AvidBards
Reviews

Dirk Gently: It’s All Connected

It took some persuading, but I have finally jumped aboard the Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016-2018) train. I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t give it a chance before. However, I have a feeling that the mouthful of a title had something to do with my deterrence. Essentially, the title makes zero sense until you’ve actually watched the show. While it may sound silly, I think a lot of us actually place preconceived notions about a show, book, or film based solely on its title. Dirk Gently didn’t give me any indicators, though, so I had to jump into the waters completely…

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Books

“The Haunting of Hill House”: Haunting and Tragic

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – Book Review The name “Hill House” has definitely become more popular in the last year, in part thanks to the release of the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. But before it was a 10 part series, it was a book by Shirley Jackson. Moreover, it was considered one of the scariest horror novels of the 1950s and 60s. Shirley Jackson was an American author who doubled as a housewife. Stories were her way of keeping herself entertained. And not only did she succeed to keep herself entertained but so too the countless of readers…

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Reviews

Psychopaths of the Small Screen

You (2018) TV Review You is one of the newest thriller-dramas to come to Netflix, based on a book of the same name by Caroline Kepnes. The showrunners are Greg Berlanti, who is known for his extensive repertoire including shows like Dawson’s Creek, Riverdale, and Everwood, and Sera Gamble, best known for her executive producer work on Supernatural. This show came in hot, especially for die-hard teen drama fans such as myself: Penn Badgley, popularly known for his role as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl, plays the main character Joe Goldberg. Shay Mitchell of Pretty Little Liars plays a character in the…

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Music

Best Release 2018: Music

Origins by Imagine Dragons: Honesty and Transparency in Music We’ve hit the final instalment of our Best Release 2018 series and we’re coming in hot with our music album choice: Origins by Imagine Dragons. The fourth studio album by the band, Origins was released at the tail end of the year, on November 9, 2018. This album has been one of the most innovative and exciting releases in music this year for me! This new album was a relative surprise as it came out a little over a year after the band’s last album Evolve. Typically in the music world,…

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Reviews

Best Release 2018: Television

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and the Future of TV This year, one of the most interesting and innovative mediums came right at the end of 2018. The highly coveted interactive film, presented under the Black Mirror brand, came Bandersnatch. Written by Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, viewers couldn’t wait to try out the shiny new thing – an episode that acts as a video game, a choose-your-own-adventure, and a live-action film. An ambitious piece, to say the least, I can honestly say that it was an experience to remember. Now, you might be confused as to why I’ve classified this as “television”, and there are a…

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Reviews

Best Release 2018: Film

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  It’s almost the end of the calendar year, readers! S and I have been thrilled at how this year for AvidBards has turned out. To celebrate a wonderful 2018, our next few posts will review our favourites from this year. Today, the film of choice is the new animated Spider-Man film, subtitled Into the Spider-Verse. This movie was a delight to watch, and that reflects in its critiques and movie scores online (it’s a 97% on RottenTomatoes, wow!) I’ve found in the last two years that some of the best releases come out at the end…

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