The Review at the End of the Universe
Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge tells the true life story of Desmond Doss, a pacifist who saved the lives of a lot of his fellow soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa. Pacifism is a tough subject to make a film about as there is a high risk of sounding preachy and judgemental. When you add religion…
“Omega Station” The eighth and final episode of True Detective season two has come and gone, and it’s difficult not to compare it to the first season’s finale. There, Rust and Marty finally got their guy, and in somewhat of a twist ending, Rust survived the shootout, leaving hospital arm in arm with Marty, a…
“Black Maps and Motel Rooms” True Detective episode seven is the narrative yin to episode six’s characterisation yang. For weeks, Nic Pizzolatto has been exploring the minds of our four damaged protagonists. Broken families, relationships and promises abound in the City of Vinci, CA. Cops and criminals deal with their personal problems first, before allowing…
“Church in Ruins” Children and childhood are overarching themes of True Detective’s sixth episode “Church in Ruins”. This also happens to be Kneel Before Blog’s 500th post! Here’s to the next 500. Each protagonist deals with issues of childhood in some way; Semyon and Velcoro must contend with their own complicated families, whilst Woodrugh encounters…
“Other Lives” True Detective picks up in the aftermath of last week’s shootout. Things have changed significantly for the police protagonists and they’re each suffering in their own ways. Velcoro is off the force, and at first it seems he’s cleaning his life up, as he appears clean shaven with his hair swept back neatly. …
“Down Will Come” The majority of episode four of True Detective is a slow burn. We’re being drip-fed information about the case, the land deal, Caspar’s past and our protagonists throughout the hour. Every new detail is fascinating in the moment, but only leads to a craving for more. Even as the puzzle of the…
“Maybe Tomorrow” In fairly surreal fashion, True Detective episode three begins with a musical number – Conway Twitty’s version of “The Rose” – inside Ray Velcoro’s head. Could these be the last flashes of electricity dancing through his dying brain? He’s at his usual seat at the bar; his own personal purgatory. Seated across from…
“Night Finds You” True Detective episode two opens with an exploration of Frank Semyon’s psyche. He’s lying awake in the hours just before dawn, contemplating the water stains on the ceiling of his bedroom. As we learn from his confession to his wife Jordan (Kelly Reilly), these remind him of a childhood trauma, experienced at…
“The Western Book of the Dead” Nic Pizzolatto’s brooding crime drama True Detective returned on Sunday for its second season, with an entirely new cast and location. This time around we’re leaving behind the bayous of Louisiana for the industrial sprawl of California. Season 1 was incredibly well received and much of this hinged on…
