Movies:

Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile was my first experience with Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot, and I’ve mixed feelings about it. While I don’t think he deserves the harsh critique he’s received from fans nostalgic for David Suchet, he still didn’t quite fulfil the role of Poirot for me.

His cinematic intensity throughout felt less and less like Hercules Poirot and more like a generic crime detective. His chase scene near the movie’s end; dashing through the kitchen, dodging falling pots of boiling water, felt farcical – a far stretch from Christie’s novels.

Moreover, the movie’s retcons of the story are full of plot holes and discrepancies that should come from the killer’s alibi, not the director’s script. However, if you are a fan of Christie’s work or other Poirot films it may still be worth a watch. The movie isn’t a complete disaster and despite its faults, it still contains the brilliant mystery of the original book.

TV shows:

The Book of Boba Fett (season 1)

After the massive acclaim for The Mandalorian, it came as a surprise to nobody when Disney immediately announced a bundle of Star Wars shows to come, including a Rogue One prequel, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series and of course, The book of Boba Fett.

However, now that the first of these announcements have been released, many found that the show didn’t differ massively from The Mandalorian.

While Disney’s latest glimpse into the Star Wars universe is yet another success, the show is essentially ‘diet Mandalorian’ and doesn’t tread on much new ground. However, it will be hard for any Star Wars fan to hate this show despite the similarities to its predecessor as The Book of Boba Fett still manages to deliver on great expectations.

Reacher

Reacher has a messy history when it comes to book to screen adaptions. Originally a set of mediocre movies starring Tom Cruise, the Jack Reacher films failed at matching big action names like Bond and Bourne mainly due to jarring changes from the books. However, Reacher gets another chance at success with the release of Amazon’s new series Reacher.

Reacher brings action, suspense and mystery, perfectly balanced with character building and story to create one of the best TV shows of 2022 so far. Moreover, Alan Ritchson feels like he was born to play Reacher, finally bringing fans a book accurate version of their beloved character.

Reacher is long due an adaption with this care for the source material and in the hands of Amazon, Reacher is finally the American counterpart to James Bond he was always meant to be.

The Tourist

I’ve mixed feeling about ‘The Tourist’. The first half of the season was wholly mediocre. Despite setting up a promising mystery for future episodes, the show meandered from plot point to plot point resulting in a disappointing, slow-paced first half.

But beyond this point, the show managed to fix its pacing, and deliver one of the best BBC originals in a long time. The show’s balance of gunslinging action contrasts with the socially awkward normalities of life creates a fantastic show, blending genres in equal parts action, mystery and comedy.

Music

The Sherlocks- World I Understand

With the release of their third studio album “World I Understand” The Sherlocks have jumped straight into the limelight. From underground artists to one of the most promising rising stars of the past decade, I suspect The Sherlocks aren’t going away any time soon.

It’s a mystery how The Sherlocks already sound like a household name. If I was to be picky I could say the songs are quite similar and on the latter end of the album and tracks start to blur into one, but either way, expect to hear a lot more from The Sherlocks in years to come.

Tears for Fears – The Tipping Point

Coming back with their first album in 16 years, The tipping point completely reimagines what is expected from a Tears for Fears album. Gone are the days of 80’s synth-pop ballads, The Tipping Point is a masterclass in contemporary indie music.

The Tipping Point’s beautiful menagerie of genres gives the album its unique and distinct sound. While the album is predominantly alt-indie, Songs like ‘My Demons’ and ‘The tipping point’ have hints of modern Duran Duran songs like ‘anniversary’, often with a more melancholic undertone and the sample of a street riot on ‘Rivers of Mercy’ feels more in line with a Kate Bush album, not a traditional Tears for Fears track.

The Tipping point is easily Tears for Fears’ greatest album yet with the ability to bring the band back to their past glory and let them ‘rule the world’ once again. I only hope it doesn’t end up being yet another lockdown album which the band won’t return to in future.

Books:

Nomadland- Jessica Bruder

“As I write this, they are scattered across the country-” Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-winning, Nomadland is one of my all-time favourite movies, so naturally, when I heard it was based on the nonfiction book by Jessica Bruder, I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

I found myself fascinated with every aspect of the novel. My copy is filled with post-it notes for pages to return to and citations to look into further. Nomadland is a book that shines brightest when you give it the time it deserves.