AvidBards
TV Shows

Adolescence, Episode 2 – One Shot, Many Stories

After the tightly focused claustrophobia of Episode 1, Adolescence takes a breath, but not a break. Episode 2, keeps the signature single-take format, but expands its scope. This time, the camera doesn’t just follow one thread; it moves like a tide, drifting between perspectives, carrying us through multiple lives all caught in the same emotional undertow. And it works. Where Episode 1 felt like being locked in a room with a single family’s crisis, Episode 2 pans out to explore the ripple effects. It’s still shot in real time, still unbroken, but the atmosphere shifts. The tension isn’t just coming…

View Post
TV Shows

Adolescence: Episode 1

A Breathless Beginning That Demands Your Full Attention Netflix’s Adolescence doesn’t ease you in. It drops you straight into the chaos with one continuous, high-wire shot that barely lets you blink. A little late to the game with this one, but for the next few posts, I’m going to take you through my experience of the show. Episode one is a tense, masterfully constructed hour of television that left me both impressed and unsettled, in all the right ways. Let’s talk about that one-take format first. It’s not a gimmick. Directed by Philip Barantini, the camera moves with the characters…

View Post
Movies

“Black Bag”: A Spy Thriller That Keeps It Smart and Intimate

When you think of modern spy movies, you probably picture big-budget action, impossible stunts, and a CGI-enhanced world of espionage. But “Black Bag” does something rare: it keeps things grounded, proving you don’t need explosions to make a spy film gripping. Steven Soderbergh’s latest thriller is a masterclass in slow-burn tension, with sharp dialogue, powerhouse performances, and a focus that’s less on government secrets and more on the secrets between two people in a marriage. A Marriage Disguised as a Spy Story At its core, “Black Bag” is really about trust, and not just in the professional, intelligence-agency sense. The…

View Post
Academic

Understanding Magical Realism

Let’s dive into magical realism, one of the most enchanting and genre-blurring movements in literature. You know that feeling when something surreal happens in a story, but everyone acts like it’s totally normal? That’s magical realism in a nutshell. It’s the blend of the mundane and the mystical, where the magical becomes part of everyday life without anyone batting an eye. What Is Magical Realism, Exactly? Magical realism emerged in the 20th century, largely from Latin American writers who sought to express the complex realities of their cultures, histories, and politics. It combines realistic settings and events with fantastical elements,…

View Post
Books

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

The Invisible Legacy: Memory, Magic Realism, and Erasure In this blog, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of a standard review, I diving deeper into the heart of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to explore the big ideas beneath the surface. V.E. Schwab’s writing isn’t just beautifully crafted, it’s full of rich themes that deserve to be unpacked with the same seriousness we’d give to classic literature. From questions about memory and legacy to deeper issues of power and erasure, this novel has a lot in common with concepts found in critical theory. So, I’m taking a closer…

View Post
Books

The Rise of Afrofuturism and Black Authors in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

In recent years, speculative fiction has been electrified by the growing presence of Black authors, particularly within the realms of Afrofuturism, science fiction, and fantasy. This movement is not simply about increased representation, but about radically reshaping narratives and perspectives that have long been overlooked or marginalized by mainstream publishing. Much like the surge of East Asian voices redefining fantasy and sci-fi, Black authors are doing more than adding cultural “flavour” to established genres. Rather, they are creating works that challenge systemic biases, subvert stereotypes, and explore the realities and futures of the African diaspora in deeply imaginative ways. Afrofuturism:…

View Post

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Where to next?