Author: N2811ancy_3pton

‘I’m like a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do if I caught one’.

As Heath Ledger’s clown prince of crime explains to a bed-ridden, broken Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan’s second Batman film, there’s no deliberate malice in his actions. He’s simply an agent of chaos. But, as the above, genius 9 second sequence makes clear, actions speak louder than words. After successfully escaping prison in fiery fashion, we witness the Joker gleefully stick his body outside the back window of a police car to the tune of blearing sirens, placing a gloved hand firmly on the roof.

Continue reading “Minimalist Moments: The Dark Knight”

Despite Netflix’s dwindling subscriber numbers over the past year, one of its biggest productions to date will hopefully recuperate some of its losses, with Stranger Things’ fourth season achieving a record-breaking 7.2 billion minutes of viewing from May 30^th to June 5^th. According to figures recently provided by the Wall Street Journal, each episode in the current season of the smash-hit horror-drama cost the streaming service an eye-watering $30 million.  

Continue reading “Mini-Review: Stranger Things Season 4, Episodes 8 and 9”

Writing a review of my favourite television series of all time has the potential to get subjective. And lengthy. In any case, I’m going to provide you with some easter eggs you might not have spotted, and some details I particularly loved. Which still ends up being lengthy. S’all good, man. 

Continue reading “Small Details: Better Call Saul Season 6, Part 1”

(18th May 2022)

Working on the final stages of Blade Runner’s soundtrack, Vangelis noted that ‘My score is not on paper, but on tape’. Supposedly unable to either read or write music, the composer utilised his instinctive mindset to compose the dystopian sounds of Ridley Scott’s cult classic. The Yamaha CS-80, the synthesiser which he made his own, produced alien sounds that evoked pathos and tragedy capable of creating narrative meaning both with and without dialogue. Rutger Hauer’s improvised final speech at the film’s conclusion was made yet more poignant through Vangelis’ ethereal music, which was resurrected and adapted by Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer in the similarly emotional closing scene of Blade Runner 2049.

Continue reading “Obituary: Vangelis”

(26th April 2022)

It was inevitable. During a career that has spanned over four decades, his face has frequently adorned the front covers of GQ, Esquire, and Time. Those features have been a mainstay of the meme world for years. Annoyed at a talkative colleague? Send em’ the ‘You Don’t Say’ meme, the ultimate expression of sarcastic interest. Feeling zen, calm and controlled? Just take a look at the Con Air meme, where a long-maned Cage basks in the sunset of a successful day. It was only a matter of time until a few of these multi-layered faces received their own movie, with Cage front and centre.

Continue reading “Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”