movie is better than the book. First the movie warnings: 3 Movies to avoid if you read the book Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell … Continue reading The Movie was better than the Book
Ostracised for Spoilers – The New Polite
WARNING: Random spoilers from really old things you should know already and some swearing The new polite is to warn of forthcoming spoilers. I imagine a time, long long ago when a woman could be ostracised for forgetting to write thank you notes or perhaps for wearing last year's dress. Now, it is spoilers that … Continue reading Ostracised for Spoilers – The New Polite
Using Game of Thrones to understand how Plots work
WARNING SPOILERS S6 Ep 7 The Broken Man Game of Thrones has a reputation for 'breaking the rules.' An oft cited example is the beheading of apparent protagonist the patriarch Stark, in season one. Many people die in Game of Thrones - the good and the bad. But, I contend this is not rule breaking. … Continue reading Using Game of Thrones to understand how Plots work