Reviews articles
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Tarantino's novel kills the mystery
As the first Quentin Tarantino film I saw at the cinema, I have a something of a soft spot for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). While I wasn’t as keen on the typically violent ending, the picture the director painted of 1960s Los Angeles was captivating, perfectly complemented...
The Pathless Path: A call to action to escape your desk job
In The Pathless Path, Paul Millerd makes the case that life should be about more than work, and that people should invest more time and effort in finding their true calling - one that is more engaging and fulfilling than the daily grind. A rough representation of the daydream The...
The Dark Knight Rises review - a warning to edgy teen communists
The Dark Knight’s War on Terror analogy ended with Harvey Dent, representing the US, being effectively absolved of his crimes to preserve his image - but in real life, the opposite happened. The disappearing evidence of Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction”, subsequent terror attacks, and the threat of ISIS all...
The Dark Knight review - exploring the post-9/11 Western psyche
If Batman Begins was popular, The Dark Knight was a sensation - and a controversial one at that. I remember listening to a radio debate around whether the film should have received a 12A rating due to its darkness and violence, and while it’s never particularly bloody, it certainly covers...
Batman Begins review - all roads lead to Bruce Wayne
My life will soon undergo significant change, so to mark the end of the current era I’ve been revisiting some of the media that has meant the most to me - watching the films, playing the games, and listening to the music that has served as the background to significant...
Parking Garage Rally Circuit review - an addictive '90s-inspired racer
I said at the end of my Concord article that the current triple-A malaise might push me to play more indie games, and it wasn’t an empty threat. Astro Bot was a surprise double-A hit, with a stripped-back scope and simple gameplay loop that made it feel like playing a...
Astro Bot review - a shot of pure fun and PlayStation nostalgia
A lot of the weirdness in modern gaming comes from critics and consumers who are overly concerned with the business side of the industry, focused on sales figures, profitability, and competition between manufacturers rather than the quality of the games they play. It’s an odd predicament – perhaps unique to...
Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds - inspirational but sanitised
It’s no secret that Hideo Kojima likes attention, and I’m sure he would have loved the idea of Connecting Worlds, a film that is ultimately part-documentary, part-marketing exercise. This is 100 percent modern Kojima, post-his fashionable makeover circa 2019. There are a lot of arty shots of him in empty...
Apple Watch Series 8 review: You'll get it when you get one
I can’t remember a technology product I’ve been so undecided on for so long as the Apple Watch. Since the first generation launched in 2015, I’ve watched Apple’s iteration from afar, always unsure as to whether a smartwatch could ever provide enough benefit to warrant a price tag of at...
Cities: Skylines II review
Cities: Skylines II is Paradox Interactive’s follow-up to 2015’s Cities: Skylines, a city builder that served as a spiritual successor to SimCity in the aftermath of EA’s 2013 mess. In the following years, the original Cities: Skylines received no fewer than 11 expansion packs, as well as a smaller number...
