REVIEW: Greek absurdist Yorgos Lanthimos makes a characteristically idiosyncratic push for the mainstream in this bizarre period comedy Compared to Yorgos Lanthimos' dystopian previous films, which include The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, it might seem at first that by swerving into that most genteel of genres, the period comedy, the usually… Continue reading The Favourite
Author: James Robinson
The Last Waltz
The Sixties sink into the abyss in Scorsese's seminal concert film: It’s a common refrain of the serial gig-goer, particularly among those who were around in the 1960s and 70s: 'you had to be there, maaaaan.’ Although probably nothing could match the experience of having a ticket to the Band’s legendary farewell concert on Thanksgiving… Continue reading The Last Waltz
A Northern Soul
Bringing the Beats Bus to Brexit Britain: A Northern Soul opens on the faces of a group of primary school kids in Hull. Off-screen we hear their teacher introducing a special guest: a man has come to teach them how to write songs. The kids stare at him wide-eyed, stunned to be in the presence… Continue reading A Northern Soul
Items I Have Pushed Up My Bum – by Ernest Hemingway
IGUANA The Iguana is a truly noble lizard. Only lizards are truly noble, just as only man is truly brave and just as the bravest men are bullfighters. Juanito Bonjela was a fine bullfighter and a fine man. He was entertaining me in the Cafe Royal after an afternoon with the bulls in Salamanca.… Continue reading Items I Have Pushed Up My Bum – by Ernest Hemingway
The Pessimist’s Guide to Online Dating
It’s up for debate whether the internet has made dating more like applying for a job or applying for a job more like dating, but nowadays both involve seeing something you like, putting a lot of thought into an application and then not receiving any response. But relationships, like jobs, are a necessary evil, and… Continue reading The Pessimist’s Guide to Online Dating
New Music August/September
The latest short reviews setting the UK's regional press on fire: Black Delta Movement Preservation 8/10 Anyone with an ear for honest-to-God rock’n’roll won’t fail to be knocked sideways by this infectious collection of barnstormers. Of the many influences worn brazenly on the Hull-based group's sleeves, there’s a clear Jesus & Mary Chain/… Continue reading New Music August/September
A Game of Guess Who? with Samuel Beckett
Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time? Are they a girl or a boy? Is their face bovine? Disfigured? Imprinted by the creases of a lifetime's humiliation? Their mouth. Is it an organ of emission without intellect? And their eyes? Are their eyes filled with tears? Or do they look on.… Continue reading A Game of Guess Who? with Samuel Beckett
Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch
Short and screech: Nine Inch Nails conclude their experimental trilogy that began with EPs Not The Actual Events in 2016 and ADD VIOLENCE in 2017 with what Trent Reznor insists is a full-length album, but at a svelte 6 tracks and 30 minutes in length is really somewhere in between. Nevertheless not a second is wasted in this pulsating handful… Continue reading Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch
Boaking Heads – The HULL: ENGLISH Dictionary A-C
The city of Kingston Upon Hull is famous for three things: pattie butties, white telephone boxes and derelict buildings that burn down in mysterious circumstances. It’s also home to a dialect that’s unusual even for Yorkshire. If you’re planning a visit to last year’s City of Culture, or you’re about to be sent to… Continue reading Boaking Heads – The HULL: ENGLISH Dictionary A-C
Eleanor Tomlinson – Tales from Home
Lame heard beauty: Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson is following the well-established if not entirely auspicious showbiz tradition of actors releasing covers albums just in time for father’s day. Tales From Home does at least have the distinction of an uncommonly tasteful selection of tracks, including new versions of Gordon Lightfoot’s If You Could Read My Mind,… Continue reading Eleanor Tomlinson – Tales from Home
James JW Robinson 