There is a romanticised allure of the big city; the national metropolises in your home nation can provide the highest highs, but also the darkest depths of living. With high concentrations of people in the concrete jungle, this is certainly to be expected. In 1988, … Continue reading Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
The seductive lure of excess, combined with the naivety of youth is a dangerous, yet captivating mix. In 1985, a book of these themes brought commercial and critical success for author Bret Easton Ellis. Although somewhat overshadowed culturally by the following triumph of American Psycho, … Continue reading Less Than Zero (1987)
The mid-90s gave the subsequent years a plethora of things that are still reeking with freshness, like the Super Nintendo or R. L. Stein. As some things rise, others fall, and although entertaining countless viewers for decades, the animated antics of the Looney Tunes were … Continue reading Space Jam (1996)
Reputation can go a long way in the world of art, success can snowball, echo into greatness. Other times it can be a curse, swallowing works into depths of darkness that they can never return from. In 1987, a cinematic epic infamously dubbed the worst … Continue reading Ishtar (1987)
The idea of extra-terrestrial life has been the domain of imagination for almost a century. Whether these unknown (or non-existent) entities are friendly, or not, their stories remain interesting despite the overlapping similarities. In 2017, a sci-fi film depicting a relatively grounded look at a … Continue reading Life (2017)
When you create an earth-shattering film, iterating on that concept can be daunting. So much so, in the days before multipart mega franchises, it was hardly done. In 1996, Roland Emmerich brought the human stories to a continent-spanning epic of alien apocalyptic adventure. Called Independence … Continue reading Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Pinball has inspired a mania. Surviving countless decades through offering players of varying levels of competency: extraordinary high scores, an intoxicating balance of skill and luck, and relatively low barriers to entry. The classic game is no stranger to elaborate themes and styles, some revamping … Continue reading Groove is in the heart, baby! Part 6: Austin Powers Pinball (2002)
Saving the world is fun and all, but what about those who have a bone to pick with society, who want to bring the earth to its knees for financial profit, or pure vengeance? In the year 2000, to complement the growing franchise and the … Continue reading Groove is in the heart, baby! Part 5: Austin Powers: Welcome to My Underground Lair! (2000)
The late 90s saw the Information Superhighway quickly pick up steam and turn into the behemoth that made so much of modern life possible. In anticipation, everybody was desperate for computerisation, even in cases where it did not make sense. In 2000, the time-travelling groovy … Continue reading Groove is in the heart, baby! Part 4: Austin Powers: Oh, Behave! (2000)
The pandemic has shown the necessity for party games, but challenges to our trivia muscles have always been around. Each one trying new ways to differentiate themselves from the crowd. In 1999, to capitalise on the success of the rising Austin Powers franchise, a themed … Continue reading Groove is in the heart, baby! Part 3: Austin Powers Operation: Trivia (1999)
