Tin Star (Series One). Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tim Roth, Genevieve O’ Reilly, Abigail Lawrie, Christina Hendricks, Oliver Coopersmith, Sarah Podemski, Ian Puleston-Davies, Leanne Best, Ryan Kennedy, Lynda Boyd, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jenessa Grant, Anamarie Marinca, Brenden Sunderland, John Lynch, Neve McIntosh.

The sins of the father always find a way to reveal themselves, and when they are ones that are committed with sanction from the state, then perhaps it is only right that they are exposed for what they are, the destroyer of lives and worlds.

Tin Star (Series One). Television Review. full post

(531 words, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

The Twilight Zone: A Human Face. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision * * *

Cast: Christopher Meloni, Jenna Elfman, Tavi Gevinson, Jordan Peele.

A Human Face is all that is needed to make a person change their mind and perspective on most things, it is that connection we have, the pinpoint of recognising the similarity rather than the blank face of obscurity and blind hatred which makes us creatures that can feel empathy and love, even for those who have left us, who may have hurt us with words, who belong to a nation that wishes to see us humbled, subjugated, destroyed.

The Twilight Zone: A Human Face. Television Review. full post

(383 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

The Hunt. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Christopher Berry, Sturgill Simpson, Kate Nowlin, Amy Madigan, Reed Birney, Glenn Howerton, Steve Coulter, Dean J. West, Vince Pisani, Teri Wyble, Steve Mokate, Sylvia Grace Crim, Jason Fitzpatrick, Mokate Blair, J.C. MacKenzie, Tadasay Young, Hannah Alline, Jim Klock, Usman Ally, Walker Babington, Ariel Eliaz, Alexander Babara.

Horror isn’t just the preserve of the unknown, unearthly monster that is brought into existence by some unsuspecting teenager, nor it is the mask of a killer who terrorises locals and strangers and brings a neighbourhood to its knees through tricks, suspicions, acts of debauchery and disgust.

The Hunt. Film Review. full post

(563 words, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

Strangeness & Charm, Music For The Book Of Deer. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Religion in any form has long inspired the artist to create a passionate response, especially if it is the form of searching for an answer themselves or being overwhelmed by an artifact or a vestige of humanity’s adherence to scripture in the days when such historical objects held a deep spiritual belief in the soul and the mind.

You don’t have to be religious to appreciate beauty, to see the humanity in creation and the vision to which the divine appears to all who wish to understand how we fit into the universe at large, that for some, the gift of symbolism is tied to feeling part of something unexplainable, something tangible in the heart.

Strangeness & Charm, Music For The Book Of Deer. Album Review. full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

AC/DC, Power Up. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

In a time when the everyday is considered both mind-numbingly static and constantly galloping out of control, it is to feel a sense of reassuring stability that can be held onto in the chaos, the sandstorm of unremitting fear that frames the known unknown in which the strength of constancy is but a small but powerful pleasure, that AC/DC  return and offer a reminder of permanence that the Rock lover didn’t know they were to be graced with.

AC/DC, Power Up. Album Review. full post

(588 words, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

Paloma Faith, Infinite Things. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

In a period of time which is dictated by a constant nagging doubt, in which the best laid plans of mice and the boundless enthusiasm and character of many has been pushed aside in a limited, confined, waking vision, to be able to partake in someone’s dream of completion is to revel in the majesty of human endeavour. Whilst some might argue that writers and musicians can still hold on to their work compared to others in society, they still need to find inspiration in the outside world and the Infinite Things that bring forth concepts and faith together.

Paloma Faith, Infinite Things. Album Review. full post

(443 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Jojo Rabbit. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Roman Griffin Davis, Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Archie Yates, Luke Brandon Field, Sam Haygarth, Stanislav Callas, Joe Weintraub, Brian Caspe, Gabriel Andrews, Billy Raynor.

It is a startling and sober fact of life that there will always be people that will not only toe the party line, but actively and resolutely be so brainwashed by rhetoric that they cannot see the words used for what they are, lies, insidious and deceptive, full of fire and brimstone, but hollow, meaningless, insufferably filled with hate, consumed by madness.

Jojo Rabbit. Film Review. full post

(616 words, estimated 2:28 mins reading time)

Communic, Hiding From The World. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Britain may be, in some eyes, the epitome of Metal and the often derided, and yet fulfilling, centre of the Progressive movement, but there is no denying the sense of beauty and epic which comes from the heartlands of Scandinavia, that the ability to weave a glorious tale that unmistakably captures the essence of old Norse sagas and stories that brought to life the world of heroes such as Beowulf, of Thor, and Odin.

Communic, Hiding From The World. Album Review. full post

(392 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

The 19th Street Band, Diamond In The Rough. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision 9/10

Some people aspire to be seen as something they can never be, others to shine and lure like untapped gold in a seam, for the special breed though, for those that choose to reflect light and make a room full of people gasp at how they are then seen, to be the Diamond in the Rough is the understanding that being special is not about making others envious, to make them seethe and writhe in jealousy, but to make them feel good about life, to make them believe in their own self-worth.

The 19th Street Band, Diamond In The Rough. Album Review. full post

(371 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

When Rivers Meet, We Fly Free. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Not everyone has the natural movement of swagger gushing out of every pore, not everyone has the ability to cause a tornado to turn tail and steer clear of the hurricane they employ when performing, and few can announce themselves in such a way that it makes you wonder why the world in all its glory, has not found a way to be more accommodating to those that deliver in spades without finding ways to tear them down, to make all feel as though there is war against artistry and creativity being waged.

When Rivers Meet, We Fly Free. Album Review. full post

(428 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)