The Wicker Man: Music (1973/1998/2002)

The Wicker Man (1973/1998/2002)

Composed, arranged and recorded by Paul Giovanni and Magnet

The OST contains film score and songs written for the film, some of which are sung by the cast. That may sound like a bad idea, but if you've experienced the film, then you'll maybe agree they deserve inclusion. It was written in 1973, released in 1998 and re-released with superior sound in 2002 but with less tracks and minor changes elsewhere. Still, it's the better option if all you want are the songs in the best quality.

Musically it's dark and beautiful pagan folk that'll either lull or repulse you, but one word of warning: key tracks contain samples of spoiler dialogue, so it's best if you watch the film first.

Sadako (2019)

Sadako (2019)

Dir. Hideo Nakata

The Japanese Ring movies may be thematically similar but they aren't all part of the same in-world continuity. There's two separate lines, one that follows on from Hideo Nakata's Ring (1998), and one that follows from Jōji Iida's Rasen (1998). [1]

Naturally, Nakata's return to the franchise follows on from the one he established, which means it's advisable to have seen Ring and Ring 2 (1999) before seeing Sadako.

There's some parallels with the structure of the first film, although it won't be apparent for quite some time. But the story isn't memorable and the characters aren't very interesting. Its most accomplished scene is arguably a 'slow zoom with dialogue' moment that protagonist Mayu Akikawa (Elaiza Ikeda) shares with Masami Kurahashi (Hitomi Satô), the latter of whom is one of the few things that connects the work to Nakata's previous films.

Doctor Who: The Two Doctors (1985)

Doctor Who: The Two Doctors (1985)

Dir. Peter Moffatt | 3 episodes, approx 45 mins each

Given that the five previous Doctors had each met at least one former or subsequent version of themselves, it was a pretty safe bet that the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) would get a similar opportunity to do the same. In his case, he crossed paths with the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton).

The Sixth Doctor has a larger part to play, which is natural seeing as how he was the lead in that particular era, but fans of the Second will be happy to see him included, although perhaps not entirely thrilled with how he's portrayed (see below).

On paper it sounds exciting: the current Doctor must rescue his past self from imminent death lest it causes his existence in the present to cease. It falls apart under analysis, but most time travel stories involving that kind of drama tend to do the same.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045: Season Two (2022)

GitS: SAC_2045: Season Two (2022)

Dirs: Shinji Aramaki + Kenji Kamiyama | Eps: 12, approx 25 mins each

The good news is it's better than Season One. But that doesn't mean it's good. It's like the difference between shitting yourself while wearing shorts versus shitting yourself while wearing trousers with bicycle clips. Both stink and are best avoided.

The first episode is numbered 13, which makes sense because — even though Netflix pretend otherwise — it's clearly the second half of Season One, which they didn't bother to finish properly.

It has a new opening and new theme song that despite not being at all memorable is definitely an improvement over the last effort. (It's called Secret Ceremony, by millennium parade.) It's the kind of thing you might get if you asked a manufactured J-pop band to make a more edgy song for one of the superfluous Kingdom Hearts handheld games.