The Man in the High Kolkhoz
If you have Netflix (no chill necessary), there is a Polish series available, in fact the first Polish Netflix production ever, called “1983”. Yes, there is an element of play …
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Pussy Galore in the new Bond
The meh news of the day: Since Daniel Craig announced he was standing down as James Bond, debate has raged whether the next 007 should be a woman, or black. …
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Where are the songs of freedom?
A discussion at PJ Media and then Instapundit, about music and the end of the Cold War, which we should be celebrating throughout this year, but we won’t be very …
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Chernobyl versus nuclear power
I don’t know whether it was the intention of the creators of HBO’s “Chernobyl” mini-series to scare the viewers’ pants off about the nuclear technology (I do know it was …
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The road to the Iron Throne is paved with good intentions
Judging by the social media response, the only people to appreciate tonight’s “Game of Thrones” series finale might be politics and history nerds like myself. Daenerys’s speech to her Dothraki cavalry …
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Westeros So White
The old leftie George R R Martin discovers that you can never be woke enough. Because the world of the Chronicles of Fire and Ice can hardly be criticised for …
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Sully versus Hollywood
Act 1 The scene: “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation is a new annual event that aims to connect writers and content creators with activists, non-profits and thinkers with ties to …
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No, “Blade Runner” and “The Running Man” did not predict 2019
I normally rate “The New York Post” as far as tabloids are concerned but this feature on the prophetic side of the 1980s dystopian science-fiction reads more like something out …
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Is it me or is music shit?
It’s day after Australia Day, so Australia’s taxpayer-funded hipster national radio station Triple J has run its Hottest 100 songs of the previous twelve months. They are voted by the …
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What will be the classics of today?
Just the other day I was again browsing at Lifeline Bookfest, the twice-yearly largest charity book sale in the world, which takes place – of all places – in Brisbane, …
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A View from the High Castle
December 1942. The Imperial Japanese Army, having cleared the Allied resistance across Papua New Guinea, invades the Australian mainland. Japanese armies land in Darwin, Cairns and Townsville. There is a …
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Baby It’s Woke Inside
In this week’s chronicles of outrage and offence: “Radio stations around the U.S. and Canada have dropped the 1944 Christmas tune from their lineups over lyrics including, ‘I ought to …
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Should we laugh at evil?
Theodor Ardano had once famously written, “After Auschwitz, no poetry”. One can understand the sentiment even today. But there is poetry. And there is comedy. But not about Auschwitz, of …
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But is it any good?
Paul Tassi at “Forbes” notes an important pop-culture milestone being reached: This week we got a look six years into the future of The Walking Dead, a timeline after the death (well, disappearance) …
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Nothing Compares to Insh’allah
An artist formerly known as Sinead O’Connor becomes a Peace* Symbol: Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has revealed she has renounced Catholicism and converted to Islam, taking the new name “Shuhada’ …
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Star Wars vs Troll Wars
Does a movie really suck or is it all just a big Russian conspiracy? Don’t ask me – I haven’t watched any of the new Disney “Star Wars” franchise movies …
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Happy 70,000,058th birthday, the Flintstones!
On September 30, 1960, at 8:30 PM, ABC network aired the first episode of Hanna-Barbera-produced “The Flintstones”. The late broadcast hour was a recognition that initially “The Flintstones” were made …
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What do metalheads and Papuans have in common?
A lot apparently, according to an anthropologist: Heavy metal fans have evolved to communicate with each other like remote tribes in Papua New Guinea, a study by anthropologists has found. …
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Christian Devil’s Music
A much maligned music genre has a long history and an interesting present: In 1972, when Larry Norman was still feeling optimistic about his musical career, he set out on …
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