Where To Next?

You have probably heard people talking about the new Netflix documentary, Tiger King. Mullets, big cats, attempted murder, polygamy, it apparently has everything you could possibly want in a documentary. I love a crazy true story, and this seems like it could be the greatest thing since Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, or In Plain Sight, so I decided to check it out. I have only watched the first episode so far, and I can already tell that this is going to be a wild ride. Warning: spoilers for the first episode below. The documentary tells the story of Joe Exotic, the owner of a private zoo in America which houses a number of wild animals with the main attraction being his big cats, of which he has over 200. We meet his employees, his husband, Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle (another wildlife enthusiastic who runs an animal preserve and trains wild animals for movies), and Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue. Carole is a crazy (big) cat lady. T...

I. Am. In. Love. I have just discovered The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it is freaking brilliant. Luckily for me I am late to the party, as usual, so I can watch all three seasons without having to wait! I have just finished season one, and can't wait to get stuck into season two. I actually came across it as it was being advertised on Amazon Prime (Yes, hello Amazon, your ads are working on me, congratulations), and it seemed to be getting a lot of hype around awards season, so I thought I'd check it out. I really didn't know much about it before watching, just the vague idea that a 50's housewife was trying to be a stand-up comedian. I'm really interested in stand-up comedy so that drew me in, but that's really such a small part of the show, which is rich with strong, unique characters. Come for the comedy, stay for the characters! So first of all we have Miriam (Mrs. Maisel, if you will). Played wonderfully by Rachel Brosnahan, Miriam, Midge to her f...

Vegas, baby! So, I have no self control. Instead of rationing out the series I've been waiting forever for, I binged it all in one day. ONE DAY. I wasn't even sure if I was in the mood to watch it, but I started the first episode, thinking I would watch one or maybe two, then come back to it, but I couldn't stop and had to keep watching. Suddenly it was midnight and there were only two episodes left and well of course I had to finish them. I was left feeling so many feelings. Firstly, that kind of sickly sweet feeling you get when you have eaten all the chocolate, whoops (see, no self control) and realise there is none left. Unfortunately, unlike chocolate, you can't just go out and buy more. It's that devastating feeling of the end of an amazing night, where you are elated at what has transpired but also depressed because it's gone. I also got inspired to write, which I often get when I am immersed in an incredible story, and wish I had had a part in mak...

If, like me, you grew up watching The Simpsons, have valuable space in your brain taken up by memorising all the episodes, and absent-mindedly quote them on a daily basis, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert, each episode of Talking Simpsons talks about an episode of The Simpsons (pretty self explanatory I guess!). Each episode goes into great detail about the plot of the episode, the jokes, and also what was going on in the world at the time. The guys also talk about the voice actors, writers, showrunners, and what influence they had during their time on the show. So, if you're interested in TV and comedy writing, you will find this really interesting, especially the episodes where they interview some of the people that worked on the show. If you're a big animation fan like the hosts, you'll also enjoy their discussion about that side of things, as they talk about the weird and wonderful moments of animation. Bob and Henry talk ...

  I first became aware of Andrew Rannells from his role of Elijah on Girls. I also noticed him in one of the episodes in the last season of How I Met Your Mother. Then I heard that he played Elder Price in the Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, and I thought it just seems like the perfect role for him, I would have loved to see him in it. As I'm writing this, I realise that I haven't actually been exposed to that much of his work, and it's so funny how quickly we form an opinion of actors. Whether that's falling in love with them, or disliking them for no discernible reason, these feelings become so strong from what can often be very limited exposure to them. But I digress. I really like Andrew Rannells and I was really excited to read his book. Apart from the fact that it was an entertainment memoir by someone I admire, I knew it was also a tale about being young and finding yourself in New York, and as these have turned out to be two of my favourite ca...

What if you woke up one day and discovered that nobody but you knew who The Beatles were? Their history and their songs just ceased to exist, leaving you to wonder if you were going crazy or if everybody was in on some elaborate joke? Well, that's what happens to Jack. Except, instead of booking an appointment with a psychiatrist (which I would be doing in his situation), he decides to turn his life as a struggling musician around by releasing all of The Beatles' hits as his own. As people begin to hear Jack's songs and he catapults to stardom, his feelings of guilt begin to surface. It's an interesting moral dilemma. While Jack is lying about writing all of the songs himself, no one would ever find out the truth, and even if they did they wouldn't believe him. The true geniuses behind the music technically don't exist, so who is he really hurting? It's hard to imagine what you would do in that situation. While I really enjoyed this movie; the...

Long Shot is a rom-com, with the emphasis on the com. As well as being one of the best rom-coms this year, it is also one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. It made me laugh embarrassingly loudly in public, which is always an indication of a great movie. Charlize Theron is so glamorously beautiful in a way that would make you hate her, if she didn't also seem like a wonderful, fun, down to earth person. Playing Charlotte Field, the U.S. Secretary of State, who is trying to implement a huge environmental deal and secure her place in the next presidential campaign, Charlize possesses the poise and grace of a politician, and also the comedic skills that the role requires.  Meanwhile, Seth Rogen is his usual hilarious self as Fred Flarsky, a journalist who, despite his outspoken nature, finds himself working as Charlotte's speech writer. The casting in this movie is amazing. As well as Charlize and Seth, you have June Diane Raphael (who you may recogn...