22
Apr
This weekend I attended a Lindy Hop dance event: two days full of workshops and dance parties. It was, of course, amazing, but one thing struck me as I was on my way home: how similar good dancing can be to good stories. Read more
16
Apr
If you’re a die-hard Bones fan then no doubt you will have strong opinions on the milestone 100th episode, which aired in the UK last night. For those of you who watch but haven’t yet seen ‘The Parts in the Sum of the Whole’, read no further. There be spoilers ahead.
Have you ever noticed that certain countries seem to be a little bit wonderful at producing films and television shows of a certain genre? Furthermore, that those genres have quite a few similarities with the countries themselves? I’ll illustrate: Read more
17
Mar
This post is another top 10 – this time of opening credits for TV shows. You know, some credits just get you in the mood. These are my personal favourites: Read more
16
Mar
A quick post to point you in the direction of some wonderful blogs about storytelling:
One day last week a friend sent me the link to this site. That was it. I wasn’t getting any sleep that night, or for many nights afterwards. Seriously, follow the link at your peril.
TV Tropes is an amazing website that was originally created to explore the tropes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It grew from there to cover the common ground of storytelling between film, TV, literature… you name it, it’s got it. It’s such a wonderful tangled web of tropes and reminders you can’t help but get lost in it.
There is one particularly addictive part of the site, and that is the Crowning Moments of Awesome part. Every good show has a point that makes the audience go ‘Whoop! Yeah!’ and punch the air in glee (or, if you’re British, smile politely on the outside and jump up and down on the inside). For this post I have decided to compile my top 10 Crowning Moments of Awesome: one list for film and one list for television:
7
Mar
Has anyone else been watching the second season of Joss Whedon’s ill-fated Dollhouse? It’s an interesting and sometimes brilliant exercise in how to wrap up an epic group of ideas in just thirteen episodes. Granted, sometimes the plot takes over, with character twists coming at you so fast that not even the biggest Whedon fans are able to suspend their disbelief, but hell, it’s dealing with BIG STUFF here. BIG. STUFF. I’m going to give Joss the benefit of the doubt.
A few weeks ago my boss walked into the office, plonked a book down in front of me and said, ‘Holly, I think you’ll like this’. The book in question was Steig Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Ever the obedient employee, I duly read the book, and then swiftly bought the next two – The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. The boss was right, I liked it – them – the whole trilogy – a lot.
28
Sep
In which I talk about The Tudors, Anne Boleyn and how we should treat the legacy of real people in film and television. Read more
30
Jul
I’ve been wondering recently whether all stories could be divided into two categories: one containing stories with evil villains, and one containing stories with vulnerable villains. I think it might just be possible.
There are those whose very context defines them as evil – Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, for example – few viewers could ever sympathise with a sadistic fascist. Then there are those who seem to just be corrupt beyond all redemption (Voldemort! Sauron!). But for me the ‘best’ villains – the ones who become iconic – have an edge of vulnerability. Their motives are not necessarily more morally acceptable than others, but they do possess humanity. Here’s my top five likeable villains, in no particular order:
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