Rob Masters

English/Bulgarian electronic/pop group Ladytron frequently feature SFF elements in their videos, and this is one of their best. Starring the band in two roles, with amazing mythic imagery and wonderful stop-motion critters, this must have been hell for the band to produce! So wrap yourself around some hot chocolate, and enjoy to snowy mountains of "Destroy Everything You Touch".

Knives Out is a classic whodunnit. No, that's not right. Knives Out is a brilliant comedy  whodunnit. With a cast of thoroughly unlikeable characters, and a scattering of ones who are not, this riotous tale of who murdered the murder-mystery writer is a joy to watch. The actors are chewing the scenery with more gusto than a nest of termites, there are red herrings and Chekhov's guns popping up at every turn, and in the centre of it all is the victim's nurse. A young lady, still living with her kid sister and her mother and possessing a most unusual physiological response, she is the glue of the film. Throw in a private consulting detective a  la Sherlock Holmes, and a police trooper who is a fan of both the writer and the detective, and you have a bubbling cauldron of personalities that delight at every turn. It would be not unfair to compare it with Clue and Murder By Death, my two gold standards of comedy whodunnit, and it compares very well indeed. 10/10 and Miss Marple

Au Revoir Simone are a band I have a great fondness for. Releasing albums only rarely, they are a treat for the ears. Tending towards low-key and downbeat lyrics, they counterpoint them with bright and cheerful tunes rendered on old-school synths. This is one of their early works, and one that has distinct fantasy elements.

I've got a pair of videos for you this week. Two things tie them together - Steve Aoki's involvement with the music, and the fact that both of these music videos are essentially advertisements for a well-known brand of vodka. So set the product placement cuts to one side, and enjoy two very different stories. First up is the obviously Star Wars inspired "Back to Earth" from Steve Aoki and featuring post-punk rock band Fall Out Boy. We've got masked troopers (or bounty hunters), psychic powers, blaster pistols, and all the rest. And then there's  Home We'll Go (Take My Hand) from Walk Off The Earth (and Steve Aoki). Featuring a quintessential Manic Pixie Girl, and lots of really big plants.

Ingredients for 6 serves 2 cups shortgrain rice (Arborio, Short-grain white, or Paella rice) 4 cups chicken stock (warm) .1g saffron threads in 1/4 cup boiled water 1 chorizo sausage (sliced) 200g chicken (diced) 3-4 cloves garlic (crushed) Small handful of runner beans, string beans, or similar, sliced 1/4 cup capsicum (diced) 1/2 tsp Paprika 1 tsp olive oil Pepper All measurements are metric (250ml cup). Method Optionally fry the chorizo beforehand. This is not required, but does improve the flavour. Put the rice in the bottom of the cooking tray, and top with diced vegetables, chroizo slices, and chicken. Sprinkle with paprika, olive oil, and pepper. Add saffron and stock. Place in Fusion in full sun for 1 hour, and check. Serves 6 Notes This skips pre-frying the rice, as  it is not really an option with the Fusion. Mixed seafood could be added to this, or substituted for the chicken and chorizo.

After a long hiatus brought on by the death of G+ and the demise of our cheese subscription service, we're back. This time we've got St Duke's Red, a Epoisses de Bourgogne styled washed rind cheese from the notable W.A. manufacturer HaVe, based in Wokalup, near Harvey. Not as potent to the nose as the French offering, St Duke's Red is definitely bold in its aroma, and you certainly know when it has been in the room. Because of that, it is relatively friendly as an introduction to the 'stinky' family, and the rich earthy flavours are rewarding. We found it enjoyable with fruit, onion chutney, and a light salad. It would certainly go well on a more sophisticated cheese board, and a strong fruit paste, such as plum, would also be an excellent complement. HaVe cheeses are available through selected outlets in W.A.'s South-West:  https://www.harveycheese.com.au/retail-outlets.html and check with the particular retailer as to their specific

This week, let's travel to Iceland (or Spain) and take a look at one of Bjork's creations.

Galaxy Trucker Digital has an interesting scoring system. There is a base score for if you made a profit (i.e. did not lose completely) of 100 points, and a couple of multipliers for game length and type of game. Most importantly, you get points for who you defeated in the game. These are added to your base points, and the multipliers are applied. The actual credits scored in the game do not come into it at all. The points for who you beat are the interesting bit. You get 20 points per level of the person you beat. You go up levels according to what appears to be a geometric scale. So what is my point about all this? I was investigating the leaderboard earlier today. It ranks every online player according to their total point score - not level. I'm in the top 100 players in the world. So I looked around at the other players, and that is where I noticed something odd. With many such leaderboards, you see scores per rank fairly level to begin with, with jumps between them v

The following link is not really a part of the series. It fits none of the criteria, not even a little bit. And yet, it still deserves a special mention. https://twitter.com/i/status/1209511648618172421 The ... carol(?) in question was created - no - instigated by the indomitable Janelle Shane, over at  https://aiweirdness.com/  .

Gorillaz need little introduction, and "Feel Good Inc" is a classic of their work, both musically, and cinematically. That said, I am not a big fan of their music, or the rather dark and sad worlds they typically portray. Despite this, there is no denying the genius present.