Written by The Curmudgeon I f you enjoy two things, does it stand to reason that said things will combine and still be…you know…enjoyable? Obviously, the answer is no. I mean, I love me some toffee apples. I also love poached eggs. But, if I slapped them together, I wouldn’t get a round of applause. I’d get bloody sectioned. This terrible metaphor is getting out of hand, so – to the point. The new Netflix anime, Cannon Busters (2019), is about as palatable as chunks of blood and viscera in your urinary tract. In more ways than one, Cannon Busters borrows from Cowboy Bebop (1998) and Trigun (1998) as its spiritual predecessors. Well, I say ‘borrows’. What I really mean is that it followed Bebop and Trigun down a dark alley, knocked them unconscious, and pawned their clothes on eBay, leaving them cold, naked, and whimpering silently to themselves.          It’s interesting how Cannon Busters mashes the rhythms of Bebop and Trigun toge...

Disclaimer(!): the following is just an opinion, but it's definitely a negative one. If you enjoyed Stranger Things 3, that's great! Nonetheless, this probably isn't the article for you. Otherwise, read on! Written by The Curmudgeon WARNING:   The following is not a review, it is a spoiler-filled rant. I recommend that you   watch Stranger Things 3   before proceeding. A nd so, as the summer months draw to a close, as does my patience. It’s time we hammered the nails into this disgusting, televisual coffin, once and for all. Last time, we overcame feelings of deep sorrow and regret. Oh, and we talked about pacing a bit - see more on that here . As is typical, I’ve decided to save the best until last. Well, I say “best,” but I’m not sure that word really counts if what I’m describing is only “best” at being hot, steaming garbage. But I digress. It’s about time we sat down and had a good, long, uncomfortable chat about the characters of Stranger Thin...

Disclaimer(!): the following is just an opinion, but it's definitely a negative one. If you enjoyed Stranger Things 3, that's great! Nonetheless, this probably isn't the article for you. Otherwise, read on! Written by The Curmudgeon WARNING:   The following is not a review, it is a spoiler-filled rant. I recommend that you   watch Stranger Things 3   before proceeding. L ast time we stared into the abyss had a chat about tone. To be specific, we talked about how utterly unfocused the tone is on a scene-by-scene basis (click here for more on that). However, this lack of focus doesn’t just kill the tone, it kills the pacing too. This isn’t something I realised was such an issue until I got to episode 6 – the third-to-last episode – and realised that the story had basically just started. You may be wondering why most of the references I’ve made thus far are to episodes 5 and 6, and the answer is: that’s when stuff actually starts happening. It’...

Disclaimer(!): the following is just an opinion, but it's definitely a negative one. If you enjoyed Stranger Things 3, that's great! Nonetheless, this probably isn't the article for you. Otherwise, read on! Written by The Curmudgeon WARNING: The following is not a review, it is a spoiler-filled rant. I recommend that you watch Stranger Things 3 before proceeding. S tranger Things  has been talked about a lot since it debuted in 2016. Something about this nostalgia porn-piece tickles the sensibilities of those who yearn for the charming simplicity of ‘80s cinema. At its best, it’s deliciously cliche – fuelled by the likes of Spielberg, Carpenter, etc. Talking about this show is cliche in itself at this point. It’d be trite of me to point out how it’s a “love letter to ‘80s science fiction” blah blah you’ve heard it before. I’m not going to do that. I’m also not going to delve into how comparatively ‘meh’ the second season was – it’s a bit late for that. St...