Too Much Sex & Violence #3 is here!

It's time to return to Fathomsby and catch up with its strange, perverted and outlandish residents. See Harry Hall wallow in drunken regret. Join Dermot and Dorothy for dinner (and orgasmatron). Find out how Wonderful scratches that lonely nights itch. Learn the secret origin of DJ Frank Epstein. Discover what sordid thoughts Kathy Marr encounters when she arrives in town. Examine a two-dicked corpse...

Top Ten Countdown Songs

So - I've got my spaceship, I'm ready to leave earth behind... this is my countdown to lift off.10. The Tempos - Countdown, Here I ComeJust like a guided missileMy love is heading for you, babyLike a dog when he hears a whistleMy love is heading for you, babyThey don't write 'em like this anymore. A genuine Northern Soul classic.9. Weezer - Blast Off!Jumping the gun rather at number 8, Weezer are...

Book Review - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

I read The Sense of an Ending pretty much in one sitting. From this, you can deduce two things. First, it's a reasonably short book (150 pages)... though don't let that fool you into thinking it's a short story. There's a whole lifetime in these pages, fully realised and touchingly real. Secondly, it's damned near unputdownable.The novel involves Tony Webster, a student in the 60s who has a clumsy...

What To Do If You REALLY Hate Your Neighbours...

...I mean, if you hate your neighbours so much you can't even bear to look at their stinky eyesore of a house! You wish you could wipe it - and them - clean off the face of the earth... but you can't afford dynamite and don't fancy a long prison sentence. Never mind, one local Huddersfield shop has the answer: packaging material! It's just the job... and better still, they're GIVING IT AWAY!This has...

Top Ten Spaceship Songs

My musical exploration of space continues.You may be wondering how I'm planning on getting up into the stars? Here's ten modes of interstellar transportation I considered...10. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer AttackLaser beams and gamma projectorsThere'll be nothing on earth to protect usWhen they arrive out of the skyThey'll be frying us aliveI think I'll wait for the next bus.9. Def Leppard - RocketOh,...

Why I Don't Get My Sci Fi Nerd Badge

Thanks to Samurai Frog, who pointed me towards this list of 20 Things Every Sci-Fi Nerd Should Own Physically & Emotionally...1) Conan The Barbarian SoundtrackI was never much of a Conan fan, though if I were I suspect I'd have wanted someone other than Arnie to play that particular Hyborian hero. As to the soundtrack...?FAIL.2) Do Androids Dream of Electric SheepI have read this but honestly...

48 Hour Film Challenge - Tapped Out

As last year, some mates of mine had a crack at the Sci Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge. They were given a title, a prop and a line of dialogue... and just 48 hours to write and shoot a short sci fi film that included all three. Here's what they came up with...Well done, guys - best of luck with the competiti...

Movie Review - Cabin In The Woods

I read a review of Cabin In The Woods that compared it unfavourably to Scream. Far be it from me to criticise a fellow reviewer, especially a professional getting paid for his opinions, but... bollocks. While both films attack the horror genre with a postmodern, deconstructionist pickaxe, Scream largely tells its audience what it's up to... whereas Cabin In The Woods almost always shows. And we all...

Top Twenty Earth Songs

For the next few weeks (or until I grow bored of it), I've planned a musical trip into outer space. And where better to start than home? Naturally, there are more songs about Earth than any other planet in our Solar System... so here's twenty of my favourites...20. Placebo - Allergic (To Thoughts of Mother Earth)If Placebo were starting out now, I probably wouldn't buy their records. Right place,...

Book Review: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Every morning, Christine wakes up with no memory of the last 20 years of her life. Her husband Ben has to tell her who she is, where she is, what happened to her and why she can't remember. To help her rebuild her shattered memory, Christine is working with a mysterious doctor who has encouraged her to keep a journal every day of what she (re)discovers about her past. Ben knows nothing about this...

Louise Went To New York And All She Brought Me Back Was This Lousy T-Shirt...

...although obviously, since The Big Lebowski is my all-time favourite movie, this is pretty much the Best. Present. Ever.Yes, Louise went to NYC without me. Her friend won First Class tickets and invited Louise along... although the airline did their best to muck them about and not actually give them First Class... just "the First Class Experience". Which turned out to be not quite the same. Still,...

Top Ten Easter Songs

Everybody has a favourite Christmas song, but poor old Easter always has to make do with second best...10. Patti Smith - EasterA classic example of a great album let down (slightly) by its title track. There are far better songs on Easter, but I couldn't really ignore this. She is Patti Smith, after all.9. The Associates - Tell Me Easter's On FridayEaster's on Friday, Billy. 8. Mansun - Egg Shaped...

Movie Review: John Carter

The first rule of Film Club is: you do not talk about Film Club.You all know the second rule of Film Club.The third rule of Film Club is... if there's a crap genre movie (sci fi, horror, superhero) that all the critics have ripped to shreds: you will go see it in the hope that "it can't be that bad" and generally walk out saying "actually, it was worse".When I compiled my list of Worst Movies of 2011,...

Face For Radio

Too Much Sex & Violence #3 is almost upon us. To keep you going in the meantime, here's a little strip me and Chev put together last year for The Sorry Entertainer anthology. Click the image to read it full screen. Enjoy, pop-picke...