Category: 42 Word Reviews

The Railway Man

The Railway Man

dir. Jonathan Teplitzky (2013)

Film poster: “The Railway Man” dir. Jonathan Teplitzky (2013)

After disguising its intent with a quirky, rom-com affable opening, The Railway Man slips into a mix of astutely played modern drama and harrowing WWII POW historical remembrance. The brutality of the latter seeds the emotional clout of Lomax and Nagase’s reconciliation.

The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words

by Pip Williams (Affirm, 2020)

Book cover: “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams (Affirm, 2020)

An historical novel woven around and through the decades-long compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary. Though Williams writes powerfully on the silencing of women, Esme’s story—a conduit for social commentary—is perhaps too beholden to facts to truly dazzle as fiction.

The Librarians, Season 3

The Librarians, Season 3

(TNT, 2016-2017)

TV poster: “The Librarians, Season 3” (TNT, 2016-2017)

A prime example of season-spanning story arcs hobbling a programme. In developing and resolving an epic Good versus Evil scenario across only ten (shortish) episodes, the writers cram bits of Apep/DOSA into every standalone plot, robbing these of breathing room and substance.

The Black Archive #65: The Myth Makers

The Black Archive #65: The Myth Makers

by Ian Potter (Obverse Books, 2023)

Book cover: “The Black Archive #65: The Myth Makers” by Ian Potter (Obverse Books, 2023)

A deeply researched study in authorship. Potter debunks production myths, compares iterations of text, and reconstructs the development of The Myth Makers from commissioning to recording. While the detailed biography of writer Donald Cotton is especially welcome, numerous typos undermine the scholarship.

Skinwalker

Skinwalker

by Faith Hunter (Roc, 2009)

audiobook read by Khristine Hvam (Bolinda, 2014)

Book cover: Review of “Skinwalker” by Faith Hunter (Roc, 2009); audiobook read by Khristine Hvam (Bolinda, 2014)

Jane Yellowrock is very appealing as a character (if more consistent in her sass than in her skillset). The narrative never disappoints in the moment; yet Hunter leaves nothing out, and the minutiae of the hunt obscure a clumsily threaded big picture.

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Planetarium Experience

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Planetarium Experience

(NSC Creative, 2023) Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, 10 March 2024

Performance poster: “Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Planetarium Experience” (NSC Creative, 2023) Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, 10 March 2024

The classic album played in its entirety, synchronised with a specially rendered visual extravaganza of space scenes and psychedelic sequences projected onto the planetarium’s skydome. The immersive experience makes one reflect and appreciate, 50 years on, just how innovative Dark Side was.

Foundation, Season 1

Foundation, Season 1

(Apple TV+, 2021)

TV poster: “Foundation, Season 1” (Apple TV+, 2021)

A remarkable series that takes Asimov’s action-light scenario and dry-cornflake characters and adapts them into a highly visual, absorbing SF story (albeit still rather abstruse and slow to gain traction). The programme’s success stems from its reinterpretation of various protagonists as female.

Wednesday

Wednesday

(Netflix, 2022)

TV poster: “Wednesday” (Netflix, 2022)

Delightfully kooky teen coming-of-age horror/mystery series. The production values smack of feature filmmaking (iconic costume design and makeup; Tim Burton directs half the episodes). Jenna Ortega makes precocious antihero Wednesday Addams an instant favourite… even before her dance-out to ‘Goo Goo Muck’!

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road

by Russell T. Davies; dir. Mark Tonderai (BBC, 2023)

TV poster: “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road” by Russell T. Davies; dir. Mark Tonderai (BBC, 2023)

Davies scripts a bonhomous if heavy-handed, found-family Christmas special that rattles along while re-treading old ground (his own Whoeuvre plus a sing-and-dance tribute to Labyrinth). Ncuti Gatwa takes the Doctor’s zest for life and channels it into a more tactile, people-friendly persona.

Doctor Who: The Giggle

Doctor Who: The Giggle

by Russell T. Davies; dir. Chanya Button (BBC, 2023)

TV poster: “Doctor Who: The Giggle” by Russell T. Davies; dir. Chanya Button (BBC, 2023)

Neil Patrick Harris exudes menace as the Toymaker, yet the magnitude of his power (alluded to by the fate of the Master and the Guardians) is undermined by the utterly facile nature of the games chosen. Inexplicably, Ncuti Gatwa debuts without pants.