For the last decade and then some, The Octonauts has been one of the best shows on TV for young kids. There are a bunch of reasons for this: gorgeous animation, strong writing, endearing and memorable characters, and an educational mission that feels genuine and not smarmy. But the thing that always sticks out for … Continue reading Octonauts: Above & Beyond is teaching young kids about the climate emergency
Thirty years ago last month, I attended my first rave. It was called O3, it took place at Long Beach Convention Center in Los Angeles, and it featured a headlining set from 808 State. The exact date was September 14, 1991. It was a Saturday, of course. I was 20 years old and had just … Continue reading On the 30th anniversary of my first rave
Dry Cleaning are already one of my favorite bands, even though I’ve only known about them for five months. New Long Leg, their debut LP, which came out in April (on the mighty 4AD no less), is already one of my favorite albums. And I’m pretty sure they’re in my canon to stay. Unless they … Continue reading Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg: Uniquely thrilling surrealist postpunk
I rewatched Aliens the other night, for the first time in maybe a decade. That’s worth noting since Aliens is quite probably the film I’ve seen the most in my lifetime. I’ve seen it so much because it’s one of my favorite movies, of course, but also and especially because it came out on VHS … Continue reading Please, stop calling Aliens ‘xenomorphs’
Gillian Welch’s third album, Time (The Revelator), was released 20 years ago this week. That’s jarring on a number of levels. First of all, it never really left my rotation. I still think of it as new music. There’s this weird compression of time in the internet era. In 2001, music from 1981 sounded a … Continue reading Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator) at 20: A timeless masterpiece of apocalyptic country
Black Widow is a lot of things. It’s long overdue. It’s a great deal of fun. It’s a bit of a mess. It’s admirably quirky and original, until it isn’t. It’s a significant entry in the genre of feminist superhero films. It’s too little too late. We waited a long time for this film. Not … Continue reading Black Widow review: Finally, Natasha Romanoff gets to be a whole person
My name is Jim, and I‘m a writer, DJ, presenter and activist based in Sydney. This is a blog about culture and politics — a home for my ideas and for my writing that’s not published elsewhere. I write primarily about film and music, with some forays into TV, popular fiction and comic books. But … Continue reading Who I am and why I’m doing this
I don’t have a Patreon at the moment, but here is my “tip jar” for readers who are interested in supporting my writing, and you can sign up for a regular donation if you wish. No pressure at all (I had to have some friends talk me into doing this), and please feel free to … Continue reading Make a donation
Under the Paving Stones 