Based on the Julia May Jonas book of the same name, Netflix’s Vladimir follows Rachel Weisz’s unnamed protagonist, a creative writing professor whose university chair husband, John (John Slattery), is suspended pending an investigation into his sexual relationships with numerous students. Breaking the fourth wall frequently, the protagonist tells us that she and John have…
Television
Ginny and Georgia: Max’s Heartbreaking Storyline
Contains major spoilers for Ginny and Georgia season 3. Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia has explored serious and complex themes since the very beginning, but its latest season is the heaviest yet. Season 2 ended with Marcus (Felix Mallard) breaking up with Ginny (Antonia Gentry) due to his worsening depression, which continues to decline during season…
Review: The Idol, Episode 1 — Pop Tarts & Rat Tails
Contains spoilers for episode 1 of The Idol. The Idol, created by Sam Levinson, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd, and Reza Rahim, follows aspiring pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) after a mental breakdown derailed her last tour, likely due to the death of her mother. She is determined to reclaim her title as the sexiest…
Review: Dreamland
After her theatre debut in 2:22: A Ghost Story, for which she received an Olivier nomination, Lily Allen makes her television debut as Mel O’Sullivan in Dreamland. The series opens with Mel travelling via bus to Margate, her seaside hometown on the Kent coast, where her close-knit family still live, featuring some great class commentary on the…
Killing Eve’s Tragic Love Story
Also featured on Medium. Contains spoilers for Killing Eve Season 4 finale. Killing Eve’s finale was a betrayal of what made the series so remarkable in the first place. Television producer Sally Woodward-Gentle, who optioned Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle in 2014, said: “The notion of a female assassin was not unique,” but Jennings’ take was “fresh, intelligent, and tonally…
Review: The Haunting of Bly Manor
Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, was an absolute masterclass in emotive storytelling, story adaptation, and filmmaking. This time, Flanagan continues to reinvent great stories of the past as the second installment of The Haunting explores Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw”. The Haunting of Bly…
Review: Ratched
We were first introduced to the terrifying and tyrannical Nurse Mildred Ratched in Ken Kesey’s book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — but her character was brought to life by Louise Fletcher in Miloš Forman’s film adaptation, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1976. Nurse Ratched manipulated her patients in…
Killing Eve: the Transformation of Eve Polastri
Also featured on Medium. Since the beginning, we’ve always wondered whether Killing Eve — the title — means that Villanelle (Jodie Comer) will eventually kill Eve (Sandra Oh) as part of their intoxicating game of cat and mouse. But what if the title isn’t literal and instead possesses a deeper meaning? At its core, Killing Eve is really about…
The Expanse: An Intense Space Opera Worthy of Your Time
Set in a future where humanity has colonised the Solar System, The Expanse follows a group of characters who find themselves at the center of a conspiracy that threatens the very existence of humanity. It’s based on the science-fiction novels by James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who…
On the Controversy of ’13 Reasons Why’
Since it’s announcement the series 13 Reasons Why has caused a lot of controversy. The show already had an audience for those who had read the book of the same name by Jay Asher from which it is based on, but it soon grabbed the attention of others. I am someone who has not read the book…