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Absolutely stunned that Joel was killed off in just the second episode of new season of The Last Of Us. I had no idea this was coming - the trailers didn’t give anything away. Watching that brutal scene unfold was not just shocking, it was utterly heartbreaking. And Ellie’s reaction… it all hit so hard. I couldn't believe what I was watching, or that the creators thought this was a good idea. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it and process the grief. Joel felt like the huge heart of the story, and losing him so early in the season has left me, well, deflated. Along with the reported half-million viewers that have just dropped out of the show, I'm doubting my will to continue without the dynamic that got me hooked in the first place. If anyone else is feeling this pain too, know you’re not alone. Clearly the show is going to be completely different without Joel. And clearly this is not the show we signed up for...

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Respect.

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#Trump said he could end the #Ukraine war in one day.

I think he meant with one word.

#Appeasement

And we all know how that ends.

Learn from #history

Never concede to a #bully

It will only bite you in the ass later.

When, emboldened, he inevitably returns for more.

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To mark the inauguration, I couldn't resist the idea of spending my Sunday morning rapping with Anthropic's Claude AI on the parallels between Donald Trump and Tony Soprano, exploring their similar paths to power. Both men, despite morally questionable actions, have captivated audiences by embodying a particular kind of ambition, achieving success through unconventional means and challenging traditional notions of morality. To me, their shared appeal seems to stem from a reflection of the nation's anxieties regarding power, masculinity and the idealized American Dream, but what do I know as a Brit! Anyways, here's the fruit of my conversation with Claude, an article that analyzes how both figures became powerful through their mastery of performance, cultivating intense loyalty, and successfully transforming challenges into displays of strength. Most importantly perhaps, it explores what our fascination with these figures reveals about us and our evolving definition of success.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t3Zfla5HXDkNa7th9U06sqh2Daqfv_mG/view?usp=drive_link

For those with little reading time, here's a 18-minute podcast on the piece: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiF-ytB0ddiTVMkqkOy38PamloA0_Slu/view?usp=drive_link

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If you’re having trouble finding 8hrs to watch the entire show, you’ll wanna find 10mins to watch this vid — it tells you all you need to know about the lead performance. So awesome you forget who’s behind the prosthetics, or even that there are prosthetics involved. But if you can find 8hrs, this is the show to watch.

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Oh the irony that an edgy, violent, profane, non-woke R-rated film might be the thing that pulls #Disney out of its death spiral, or at least buys it some time… Bravo to #RyanReynolds and fans for dragging the mouse-house to the irreverent romp #deadpool3

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What a wonderful actor he was :-/

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For the record, I thought Sofia’s inexperience as an actress brought just the right amount of vulnerability to her role as Mary Corleone. I totally bought the chemistry with Garcia and I even fell in love with her a little bit myself. She also nailed her death scene. Hater-critics always gonna hate, deffo in Egbert’s camp on this one.

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“Stuff everywhere! Bags, clothes, cars, iPads. We love our stuff. And over time, we’ve come to believe that this 'stuff' is what defines who we are. But our possessions will never fully satisfy the inmost desires of our soul. They never have. And they are not about to start. In fact, most of the time, it distract us from the very things that bring meaning to our lives. Instead, our lives are defined by the choices we make. It is these choices that define our character, our authentic self. So choose wisely. Do not miss out by placing importance on things instead of people. Pursue beauty, hope, love and kindness. Pursue opportunity to improve this world for somebody else. Let’s be simply beautiful.”

Filmed in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Featuring Theo du Plessis

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The power of film and TV show locations on local tourism…

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Explains why we were never able to get into S02 and S03 in the same way as the magnificent S01…

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Wow.

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Only just got around to tuning into Yellowstone — Beth Dutton is my new fave television character and Kelly Reilly is my new fave actress (British, for those not in the know).

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Love this video essay on subtext in Mad Men.