Because Everybody Else Has One

Seriously, did I watch the same film as everybody else? Having a director like Baz Luhrmann taking a swing at adapting a literary classic like The Great Gatsby was always going to be something of a tricky proposition. Luhrmann has always had plenty of visual flair and, while it would hardly be fair to say that his films (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet) are nothing but all flash and no substance, Gatsby is a novel that seems set to work entirely against Luhrmann's greatest strengths as its brilliance lies strictly under the surface. Fitzgerald's writing is, of course, wonderful and Gatsby's plot is basically interesting enough but what makes The Great Gatsby such an enduring masterpiece is its thematic richness that rises primarily from the complexity of its title character. How could Luhrmann possibly do something like that justice - especially when the trailers and the seemingly insane decision to shoot the film in 3D promised a film that would entirely miss the point o...

That's right! A brand spankin' new music review. Not a new album, you understand: it's damn near 50 years old, but a new review of an album that I never ever covered before - not even in my slightly embarrassing but enthusiastic Epinions days. And, despite being a fan of the dude for the last 8 (?) years and listening to him even longer, this is also my very first Bob Dylan review. What took me so long? Well, read on and you might get some idea... Bob Dylan is the one great '60s musical acts that I have always been terrified to write about. I still kind of am, to be honest. Quite aside for the fact that this humble Jewish kid from Hibbing Minnesota has very probably been the subject of more articles, reviews, books and scholarly papers than any other 20th century pop-culture icon, coming to terms with the mercurial genius of Dylan's music is not something to be taken lightly. "Genius" is a word that is thrown around far too indiscriminately these da...

Superman Returns, the most recent attempt to bring The Man of Steel to the big screen was a relative box-office failure and drew more than its fair share of criticism from fans and casual movie goers alike. Personally, I rather enjoyed it (note: as of 2012, I can honestly say that this is not a movie that has aged all that well so take the next bit with a pile of salt) thanks to some wonderful direction, spectacular set pieces, good performances and a real grasp of the sense of wonder and hope that Superman should elicit. Sure enough though, on a script level, it was a bit of train wreck. I am more than willing to take on board that the script was illogically structured, badly thought out and featuring some real head-scratching decisions in the form of Lex Luthor's moronic masterplan and the distracting inclusion of the Super-kid. On the other hand, one criticism that has been levelled at the film time and time again that I have absolutely no time for is the idea that it was a we...