Reviews – Maura McHugh

The 70s & 80s Horror Mixtape

By: Maura McHugh 25 February 201925 February 2019

Reviewshorror, mixtape, short fiction, short storiesLeave a Comment

For Mark West’s 70s & 80s Horror Mixtape I picked ‘In The Squalus’ by Kit Reed, which was originally published in 1972 in The Transatlantic Review.

Ginger Snaps for WiHM

By: Maura McHugh 9 February 201910 February 2019

Film, Reviewscinema, Ginger Snaps, horror, werewolf, women in horror, Women in Horror Month

I write about the werewolf movie Ginger Snaps (2000) on Colleen Anderson’s blog for Women in Horror Month.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

By: Maura McHugh 1 February 20192 February 2019

ReviewsCan You Ever Forgive Me?, cinema, Film, Jeff Whitty, Marielle Heller, Melissa McCarthy, Nicole Holofcener, Richard E. Grant, Umberto D

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a masterful character film about forgeries and a forged relationship between two people down on their luck.

Discussing Ursula K. Le Guin on Arena

By: Maura McHugh 22 January 201923 January 2019

ReviewsArena, fantasy, profile, radio, review, RTE, RTE Radio 1, sf, Ursula K. Le Guin

I’ll be on RTÉ Radio 1’s cultural show Arena this evening to discuss the life and career of American writer Ursula K. Le Guin on the first anniversary of her death.

RBG is FTW

By: Maura McHugh 6 January 20196 January 2019

Reviewsadvocacy, cinema, documentary, equality, RBG

The documentary RBG, about the life and career of American Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is a fascinating portrait of a civil rights advocate who has developed into a cult figure late in life.

You Were Never Really Here

By: Maura McHugh 30 December 201830 December 2018

ReviewsFilm, Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here

A stunning piece of art by Lynne Ramsay, with an outstanding performance by Joaquin Phoenix at its centre, You Were Never Really Here cements Ramsay’s position as one of the exceptional filmmakers of this era.

Taken-aback by Aquaman

By: Maura McHugh 22 December 201822 December 2018

ReviewsAquaman, Arthur, critique, mythology

Aquaman – a lavish, entertaining romp that plays to mythological roots to bring out the best in its story.

Fire and Blood on Arena

By: Maura McHugh 28 November 201822 December 2018

ReviewsArena, Fire and Blood, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, radio, RTE, RTE Radio 1

Last night I was on Arena, RTÉ Radio 1’s culture show, talking about George R.R. Martin‘s latest book: the 700-page Goliath called Fire and Blood, Volume 1. You can listen back to the piece online if you want to hear me discuss Martin’s career and review this tome. I’ll note up front that this is…

It’s a sitcom miracle

By: Maura McHugh 6 March 201820 December 2018

Reviewscomedy, One Day at a Time, sitcom, tv

February can be a bit of a dour month, so I watched comedy to offset the grey. In particular I like the half-hour format, which feels like a delightful popcorn snack. I re-watched four seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix, which was a fun binge. Casting about for something else, I struck upon One Day…

The Stephen King Mixtape

By: Maura McHugh 26 February 201813 December 2018

ReviewsMark West, mixtape, Stephen King, The Long Walk

Mark West has put together another of his Mixtapes, this time on Stephen King short stories. I agreed to contribute as thanks to my faulty memory I thought that ‘The Long Walk’ was a novella… well, it’s a novel! It certainly stands up to a re-read, and remains strangely relevant considering current events in America.…