Author: aliceklar

Lightyear (2022)

Where to find it: Disney+
Length: 100 minutes
Synopsis: Buzz attempts heroics for an hour and a half
Recommendation rating: 2/5

What I like about it: occasionally looks pretty, Sox
What I don’t like about it: miserably pointless

Review:
Ranking at the bottom of the Pixar canon alongside Cars 2 and Toy Story 4, this misadventure begins with the following mind-boggling title card then dives in media res before we have a chance to ask questions: “In 1995, Andy received a Buzz Lightyear toy. It was from his favourite movie. This is that movie.” What follows is an almost complete mess of plot holes and questionable decisions soaked in a dusty atmosphere reminiscent of The Martian (2015), the Pixar team are wasted here and don’t seem to have connected with or taken the time over the material. Sox will move plenty of merchandise, I’m sure.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – The Song Diaries (2019)

Length: 73:18
Synopsis: Orchestr-Ellis-Bextor
Recommendation rating: 4/5

What I like about it: i love orchestral pop so was always gonna like this one
What I don’t like about it: just some of the source material

Review:
When my pop-loving best friend suggested I listen to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Greatest Hits album, my reaction was apathetic but when elle told me that it’s backed by an orchestra, I quickly changed my tune. The album is unfortunately frontloaded with hits which don’t really fit the style (Groovejet) or which, let’s be honest, aren’t great source material (Murder on the Dancefloor) but they’re still impressive and only get better from there. I was under the impression that I only knew the two songs mentioned above but I recognised many more from the early-mid ’00s charts and the ones I didn’t recognise were generally beautiful ballads. She’s a wonderful singer and the orchestra do a great job, resulting in the album of a career.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

Nightlands – Moonshine (2022)

Length: roughly 30 minutes
Synopsis: Smooth soundscape
Recommendation rating: 4/5

What I like about it: complex and beautiful sounds, assured composition
What I don’t like about it: it’s quite laid-back for my personal taste

Review:
This is a really well-made record but a hard one to put into words.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

Bloc Party – Alpha Games (2022)

Length: 39:33
Synopsis: Underwhelming dance rock record after a 6-year hiatus
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the band has a new drummer and she’s fantastic, Sex Magik is a decent track
What I don’t like about it: Kele’s more grating habits are in overdrive, everything feels disjointed and doesn’t come together into memorable songs

Review:
Having had a crush on Kele Okereke half my life, I’m more excited for a new Bloc Party record than most but it really doesn’t live up to any of my hopes. The dance elements have been toned down and the amplifier’s gain setting turned up to 11. Kele alternates between channelling Morrissey’s crooning and The Hold Steady’s tuneless yelping over guitar noise. It’s not an appealing combo and mostly makes me want to listen to their first two albums again.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

I Love That For You (2022)

Where to find it: Paramount+
Length: Eight 30-minute episodes
Synopsis: A young woman raised on QVC dreams of selling cheap trinkets
Recommendation rating: 4/5

What I like about it: Vanessa Bayer, Jenifer Lewis, great character work, satire/ exposé of home shopping and sales work
What I don’t like about it: it’s not unmissable, the characters are good individually but rarely click together into any kind of dynamic

Review:
The premise of this one didn’t interest me much but the pilot did. We’re introduced to a young girl who has clearly been a hospital inpatient for some time, the scene is dark and grey but she is captivated by a dull light from the corner of the room: the falsely happy, friendly and elegant world of a home shopping network. Being too young to understand the artifice, she idolises the one happy presence in her small, sad world. Smash cut to her as a sheltered young woman, retaining many childlike qualities and a strong desire to not be “the cancer girl” anymore, she auditions for a role as a sales-host at the network which she spent so many hours watching. She clearly has a talent – her bubbly, enthusiastic and friendly nature make her a natural fit for the role – but she anxiously stumbles over her words a lot. Nonetheless she is hired and excitedly goes to spend her first day in the TV world of her childhood, only to find that behind the scenes it’s all business and bitchy backbiting. We see her thrown for a loop for the rest of the pilot as her naïveté is shattered in real-time and at the end, she makes a really bad decision that creates interest for future episodes.

This is clearly very well-informed by creator/writer/star Vanessa Bayer, who herself went from having childhood leukemia to being in showbusiness and that lends a lot of heart to a show that otherwise would feel tacky and exploitative. It’s not the funniest comedy on modern TV/streaming but in an age when comedy shows are mixing a lot with drama, it’s not the worst balance and is even good for a laugh-out-loud moment an episode. It’s getting quite unfavourable reviews which I think is undeserved and likely due to the show’s rather feminine appeal.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): cancer comes up a lot, some ableist slurs

Good Omens (2019)

Where to find it: Amazon Prime Video
Length: Six hour-long episodes
Synopsis: an angel and a demon try to prevent the apocalypse
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the two lead actors, quite fun, some good biblical/history jokes
What I don’t like about it: dodgy pacing and plot decisions, too many plotlines to follow

Review:
The chemistry and charms of Michael Sheen and David Tennant carry this adaptation of the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman novel

Content notes (may contain spoilers): religious irreverence, fire

The Weeknd – Dawn FM (2022)

Length: 51:49
Synopsis: Synth-heavy atmospheric pop with R&B crooning
Recommendation rating: 4/5

What I like about it: easygoing pop with an intellectual undercurrent
What I don’t like about it: I could trim half a dozen tracks, personally

Review:
If the river Styx were a highway and the ferryman drove a shiny red Corvette, this is the album that would accompany you on your night drive into the hereafter. It’s hard to explain but the atmosphere it builds by the middle is quite remarkable.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

Hercules & Love Affair – In Amber (2022)

Length: 56 minutes
Synopsis: Dark, atmospheric and reflective
Recommendation rating: 4/5

What I like about it: it’s complex and wonderful, gay without being dance pop
What I don’t like about it: it took a while to grow on me, it is downbeat and that’s not for every mood

Review:
Utilising industrial and darkwave sounds to harness a darker-than-usual sound for this act, this is a heavy album for heavy times. “Dissociation” is an absolute must-listen for anyone who has experienced such a state. “Contempt for You” is a gay wrath anthem. Half the album features beautiful vocals from friend-of-the-band ANOHNI, harmonising with usual singer and core-of-the-band Andy Butler over bassy lines and fascinating sounds

Content notes (may contain spoilers): homophobic slurs (“Contempt for You”), mental health, violence

Amber Mark – Three Dimensions Deep (2022)

Length: an hour
Synopsis: Cool bassy R&B
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: it’s good to play in the background, maybe as a barbecue is winding down
What I don’t like about it: it’s not exactly essential listening

Review:
Honestly I might have more to say about this one if I wasn’t stung by a bee while listening to it, that kinda diverted my attention but it’s a good record

Content notes (may contain spoilers): sex, deceased relatives

Vicious Fun (2020)

Where to find it: Amazon Prime
Length: 100 minutes
Synopsis: Slasher comedy
Recommendation rating: 2/5

What I like about it: competently made on a low budget, hammy acting
What I don’t like about it: grim, formulaic comedy

Review:
This film finds a horror movie fanatic stumbling upon a support group for serial killers and then having to evade them all movie. It was moderately preferable to sitting in silence.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): murder, vomit, gore