The Sparsholt Affair
Book
In October 1940, the handsome young David Sparsholt arrives in Oxford. A keen athlete and oarsman,...
Fiction
The Angel of Vine
Podcast
Gritty Noir crime drama, following the investigation of a cop turned private detective into the...
The Habit of Art
Book
Auden often said that metre and rhyme led him down unexpected paths to thoughts he wouldn't...
Quick Curtain
Book
Quick Curtain is a witty detective story, originally published in 1934. It is one among many books...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
The much repeated classic score by Jerry Goldsmith never fails to impress.
There’s a striking ‘Deltan’ heroine in the shapely form of Indian model Persis Khambatta (who sadly died very young).
And a twist in Alan Dean Foster’s story is genuinely clever (for those who know their space history).
However, all of this is outweighed by a story that is treacle-like in its telling. It’s a classic example of “look at how clever we are”, with special effects overriding everything else. A scene where Kirk travels to the Enterprise takes 5 minutes and 56 seconds (I looked up the Goldsmith track length): a scene involving nothing more than Scotty’s smug looks and Kirk’s awed reaction shots. Later in the movie, there are ENDLESS shots of the Enterprise travelling towards the centre of the cloud. Yawn! FOR F**CK’S SAKE GET ON WITH IT!!!
If this grand-standing was the quiet interlude between high-octane action sequences, then it might be partly forgiven. But even the action scenes are little less than soporific.
Holby City - Series 19
TV Show
The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical...
Drama
Rache (174 KP) rated The Angel of Vine in Podcasts
Jan 12, 2019
The Angel of Vine is a sublime fictional podcast, written to sound like true crime in the Noir tradition being retold in the modern podcast format. The podcast begins with the discovery of some old cassette tapes by the family of a deceased ex-cop turned private detective, and their choice to involve a podcaster/reporter to help them investigate the story enshrined in those cassettes.
Following the investigation into the murder of a young actress in Hollywood, the podcaster makes use of the recordings to tell Harry's story.
Voiced by some amazing talent (including the gorgeous growl of Joe Manganiello, the incomparable Alan Tudzyk, and the delightful Mischa Collins) the story is gripping, compelling, and extremely difficult to not binge.
For fans of true crime, crime drama, and any sort of Noir (Sam Spade eat your heart out), this is a podcast to listen to, save, and listen to again later.
Struth: The Story of an Ibrox Legend
Book
Bill Struth is the most iconic and successful manager in the history of Scottish football. He was...
The Traitor
Book
"War is coming - and that means our secret agents must get busy.'August 1918. On his way to the...