Posts By Alex Clements
Narratives of war: The conflicting adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle
April 1, 2020 | Alex ClementsWith Studio Ghibli films now available on Netflix UK, we delve into our review archives to look back at what makes them so magical. This article was originally published in 2014.
“It’s a battleship, looking for more cities to … Read More
Ghibli on Netflix: Arrietty
March 5, 2020 | Alex ClementsThis gentle, faithful adaptation of a children’s classic is the perfect Sunday afternoon film. Read More
VOD TV review: Penny Dreadful Episode 8 (Grand Guignol)
July 8, 2014 | Alex Clements“Do you really want to be normal?”
This is not the end, merely a continuation. Season 2 of Penny Dreadful has already been confirmed by Showtime and will contain 10 episodes. One wonders if the original pitch for Season 1 … Read More
Sky Atlantic TV review: Penny Dreadful Season 1 Episode 7 (Possession)
July 1, 2014 | Alex ClementsClaustrophobia isn’t simply the fear of enclosed spaces; it’s a powerful reaction to being contained within them. Sufferers often report an inability to breathe, as if oxygen is running out. Penny Dreadful knows how to do claustrophobia. Almost the entirety … Read More
Sky Atlantic TV review: Penny Dreadful Season 1 Episode 5 (Closer Than Sisters)
June 17, 2014 | Alex Clements“You have to name something to make it come to life,” says Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) in Episode 5 of Penny Dreadful. “Like a witch’s spell.” That’s why she names the all the animals she stuffs and displays. Dead things … Read More
Sky Atlantic TV review: Penny Dreadful Season 1 Episode 4 (Demimonde)
June 10, 2014 | Alex ClementsEpisode 4 of Penny Dreadful opens with a shot of Dorian Grey in some dark garret, looking with a detached curiosity at a painting. You know what the painting is, but how far has it progressed? The frame is large … Read More
Sky Atlantic TV review: Penny Dreadful Episode 3
June 3, 2014 | Alex ClementsDeath is not serene. This is the truth young Frankenstein learns, looking down at a dog, its body emaciated, its eyes crawling with fat, white maggots.
In Episode 3 of Penny Dreadful we get some of the most explicit … Read More
VOD film review: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
February 7, 2014 | Alex ClementsDirector: Terry Gilliam Cast: Sarah Polley, John Neville, Jonathan Pryce Watch online: Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / TalkTalk TV / Apple TV (iTunes) / Google Play
Interior: a theatre within a city under siege. A farce is playing out even as … Read More
10 things we want to see in a Fireplace for Your Home sequel on Netflix
December 23, 2013 | Alex ClementsNetflix have added a Fireplace for Your Home to their streaming catalogue. As the title suggests, it is a virtual fireplace for your home, consisting of three different hour-long videos, one with a crackling yule log fire, one of the … Read More
How right wing are the politics of The Dark Knight Rises?
August 21, 2013 | Alex ClementsEverything is political. J.R.R. Tolkien famously said that the Lord of the Rings books were a linguistic exercise, and that any attempt to view them as a political one was doomed to fail. These are stories where power is a … Read More