The approach Lovecraft Country has taken to episode structure in its short time on the air has certainly been unique. After burning through enough plot for an entire season during the show’s first two episodes, episodes three and four have each tackled a particular film genre (haunted house in episode three and an Indiana Jones-style […]
Tag: HBO
Lovecraft Country – Holy Ghost
Lovecraft Country‘s third installment, “Holy Ghost,” was a curious change in narrative structure. For its first two episodes, it seemed as though the series would be a tightly serialized drama. But this week, the story jumped forward several weeks from the tragic events of Ardham and gave us a haunted house story that, on first […]
Lovecraft Country – Whitey’s On the Moon Review
Well, that was a hell of a lot of plot to churn through in a single hour of television. And to remove two of the show’s most recognizable actors from the gameboard this early in the run of a series (that would be Courtney B. Vance – who certainly could still come back from the […]
Lovecraft Country – Sundown Review
As someone who has never read anything by HP Lovecraft or Matt Rush’s “Lovecraft Country” novel, I really didn’t know what to expect when I tuned in for the first episode of Lovecraft Country on HBO this weekend. Although, with a title like “Sundown,” I was perhaps a bit more prepared than folks who haven’t […]
I May Destroy You (Spoiler-Free) Review
HBO’s I May Destroy You is the best show currently airing on television. That may sound like a grandiose statement, but give it a couple of episodes and I suspect you’ll agree. What Michaela Coel has constructed with this complex, compelling, and emotionally visceral series is nothing short of amazing. And while there have already […]
His Dark Materials – Betrayal Review (A Book Fan’s Perspective)
The first season of His Dark Materials has finally reached its conclusion and the finale is one of the best episodes the series has produced so far. Lyra (Dafne Keen) and her friend Roger (Lewin Lloyd) have arrived at Lord Asriel’s (James McAvoy) northern scientific facility. Lyra believes their quest is over and she and Roger can […]
Top 10 TV Shows of 2019
The temperature has plummeted (to shockingly low depths here in Chicago, starting my annual ritual of wondering why I continue to subject myself to this weather), the holidays and 2020 are just around the corner, which means it’s time for that time-honored annual tradition: The Critic Best of List. 2019 was an interesting year for […]
His Dark Materials – The Fight to the Death Review (A Book Fan’s Perspective)
Following two fairly focused episodes, the penultimate episode of His Dark Materials sets up all the pieces ready for the big finale. After freeing the children that were held at Bolvangar, Lyra (Dafne Keen) gets captured for a third time – this time by the bears of Svalbard. Lyra has to use all her wits to do […]
Watchmen – See How They Fly Review
My favorite type of ending is one that refuses to tie everything up in a little bow. It’s Buffy looking out over the crater of Sunnydale, offering a small smile, while refusing to answer any of the myriad of questions being thrown her way. It’s not knowing just what fate will befall Paige Jennings as […]
His Dark Materials – The Dæmon Cages Review (A Book Fan’s Perspective)
“The Dæmon Cages” sees His Dark Materials go into horror territory as Lyra sees the full scale of the Magisterium’s operation. Lyra (Dafne Keen) has been captured (again) and taken to Bolvagar, the Fields of Evil. She gets to reunite with Roger (Lewin Lloyd) and she plans to start a jailbreak, knowing the Gyptians are coming. However, […]