Al is part of a band with no name. They've never needed one, never been popular enough to want one. But seemingly overnight, they attract a devoted following that rapidly spirals out of control. As their fans attribute unintended meaning to their lyrics and fictional mythology, parasocial relationships blur and distort into violence.

Batey writes with a keen sense of how social media and popular movements work, and impressive work for a debut novel.

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Erotic and lyrical, this brief story presents a transmasculine dark fairy tale about transformation and escape. And really, it's about self-love – in multiple senses of the word.

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106 min, dir. Craig Gillespie

Extremely shy, anxious Lars surprises his brother and sister-in-law with news of Bianca, his new girlfriend... only for them to find out it's a blow-up doll. On the town doctor's advice, they – and the rest of the town – decide to go along with the delusion.

The doctor states up front that Bianca is a crutch, a sort of displacement for his anxiety around his sister in law's pregnancy. Not only are his family and the wider town explicitly supportive of Lars, they actively do things to make Bianca 'involved'.

For something released in 2007, I wasn't expecting this to as affirming as it was.

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2h7min, dir David Leitch

I came into this just for Ryan Gosling, but this quickly has become one of my favourites.

Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a stuntman who makes his return from an accident that nearly killed him – to a movie directed by his Jody Moreno, his once-girlfriend, where he's tasked with finding a missing movie star and uncovering a terrible conspiracy.

Almost nothing is said of the physical impact of his injuries, just the emotional impact. Well – unless you count his “it all hurts” monologue. Thematically, it fits the gung ho “thumbs up” stunt man image – instead it uses the romantic moments between Colt and Jody to change up the pace.

Still – it is a tremendously fun film with a lovely emotional heart and some great stunt work.

Everything is pretty low-stakes, though this is not to say it is treated frivolously. Philip gets called out for getting too emotionally involved with one of the clients, but he is allowed a graceful ending and – that rare and precious thing – forgiveness.

Brendan Fraser's big brown eyes carry a LOT of weight in this. His earnestness saves the whole thing from being too twee.

Loved the glimpses of everyone else in the agency – wished they got a bit more time.

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A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician.

This is... less than accurate, I think.

The blurb is all about Luke Glanton, motorcycle stunt rider (Ryan Gosling), who makes what can be best described as a series of bad but 'sounded good at the time' decisions. Proportionally, though, it's more about Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), the police officer who kills him.

It goes all over the place, really. The first strand of the story is about the family Glanton discovers, which he never really gets back into, but which serves as the catalyst for his subsequent decisions. His death is the pivot, after which we see the generational trauma in his son, Jason. There is a bit about the police corruption that allows Cross to benefit from Glanton's death – with little said about the actual circumstances around it.

In the end, there is no shining moment of justice. There is no truth revealed, no comeuppance for a wrongful death. In its place, just a tender moment between Jason, Luke's son, and his adoptive father Kofi; and half a reckoning for Cross. Thematically – probably appropriate – snap decisions with drastic consequences abound on all sides.

Aesthetically: Philip Glass features in the soundtrack; grey landscapes to really grind in the poverty and inescapable social circumstances. (3/5)

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This story works on a scale both cosmic and personal. Like an anti-superhero story, LPEC is a nod at gross government overreach in the name of national security, saving the world, etc.

The first part of the book has some quite graphic depictions of bizarre deaths as a first person account of the Low Probability Event, which nearly put me off reading on. I'm glad I persevered to the end though.

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It's set up for a shocking, unusual reveal, though I still found it hard to suspend disbelief. Still, worth reading for the creeping atmosphere.

For me, it brings back memories of a misspent youth seeking out the creepiest horror comics/manga/novels, and occasionally finding something that sticks with you for a long time.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/uketsu-strange-pictures-richard-osman-horror-japan/

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I do enjoy the environment though – the Underground has plenty of mysteries and perils all on its own even without a serial killer on the loose.

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Essentially this is Train to Busan in a building.

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