You do not have to be an Anglophile or even a history buff to know that the British Empire’s influence once extended around the globe and to far more countries than it currently does, including India. Following its recent encore of the classic 1980s British TV drama Jewel in the Crown, PBS’ Masterpiece is giving its audiences a look at the...
Album Review: Plainsong – Reinventing Richard: The Songs of Richard Farina
Folksinger Richard Farina recorded three auspicious albums with his wife Mimi (Joan Baez’s sister) in the mid 1960s and, in 1966, issued one much-talked-about novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me. At the time, it looked like up for Farina himself—until two days after the book’s publication, when he died in a motorcycle accident at age...
The Beatles 1 To Be Reissued With New Audio Remixes… And Videos
In 2000, The Beatles collected all of their number one singles and put them into a satisfying collection called 1. It contained 27 classic tracks that encompassed their productive 1962-1970 years before internal strife led them all onto more or less lucrative but completely satisfying solo careers. If you’re a Beatles fan, there is more reason to be happy today...
Blu-ray Review: Once Upon a Time – The Complete Fourth Season
What has become of the ABC hit series Once Upon a Time? It’s still addictively entertaining, no suggestion otherwise will be found here, but it seems to be edging further and further into ‘guilty pleasure’ territory. Once Upon a Time: The Complete Fourth Season is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD well in advance of the upcoming season five premiere...
A Chat with Michael J. Bassett of Strike Back
How many people do you know who go to work and get paid to make their childhood fantasies come to life? Michael J. Bassett counts himself among such lucky individuals. Over the past 13 years, the award-winning writer-director has exercised his storytelling muscles for the small as well as big screens and in a variety of genres such as horror,...
Blu-ray Review: The Fabulous Baker Boys – Twilight Time Limited Edition
So many people know and love The Fabulous Baker Boys, it’s hard to believe so few people saw it during its original theatrical run in 1989. According to Box Office Mojo, this critically-acclaimed film was only the 60th highest-grossing of that year. It may not have drawn in moviegoers, but it sure garnered an audience on home video in subsequent...
Frogmind Marches Mobile Hit Badland: Game of the Year Edition onto Wii U
Finnish indie game development studio Frogmind Games has announced the release of its hit game Badland: Game of the Year Edition for Nintendo’s Wii U system. Badland is a side-scrolling 2D action adventure game that has already achieved critical success on other mobile and console platforms, including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Playstation3, Playstation4, Xbox One and Steam. It has...
Catching Up With Actor Tom Brittney
From 18th century Scotland to London’s East End in the late 1950s and even a parallel universe present day London, Tom Brittney has certainly gotten around in recent years. Of course, these journeys as well as several others have been of the fictional variety, but that suits him just fine. The handsome, talented, and versatile actor has been a familiar...
Space Opera is Set for a New Dawn with Dark Matter
Space opera makes a welcome return to Syfy in the US and Space in Canada this Friday with the debut of Dark Matter. Adapted by creators Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie from their own Dark Horse Comics graphic novel, Dark Matter’s 13-episode first season is destined to be an action-packed mix of drama, humour and adventure in the mould of...
Blu-ray Review: The DUFF
“Duff” is an acronym for “designated ugly fat friend.” In the new teen comedy The DUFF, Mae Whitman holds that dubious title as Bianca Piper, always flanked by her conventionally hotter friends, Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey (Bianca Santos). Never mind that Bianca is neither “ugly” nor “fat,” that’s not the point. As very frankly explained to her by her...