Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (1999)

NIN: The Fragile (1999)

Five long years after The Downward Spiral (1994), its successor appeared, a double album of two distinct halves.

Disc 01 (labelled as LEFT) feels like another concept album. It's moody and seems initially impenetrable, but rewards repeated listens; like a winter retreat it reveals hidden beauty to those that choose to explore (if you can accept the notion that personal demons are a kind of beauty).

It embraces the fuzzy guitar sound that people associate with NIN, but there's much more to it - it's layered throughout with hooks and a deep resonating bass that pumps like a meticulously slow, pained heartbeat.

The Box of Delights (1984)

The Box of Delights (1984)

Dir. Renny Rye | 6 episodes, approx 30 minutes each.

In Britain TBoD is much-loved by many people, both young and old. I suspect that at least some part of the warm feelings that accompany such thoughts are to do with similar feelings toward the holiday season in which it's typically shown on television; i.e. the lead up to Christmas.

I'm not implying that to love the series you need also to love Christmas, but there's a definite correlation there. As such, while I sincerely enjoy what the production does on a technical level, its 'seasonal magic' is merely perfunctory for me.

And I apologise if it seems like I'm treading cruelly on someone's childhood memories when I say that the story is frequently uneven, losing ground in the middle section before pulling it back for an exciting ending that was itself followed by what I'd consider a clichéd cop-out if it wasn't for the slight ambiguity that lingers as the credits roll. Not meant to be unkind, it's simply a true refection of one person's feelings.

RoboCop: Prime Directives (2001)

RoboCop: Prime Directives (2001)

4 episodes, approx 90 mins each.

A miniseries made up of four feature-length TV movies: 01. Dark Justice; 02. Meltdown; 03. Resurrection; 04. Crash and Burn. It's important to watch them in the correct order because there's continuity. It takes place ten years after the original Paul Verhoven film, which is referenced briefly. Had they been allowed to use it more, they surely would've.

Like the short lived TV Series (1995) it ignores the original film sequels, but goes even further by ignoring the TV Series as well. It's odd that it would do that, because it feels like a middle ground between the two. It's less violent than the original film but much more so than the kid-friendly series. So much so that I lost count of the number of dead cops that piled up in the streets.

Arcturus: La Masquerade Infernale (1997)

Arcturus: La Masquerade Infernale (1997)

Listening to Arcturus' second album conjures images of a theatrical, costumed ball taking place during a lunar eclipse, populated with people in grotesque animal masks who indulge in all kinds of icky vices at the drop of a hat (or a mask).

It's an almost vaudevillian exploration of what 'metal' can be. In plainer terms, the words 'avant-garde' and 'Norway' will maybe be helpful. The dissonance and semi-operatic vocal style might alienate some traditional metal fans, but folks that connect to the madness may love it - even after seeing through the veil and becoming familiar with its inner workings.

Revelations (2005)

Revelations (2005)

Dir. Lili Fini Zanuck / 6 episodes, approx 41 mins each

A respected Harvard astrophysicist and author named Richard Massey (Bill Pullman) hops around America and Europe with Sister Josepha Montafiore (Natascha McElhone), a nun who observes and records unexplained phenomena, but her ultimate goal is stopping the 'End of Days' as prophesied in the Christian Bible.

Massey's agenda is less ambitious but equally personal; he wants to see a powerful Satanist (Michael Massee) pay for his murderous crimes.

The egotistical Satanist is the leader of a fanatical Satanic cult, a group who coincidentally want to see the anti-Christ born on Earth.

United by tragedy and a shit-ton of serendipity, the astrophysicist and the nun must solve ancient mysteries while the Armageddon clock ticks.

Written by David Seltzer, screenwriter of The Omen (1976), it sounds ridiculous, and it is.

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fourth Season (2011)

The Sarah Jane Adventures:

The Complete Fourth Season (2011)

Dirs: Various | Episodes: 12 episodes, approx 27 mins each.

Sarah Jane's whiz-kid son Luke (Tommy Knight) features prominently on the cover, but the character is only in the fourth Season occasionally, and mostly it's from the other side of a webcam chat window.

His absence is used to highlight the kind of feelings that a parent experiences when a child leaves the nest, and the sense of abandonment and fear of further separation that a close-knit group can feel when one of their members is no longer present.

In one of the two-part stories, within a dream scenario (the subject's first, incidentally) lurks an Elm Street / Pennywise-esque creature that preys upon self-doubts and anxiety, which is something that the school-age youths have much of at that time. It has a creepy nursery rhyme jingle, too, which is often a plus in that kind of scenario.

Additionally, looking at the same situation from a different angle, it shows also how we can draw courage and strength from trusted friends.