I recently explored the Atari 2600 Plus, diving into games like “Circus Atari” while appreciating the aesthetics reminiscent of the 1970s—a simpler yet complex time marred by events like Watergate. The era’s unique charm extends beyond games to cars and fashion, reflecting a broader nostalgia. The Cairnes brothers’ film, set in this period, cleverly intertwines horror with a late-night show backdrop, capturing the essence with detailed authenticity and strong performances, particularly from Ingrid Torelli and David Dastmalchian. Despite some narrative prolongation, the film impressively conjures the 1970s vibe along with some big scares.

Many artists have an unmistakeable style.  Van Gogh’s brushstrokes are unlike anyone else’s; they may be imitated but never repeated.  Hemingway’s prose is clipped and edited to a degree dissimilar to another author’s.  No one used cinematic montage like Sergei Eisenstein did.   Similarly, a Guy Ritchie production bears hallmarks of its own. Characters are […]

Regency and Georgian romantic dramas remain very popular; is it because we long for the constraints of civility?

The early days of the web were magical; how did a tool for infinite connection turn into one fostering endless division?

“One Day” is refreshingly different: it is a portrait of a romance but it is painted in generally dark colours. There is regret, memory, tears, bitterness, and yet it is beautiful.

All things eventually decline; is the phenomenon of far right populism a symptom of this?

I generally don’t watch “reality TV”. I remember when British television launched Big Brother. It was baffling. It was as if the contestants were lab rats in a maze and we were watching them eat, sleep, and claw each other. The firm behind Big Brother, Endemol, apparently has gone in for an even more torturous […]

Charles may very well be the last King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  The conditions which support monarchy no longer exist.

There has been a constant expectation that something would pop Trump’s balloon: backing Kevin McCarthy may be it. 

Perhaps it was inevitable that Reverend Warnock would win the Georgia runoff.  Reverend Warnock was by far the superior candidate.  Warnock did not discuss the relative merits of being a vampire or a werewolf on the campaign trail.  He had no stench of hypocrisy.  He did not have the backing of Donald Trump. Whoever persuaded […]