How to follow on from an episode like Rosa was always going to be a tough question. You could try and match its ambition, but that would be tricky. Your episode risks looking weak if you can't match its predecessor's impact or - perhaps worse - risks undermining that impact. You could go the complete opposite route and do a Dinosaurs on a Spaceship / Robots of Sherwood style silly episode. However, this shift in tone would likely feel jarring and a good silly episode is not an easy feat. With little ambition beyond filling time with some fun, it has to be really fun to overlook its relative lack of substance. Or, you can do what Arachnids in the UK did and keep it simple with a good old-fashioned scary episode. Arachnids in the UK naturally picks spiders as its monster of choice. Of course, this being Doctor Who , these aren't just any old spiders. They're giant, human targeting spiders with a mysterious origin. There are some delightfully thrilling moments with t...

The thing everyone's going to talk about with Rosa is its politics. Doctor Who has always implied political messages, but it's never made them such an explicit and integral part of an episode. Fortunately, Rosa picks a political message we can all get behind (I hope). The Doctor and friends find themselves in 1955 Alabama, the day before Rosa Parks essentially kick-started the Civil Rights Movement. It's a difficult setting for such a diverse cast to be in and the episode doesn't shy away from that fact. Historical racism has been tackled before, particularly with Martha in the Human Nature/The Family of Blood story. However, it's never felt as horrific as it does here. Especially in contrast to the previous series, which attempted diverse representation without delving too deep into actual issues of prejudice, the horrors of racism are depicted with shocking efficacy.  Naturally, the issue of racism drives this episode's character development. Yas and ...

It would have been very easy for Bad Times at the El Royale to be mere popcorn entertainment. Certainly based on the trailers, it looked like an enjoyable but shallow film that treated its characters flippantly in favour of quips and guns. Its slick appearance and lavish cast were enough to entice me to the cinema, but I was still hoping the film itself would aim higher. Given writer/director Drew Goddard's historical tendency to make films more than they first appear, I was optimistic. Fortunately, that attitude wasn't misplaced.  Bad Times at the El Royale is intricately constructed. Visually, there's so much attention to detail, with set design comparable to Wes Anderson's incredible The Grand Budapest Hotel . Although, replacing the hotel with a motel gives it a sordid edge that distinguishes this film from Anderson's. Seamus McGarvey's cinematography indulgently soaks in this atmosphere, framing each shot with purpose and drenching it with intoxica...

The Ghost Monument jumps straight into the action and it's surprisingly exhilarating, given Doctor Who 's typical budget. The previous episode's cliffhanger is resolved briskly with not one but two spaceships. The set piece culminates in a sufficiently convincing crash landing, concluding a notably contrasting opening to the series premiere. As I predicted - or at least hoped - the series has found its pace. We've set everything up in the first episode, now it's time for things to get exciting. Throughout the episode, our heroes creatively outmanoeuvre multiple sticky situations and it’s as enjoyable as ever. Amidst all this is another element I asked for more of in my last review : mystery. Doctor Who thrives when there are lots of questions to keep you watching. The Ghost Monument nails this, presenting numerous new concepts at the start through the dialogue, characters and settings without giving you all the context. Then, the Doctor and her friends sta...

I approached this new series of Doctor Who with trepidation. For the most part, I was very excited. I was especially looking forward to Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. She'd proven herself to be a highly capable dramatic actor on screen and appeared to have exactly the right energy off screen to bring the iconic Time Lord to life. What concerned me, however, was the new showrunner. Despite receiving much acclaim for his crime drama Broadchurch , Chris Chibnall's contributions to Doctor Who have been mixed. The series seven episodes Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and The Power of Three were particular low points that Chibnall was responsible for. Still, I had hope. Maybe Chibnall would be far more adept in the position of showrunner. Plus, all the trailers and promotional material looked great. So, now the first episode has landed (or fallen, I guess) was I right to be cautious? With a new showrunner in charge, things are inevitably going to feel different. However, I think t...

2018 is a hard year for making political art. Commentators said the election of Trump would do wonders for the format, but it's only made it harder. Everything's so polarised that you're inevitably going to infuriate half the population and it's highly likely you'll find yourself repeating tired talking points rather than making anything insightful. It's a shame because this is a time when we could really do with exactly that. Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman is perhaps the most high profile film attempting to explicitly fill that gap and it's doing so from a promising angle. Exploring a fascinating and seemingly relevant true story opens up opportunities to reflect on history to understand the present. Does BlacKkKlansman fulfil this potential? Much has been said about the ending of BlacKkKlansman . It's not a particularly subtle way of drawing parallels with today's racial climate but it's an undeniably powerful (and distinctly Spike Lee) m...