Here are some things I am watching, reading or listening to at the moment that I think are very good. You may agree, disagree or not care. All of those are fine.
Films
The Girl with All the Gifts: Under-rated sci-fi thriller with a brain and an eco conscience. Sennia Nanua is incredibly good in the lead role as the girl who just might be able to save humanity from a fungal infection that is threatening mankind. Paddy Considine, Gemma Arterton and Glenn Close also star.
The Silence: Stanly Tucci leads an impressive ensemble cast in this tale of a desperate father doing all he can to save his family when a zombie apocalypse happens. A sleeper hit deserving of a wider audience.
The Imitation Game: Amazingly good drama telling the story of Alan Turing and his quest to crack the enigma code. Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as the maths genius whose homosexuality saw him persecuted, despite playing such a pivotal role in ending World War Two and saving millions of lives.
Music
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes: End of Suffering: Less drive and less aggression and a bit more mellow tune-smithing makes an album that is still definitely Frank Carter but has bits of more gentle Foo Fighters thrown into the mix. A real grower.
Bruce Springsteen: Western Star: I am a reasonably long-time fan of Springsteen, so any new release is always treated with genuine happiness at From to Paternity Towers. Western Star is a laid-back piece of big vistas and small-town hope with the usual Boss nostalgia and poetry thrown into the mix. Utterly beautiful and entirely captivating.
Bruce Springsteen: The River: I am fully aware this is considered by many to be his masterpiece, but I've never been a massive fan. I've always preferred the bombast and politics of Born in the USA, and I think The Rising and it's mix of heartbreak and hope remains his finest album to date. I am still endeavouring to get into this, though.
Podcasts
Bruce Springsteen: Western Star: I am a reasonably long-time fan of Springsteen, so any new release is always treated with genuine happiness at From to Paternity Towers. Western Star is a laid-back piece of big vistas and small-town hope with the usual Boss nostalgia and poetry thrown into the mix. Utterly beautiful and entirely captivating.
Bruce Springsteen: The River: I am fully aware this is considered by many to be his masterpiece, but I've never been a massive fan. I've always preferred the bombast and politics of Born in the USA, and I think The Rising and it's mix of heartbreak and hope remains his finest album to date. I am still endeavouring to get into this, though.
Podcasts
The Royal Court Theatre Podcast: Three seasons of Simon Stephens, who is a bit of a man crush, interviewing the great, the good and the breaking through of British theatre writing. Both informative and inspiring, and Stephens is a funny and knowledgeable host.
TV
TV
Years and Years: Six-part drama from Russell T Davies that follows a family (pictured above) through an invented future in the UK where America drop a nuclear bomb and the right seize power in Britain. Lots of dystopian stuff about politics, refugees and technology, but also amazingly heart-warming stuff about the unconquerable spirit of humanity and the struggles of a tight-knit clan to make it through. A sometimes terrifying and uplifting vision of a world that could well come to pass. Rory Kinnear, Jessica Hynes and Russell Tovey lead an all-star cast, but it's Anne Reid who shines as the family matriarch.
Jessica Jones: Series three provides a disappointing end to a show that started with such promise and confidence. It's still watchable, but it diminished a bit in series two and badly tails off here. It should have ended with a bang and not a whimper. Krysten Ritter is always decent, but even she can't fight against a clunky script. Aneesh Sheth, however, is excellent as the sharp-tongued new receptionist as Alias Investigations.
Jessica Jones: Series three provides a disappointing end to a show that started with such promise and confidence. It's still watchable, but it diminished a bit in series two and badly tails off here. It should have ended with a bang and not a whimper. Krysten Ritter is always decent, but even she can't fight against a clunky script. Aneesh Sheth, however, is excellent as the sharp-tongued new receptionist as Alias Investigations.
Coronation Street: Loving David Platt and Nick Tilsley at war, and I could genuinely sob at the still touching relationship between Roy Cropper and recovering Carla Connor.
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