Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth (2005)

NIN: [WITH_TEETH] (2005)

NIN's fourth full-length studio album is the most accessible, radio-friendly work that Reznor had made to date. Lyrically it takes the familiar dip into waters of self-loathing existentialism, but parts of its production are bright and airy, with happy sounding drums and inoffensive instrument distortion.

After repeated spins a large part of it can get tiresome to listen to, but there are just enough moments of beauty and strength rising above the safety net to make a purchase worthwhile. The songs Every Day is Exactly the Same and Sunspots are especially notable. Overall, it's like a NIN starter kit for the kids.

The A-Team Comic (1984)

The A-Team (1984)

Authors: Jim Salicrup / Marie Severin / Alan Kupperberg | Illustrators: Marie Severin / Jim Mooney / Joe Giella / Alan Kupperberg | No. of Issues: 03 | Page Count 24 x 3

"I ain't flyin' with no cowboy!! You hear me, fool!"

It lasted just three issues (March - May 1984), but The A-Team comic was a respectful tie-in to the TV series.

The characters mostly acted (and reacted) in a similar manner to how their TV counterparts might do in the same situation; e.g. B.A. hates to fly and makes a big deal out of things that annoy him - mostly that's Murdock, who gets stuck on a single crazy thread for the entire story-line; Face gets distracted from the business at hand by any lady that he wants to romance; and Hannibal leads, meets potential employers while disguised, and loves successful plans and cigars.

Aiding the tight-knit quartet is reporter Amy Amanda Allen, who blackmailed the team into letting her tag along during Seasons 1 and 2 of the TV series. She's as 'useful' in comic book form as she was onscreen.

Ulver: Teachings in Silence (2002)

Teachings in Silence (2002)

Collects Silence Teaches You How to Sing (2001) and Silencing the Singing (2001)

Ulver continued to erode their musical barriers with two minimalist/ambient EPs that were collected together the following year due to their exploring similar themes. The new release was renamed Teachings In Silence.

It's a dark and strangely compelling work that teases a listener with some beautiful haunting melodies beneath the pops, crackles and ambient glitch. The sounds have a very definite sense of timing and purpose; there's nothing random about their occurrences.

If you're a fan of ambient, you'll know that sifting through the sheer volume of crap that's available can sometimes unearth a gem. Teachings sparkles.

Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days (1999)

Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days (1999)

Author: Neil Gaiman | Illustrators: Stephen R. Bissette / John Totleben / Dave McKean / Teddy Kristiansen / Sergio Aragones / Mike Mignola / Richard Piers Rayner / Mike Hoffman / Kim DeMulder | Page Count: 176

'In her dreams her fingers had become tiny snakes. When she awoke she could not feel her hands; but she could hear her fingers, slithering over the sheets and away from her in the darkness.'

Midnight Days collects together some of Gaiman's earliest works for DC. It's not of his usual comic book standard, and it's certainly not the place to start if you've not read any of his works before. He admits in the introduction that he was still finding his feet.

But it's not all bad news. Some parts of it are worthy of praise. A short piece featuring the wonderful John Constantine is creepy and unnerving, and is without a doubt the highlight of the whole endeavour.

The collection contains six stories in all, one of which came from an unused Swamp Thing script; it was illustrated specifically for the book. It's interesting.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045: Season One (2020)

GitS: SAC_2045: Season One (2020)

Dirs: Shinji Aramaki + Kenji Kamiyama | Eps: 24, approx 25 mins each.

At first glance SAC_2045 seems to have many favourable ingredients in place: it's co-produced by Production I.G; has Kenji Kamiyama onboard as co-director; it features many of the original Japanese and English language voice cast; and continues the Stand Alone Complex continuity.

Alas, in reality the continuation fails to live up to its positives. It's a soulless venture with little to offer beyond its superficial 'on paper' credentials.

Viewers who are relatively new to the franchise, perhaps having advanced from the live-action movie, may understandably surmise that such weak plotting is the norm, but I suspect that many longtime fans will be wondering why the lofty concepts and aspirations of the SAC series have been abandoned and the characters disrespected.

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston (2005)

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston (2005)

The Ninth Doctor | 13 episodes, approx 45 mins each.

After a nine year hiatus the time-travelling Doctor Who returned to TV screens in what was the beginning of a new extended run for the show. It got a new lead actor, too, in the form of Christopher Eccleston, whose tenure as the Ninth Doctor lasted just one series.

Without meaning to detract from the creative team behind the scenes that got the show moving again, many of whom surely deserve equal credit and praise, on the surface (i.e., onscreen) Eccleston revitalised the character.

His short cropped hair, well-worn leather coat and carefree walk made him recognisable, but it was the personality that made him stand out. The buoyant devil-may-care attitude projected an outward confidence, but every now and again there'd be a crack in the armour and we'd glimpse a deep sadness, underpinned by a feeling of loss and culpability. In the TARDIS time-machine he could go anywhere and see anything, but in the long term he was a lone traveller who was very, very far from home.