Reviews – Writer's Block Magazine

A Review of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I found out about An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green from watching his channel ‘The Vlogbrothers’ on YouTube, made up of him and his brother, John Green. Because I have followed their channel for years and have been a fan of his brother’s writing as well, I was well excited to read Hank’s debut novel. It turned out to be one of the most interesting books I have read in 2018. I finished reading it in two days, which is pretty fast for me. In fact, I feel like I could have finished it in one day, had it not been for the need of eating and sleeping. So without further ado, I will try to convince you to read it as well, hopefully without spoiling the story too much.

Bandersnatch: A Review

Disclaimer: This article contains mild spoilers for the Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch

On December 28th 2018 Netflix released a new episode of its hit-series Black Mirror. The episode, Bandersnatch, has an interactive format. Throughout the narrative, viewers are offered choices, and each combination of decisions leads the protagonist on a different path. You can use your remote control to select on of the offered options, or your mouse, touchpad or touchscreen if you are on a laptop or mobile device. As you select your choice, a thin white line at the bottom of the screen shows you how much time you have left to make your decision. Continue reading “Bandersnatch: A Review”

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Review

In the week of November 5th the Queen’s English Theatre Company (QETC) put on a number of performances of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest at the brand-new CC Amstel Theatre in Amsterdam.

Earnest is often seen as Wilde’s cleverest play, and it’s easy to understand why. The storylines are rife with intrigue and cases of mistaken identity. Wilde’s use of language and his skill with double entendres and witticisms is unparalleled. The play features some memorable characters, including the impressive dowager Lady Bracknell who shows uncanny similarities to Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey.

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Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer – Review

After three years, 5 Seconds of Summer have released their third album titled ‘Youngblood’. The band quickly rose to fame after opening for One Direction on their world tour and they have spent years working non-stop, going from touring straight into the studio, releasing their sophomore album ‘Sounds Good Feels Good’ one year after their self-titled debut album. Continue reading “Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer – Review”

Ylvis’ Stories from Norway

Even those living under the sturdiest rock will remember when in 2013 the sounds of Ylvis’ “The Fox” hit the charts; mixing a comic sensibility with the most recent pop-sounds and blending those with homages to genre-tropes of old, the band had a successful run for about two years before fading into obscurity – till now!

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P.T.: Passable Thrills Or Pure Terror?

On August 12th, 2014, a free teaser for a mysterious game by unknown developer 7780s Studio popped up in the PlayStation Store. Ambiguously titled P.T., it appeared to be a regular horror game from an indie developer. The first users playing it, however, were confounded: rather than traditional horror, they were faced with a repeated loop of the same hallway over and over again, puzzles that seemingly had no solution, all the while being stalked by a ghostly apparition (afterwards lovingly nicknamed ‘Lisa’) who seemed to not only provide the occasional jump scare, but seemed to affect the system of the game itself. So what was P.T? What made this a horror game that is still being discussed today? And how did it transform the horror video game genre?

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Father Ted, A Legacy

“It doesn’t sound good, you know: three priests living on an island as a sitcom. If I’d heard about it, I’d hate it.”[1] Graham Lineham, the co-creator of the Irish sitcom Father Ted confesses, slightly apologetically. Nevertheless, twenty years since the last episode aired, its legacy lives on, from the unforgettable protest slogan “Down with this sort of thing” “Careful now” which still finds its way on signs in protests on NHS cuts, freeing Julian Assange, and the 2010 visitation of the Pope in London, to an Irish band covering the famous My Lovely Horse song. What The Young Ones did to British comedy, Father Ted did to Irish comedy: in an almost punk-rock way, it kicked against the corseting idea of Ireland as a backwater – a remote, tranquil hinterland defined by cosiness and harmlessness.

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