‘Aftersun’ in dialogue with ‘Trainspotting’ – Portraying Scotland
Due to the increasingly capitalistic nature of the film industry, director Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun (2022) is perhaps the most significant film to emerge in Scottish cinema in decades. Its tenderness…
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and its Tricky Relationship with Race
From illustrious ballgowns, to lucrative whispers in palace corridors, to steamy romances, the period drama has become a timeless staple in television. Now, thanks to Shonda Rhimes and the producers…
Women are at the Heart of House of the Dragon
I was sceptical going into House of the Dragon, HBO’s new(ish) Game of Thrones spin-off. The grim-dark edginess of the original and the increasing prioritisation of plot twists over thematic…
Not Everything Can Be Andor
After the overall disappointment that was the sequel trilogy (even if some of us enjoyed The Last Jedi) and the constant barrage of Disney+ shows which followed, it seemed like…
Review: Love Island’s Winners Can’t Salvage a Losing Season
Love Island’s ninth season concluded last week with Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan taking home the £50,000 winning prize. Fagan, a science teacher from Manchester, and Harrinanan, a social worker…
The Costume Drama Facing Costume Dramas
With frequent discourse over historical accuracy, ‘iPhone faces’, and workplace safety, costume design and styling in film and tv has become something of a minefield, particularly in period pieces. Just…
Book vs. TV: Daisy Jones and the Six
In the leap from book to television, Daisy Jones and the Six retains its original format as a series of interviews, now taking the form of a mockumentary. The first…
Ode to Unlikeable Women
Twenty minutes into Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acclaimed series Fleabag, our distraught and grieving protagonist confesses her greatest fear: “I have a horrible feeling that I’m a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical,…