Alan French

Orlando

Contributor at Freelance

Movies and TV. EIC - @SunStCineplex. 🍅 Critic. Board Member @CACF_Critics. Formerly of AwardsCircuit. he/him

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Articles

Doctor Who — "The Story and the Engine" — Season 2 Episode 5 Spoiler Recap and Review

6 days ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

After a fun foray with a past companion, we return to the Doctor and Belinda Chandra storyline. “The Story and the Engine” is more focused on the Doctor but infuses ideas from traditional folk tales into the narrative. Let’s dive into the dense episode, because while a lot happens, it’s a letdown in a season full of excellent episodes. Omo tells the story of a fire in his village at his local barbershop. He reveals that the Doctor helped extinguish the fire and plant new crops for the village.
Pop Ballads Fall Short Of Reinvention

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

The push to find new angles on established stories has led audiences to some strange places. For the Disney live-action films, it’s ended in disaster, while the new approaches to Little Women, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and The Invisible Man led to critical success. Juliet & Romeo hopes to accomplish the same reinvention, providing its loaded ensemble with a pop ballad musical from the iconic music producer E. Kidd Bogart.
Poker Face — "Whack-a-Mole" — Spoiler Recap and Review

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

Now that she has been caught by the mob, how will Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) get out of this one? A star-studded ensemble delivers one of the funniest episodes of Poker Face yet. Yet “Whack-a-Mole” also makes a Rhea Perlman/Natasha Lyonne scene pairing possible for a half dozen sequences. That alone makes “Whack-a-Mole” worth your time.
Poker Face — "Last Looks" — Season 2 Episode 2 Spoiler Recap

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

One of the great things about Poker Face is the willingness of the creative team to poke fun at the industry. “Last Looks” embraces the wild world of entertainment as one of its characters falls in love with the idea of leaving her world behind. If Giancarlo Esposito and Katie Holmes might not be an obvious pairing, they make for an excellent springboard opposite Natasha Lyonne.
Poker Face — "The Game Is a Foot" — Episode 1 Spoiler Recap

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

Still on the run from the mob, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) finds herself consistently on the move. Even though she tries to lay low, they continue to come for her. Of course, because it’s Charlie Cale, murder finds its way into her life. The Season 2 premiere of Poker Face — “The Game is a Foot” — is directed by Rian Johnson, so we’re excited to see where he takes us. On a massive estate, Amber (Cynthia Erivo) works to make clay statues of her mother, Norma (Jasmine Guy).
"You get 20 minutes, and you have to re-architect the entire song." — Timothy Scott Bogart on Juliet & Romeo, New Pop Music, and a Rapping Thespian

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is one of the most popular and adapted stories of all time. However, Juliet & Romeo from director Timothy Scott Bogart finds a new avenue to tell the story. Not only does it keep a lot of the original Shakespearian language, but it also approaches this version of the story with original pop music ballads to help the characters express their emotions.
The Handmaid's Tale - "Shattered" - Spoiler Recap

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

After Nick (Max Minghella) betrays June (Elisabeth Moss), the chances of a Mayday victory have gone nearly to zero. The question now facing June and the resistance to Gilead will be about the next steps. However, with only four episodes remaining in The Handmaid’s Tale, “Shattered” takes on an even greater importance. Can June turn the tables on the Gilead commanders? Or has she undercut all of her efforts by turning to Nick again?
"When the press is under attack, it's really an attack on our freedoms and the core of our democracy here." Words of War Director James Strong and Producer Mark Maxey (INTERVIEW)

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

Earlier in the week, we released an interview with the stars of Words of War, Maxine Peake and Jason Isaacs. Today, we’re releasing our interview with director James Strong and producer Mark Maxey. Both were committed to making Words of War the most accessible movie possible, even allowing the actors to speak in their natural British accents to put the story first.
Dave Filoni's Best Villains Confront the Past

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

When the “Tales” mini-series started to air every May the 4th, they felt like a gimmick to give the Lucasfilm Animation team a chance to revisit their favorite characters. In the years since, several of these shows have popped up, but with each year, Lucasfilm and the animation team push the boundaries of what is possible within their aesthetic and storytelling choices.
“When someone says action, all that evaporates.” Jason Isaacs and Maxine Peake Talk Words of War and Fighting For the Truth

1 week ago | fandomwire.com | Alan French |Sean Boelman

The story of Anna Politkovskaya made worldwide headlines when the tragedy came to light. The journalist had been an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin over his handling of Chechnya and escalating war crimes. Words of War covers her time on the ground in Chechnya and the heightened violence that destabilized the region. Through her reporting, she opened the world’s eyes to the injustice and dehumanization in the region. This made Politkovskaya an enemy of Putin and his control of the state.