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Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 31 “The Last of the Starks” with AJ Ajetunmobi

May 9, 2019 By Søren Hough, Esther Rosenfield and Ayokunmi "AJ" Ajetunmobi 1 Comment

“The Last of the Starks” struggles to justify its own existence as Game of Thrones meanders in the wake of its climactic battle with Death itself.

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 30 “The Long Night” with Diego Crespo

May 2, 2019 By Søren Hough and Diego Crespo 4 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/3-the-long-night

Release the confetti, folks: Miguel Sapochnik is back for “The Long Night.” This week we’re treated to 80-ish minutes of Game of Thrones‘ best remaining director choreographing the largest and most complex battle sequence in the show’s history. The results are immediately evident as a striking opening shot of Sam Tarly’s (John Bradley) shaking hands […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 29 “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

April 25, 2019 By Søren Hough 4 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/2-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms

After a rough season premiere, Game of Thrones veteran Bryan Cogman turns the show in a positive direction with “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Cogman is responsible for writing some of the show’s best episodes (including Season 1’s “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things” and Season 4’s “Oathkeeper”). His dialogue and character work shows a […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 28 “Winterfell”

April 18, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/1-winterfell

Welcome back to Stark Contrast! We’re happy to return to our perennial podcast show where we discuss Game of Thrones. This week, we’re kicking off with the Season 8 premiere, “Winterfell.” It’s a slow burn re-introduction to the denizens of Westeros and Essos that never managed to get J and me excited about the series […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 27 “The Dragon and the Wolf”

September 3, 2017 By Søren Hough 14 Comments

Game of Thrones caps off a landmark season with “The Dragon and the Wolf.” Jeremy Podeswa’s feature-length conclusion certainly exceeds the episode that came before, although it never quite matches the import of its reveals and final moments with the level of filmmaking we know the show can achieve. “The Dragon and the Wolf” finally […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 24 “The Spoils of War”

August 12, 2017 By Søren Hough 10 Comments

Game of Thrones throws some kindling on the fire this week with “The Spoils of War.” Unlike “The Queen’s Justice,” Josh and I found myriad plots and emotional arcs to interrogate this time around. We pay particular attention to family reunions and how context and time have shaped characters we’ve known since Season 1. We […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 23 “The Queen’s Justice”

August 5, 2017 By Søren Hough 18 Comments

J and I enjoyed last week’s “Stormborn” as it both drove the plot forward at an explosive pace while offering something more for us to chew on as viewers. This week, the pace hasn’t let up — but “The Queen’s Justice,” alas, never digs deeper than the surface. In fact, the episode undercuts the enormity […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 22 “Stormborn”

July 29, 2017 By Søren Hough 17 Comments

Game of Thrones hits hard this week in “Stormborn” as major houses begin to band together and devious enemies already begin making their moves. Before we get into the episode itself, J and I open this week’s podcast discussing the controversy around Confederate, a new show recently announced by HBO from the creators of Game of Thrones. […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 19 “Battle of the Bastards”

June 23, 2016 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

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Thank god for Miguel Sapochnik. Almost every week J and I tend to harp on the editing and camerawork in Game of Thrones. It’s been a bit better this season, but in general we’re both fairly underwhelmed with the technical side of the show. That’s why it feels like a breath of fresh air having […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 17 “The Broken Man”

June 10, 2016 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

This week J and I split on “The Broken Man.” It’s a great episode in many ways, but J lays out some of the same criticisms we discussed for “Blood of my Blood” — repetition, slow plots and hanging threads. I counter that it’s well-written and well-shot (thank cinematographer P.J. Dillon), much like the excellent […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 15 “The Door”

May 27, 2016 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

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“The Door” gets Game of Thrones back on track after last week’s slower, odder diversion. This week we saw stronger editing on action scenes and compelling reveals about the world of the show. But perhaps most importantly, “The Door” affirmed important character development that J and I have worried about for two or three seasons. This comes […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 14 “Book of the Stranger”

May 19, 2016 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

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After the high of last week’s excellent Game of Thrones episode, we were bound for some disappointment. Fortunately it took the form of “Book of the Stranger,” a mediocre but hardly terrible episode that felt like treading (and retreading) water more than anything else. J and I delve into what makes this such a strange and […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 12 “Home”

May 5, 2016 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

http://www.absolutegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Game-of-Thrones-s06e02-featured-1320x879.jpg

Game of Thrones has never been shy about its twists, but this week was particularly eventful. The second episode of Season Six continues the momentum of the premiere as it veers back and forth between leftover over plots about the Iron Islands to uncharted territory with Bran, Arya and the Night’s Watch. The good news is that […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 11 “The Red Woman”

April 30, 2016 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

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Game of Thrones is back, which means so is our annual podcast, “Stark Contrast.” Remember the gimmick here: J has read the books, and I haven’t. This usually translates into him mocking me for not anticipating major deaths and events, but I savor the victories when the show goes in a wildly different direction that […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 8 “Hardhome”

June 6, 2015 By Søren Hough 10 Comments

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If last week’s “The Gift” represented a shift in the right direction for Game of Thrones, “Hardhome” is the fullest realization of its potential. From clever use of narrative symmetry to payoffs in nearly every major storyline, this week was the show at its very best. J and I parse out each thread before culminating in […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 7 “The Gift”

May 31, 2015 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

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Following last week’s ho-hum episode, Game of Thrones returns to form this week with “The Gift.” Sansa’s characterization resumes while Stannis is faced with a tough decision and Cersei’s machinations finally backfire on her. While not everything landed this week—romantic subplots faced something of a nosedive at The Wall and in Meereen—most of the stories managed […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 6 “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”

May 23, 2015 By Søren Hough 9 Comments

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Game of Thrones has made headlines again with “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” a rocky Season 5 episode that features some great moments and some of the worst the show has seen. A great start at the House of Black and White leads into terrible sequence in Dorne, followed by hamfisted social commentary in King’s Landing and a […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 5 “Kill the Boy”

May 17, 2015 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

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After last week’s more transitional episode, “Kill The Boy” lives up to Game of Thrones‘ midseason tradition of breathtaking cliffhangers. In Meereen, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) finally puts her foot down on the actions of the Sons of the Harpy and the old families. At The Wall, Jon (Kit Harington) tells the Night’s Watch that allying […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 3 “High Sparrow”

May 3, 2015 By Søren Hough 3 Comments

http://www.trbimg.com/img-553e2b51/turbine/bal-game-of-thrones-recap-the-high-sparrow-20150426

“High Sparrow” picks up where “The House of Black and White” left off, giving us a much better look at The Faceless Men. This episode indicates we’re nearing the second-half spike that we usually see in Game of Thrones as Jon, Tyrion and Sansa’s storylines all leap forward at a healthy pace. J and I comment on the irony […]

Television

Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Lion and the Rose”

April 19, 2014 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

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Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones Season 4 picks up steam with its second episode, “The Lion and the Rose.” As Joffrey Baratheon and Margery Tyrell prepare to marry and unite two incredibly powerful houses, […]

Television

Game of Thrones Seasons 1-3 Recap

April 4, 2014 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

http://img.wallpaperstock.net:81/tyrion-%E2%80%93-game-of-thrones-wallpapers_33143_1920x1080.jpg

Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. In adapting George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series to television, HBO created a cultural phenomenon. Game of Thrones has become a franchise spanning books, video games, […]

Television

Ari’s Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones Season 2

July 6, 2012 By Ari Donnelly 2 Comments

Warning – spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 2 to follow. 10. Theon’s Choice I’m a sucker for beautiful mise en scéne. Against a chiaroscuro backdrop, Theon stares at the letter he wrote warning Rob Stark of his father’s plans, illuminated by a single candle. It’s an image that tells you all you need to […]

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London Film Festival 2024 Highlights

November 1, 2024 By Søren Hough

London Film Festival 2024 Preview

October 20, 2024 By Søren Hough

https://www.fungifilmfest.com/2023

Mushrooms Galore at Fungi Film Festival 2023

December 26, 2023 By Corrado Nai

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