best/worst | The Cutprice Guignol

August 11, 2019

The Best And Worst of Stephen King

So, I think everyone who’s ever inched close to this blog by now knows that I am a huge fan of Stephen King. My first great literary love, I still have a huge soft spot for him, look upon a lot of his back catalogue with deep affection, and probably always will. But that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t put out some stinkers, too. And I figured – hey, why not share my favourite Stephen King books right here alongside the ones that I think sucked the hardest? I know I have some controversial choices here, but I stand (heh) by them – and would love to hear your best and worst, too. So, without further ado, let’s look at the standouts – the good and the bad – and get down to rankin’ some writin’!

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December 16, 2018

The Best TV Episodes of 2018

So, I usually do a list of the best TV shows of the year, which is something that I’m still planning to take on before the month is out. But there’s another list that I really want to do, and that’s the best single episodes of television this year.

Which might sound a little weird, given that surely the best episodes will be from the best TV shows, but the truth is, some of my favourite episodes of TV this year have come from shows that have been heavily patchy. The shows that shoot big often fail big, too – but when they get it right, it’s all the sweeter. So let’s take a look at the episodes of TV that have stuck with me over the course of 2018 (and maybe throw in a little snark about the ones that sucked, who knows). Spoilers ahead!

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June 10, 2018

My Best (And Worst) Bisexual TV Characters

Hello, my fellow bisexuals, assorted LGBTQ people, and miscellaneous straights! It’s Pride Month, and I wanted to write something fun this time around (with a little snark because, you know, that’s my thing). So I’m talkin’ about my favourite bisexual characters on TV, and some (those written by Ryan Murphy and Steven Moffat, mostly) that missed the mark. To the list!

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May 1, 2018

Best Episodes Ever: The Pilot

Well, you voted for it, so here it is: the first of my new blog series, Best Episode Ever. In this series, which will run for about ten weeks, I’ll be looking at exactly what makes a great episode of television: from premiers to finales to bottle episodes to action, sex, and character studies, I’m going to be breaking down precisely what makes an episode of TV brilliant, drawing on a number of shows, old and new, in the process.

And it makes sense to start at the beginning, so I’m kicking off this series with a look at what makes a great first episode. And the show I’m using to investigate that? The Walking Dead.

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October 31, 2017

Stranger Things Season Two: The Best and Worst

So, another season of Stranger Things behind us (oh, and a film site that I just started that you should check out, but whatever)- and last year’s biggest zeitgeist hit turned into this year’s most-anticipated sophomore season. I loved the first season of Netflix’s eighties-indebted horror original, so much so that I was prepared for the second season to be somewhat of a let-down because, well, how do you hit all the things that made the first season successful without regurgitating them? Or, failing that, how do you expand the world without losing sight of the smaller stories of season one? Having finished the nine-episode run last night, I want to talk about the best – and worst – parts of Stranger Things season two. Happy Halloween, one and all!

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December 31, 2016

The Best and Worst of 2016

Well, that’s it- the end of what has been the worst year in living memory if you only ask millenials. But amongst the terrifying politics, celebrity deaths, and Game of Thrones somehow having a turnabout of a season and pretty much redeeming itself, pop culture offered a welcome distraction. Some of it good- most of it bad, if we’re honest. So, without further ado, let’s see out this godforsaken year by drinking rum, petting cats, and discussing the best-and worst-pop culture had to offer in the last twelve months.

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July 2, 2016

The Best (And Worst) TV Villains

With the rain pounding down outside, the wind whipping against the windows, and the first set pictures of Matthew McConaughey as Randy Flagg from The Dark Tower released, it feels like a pretty good time to talk about TV villainy (mainly to distract me from the fact that The Stand adaptation isn’t coming any time soon AND didn’t take any of my recommendations on board, grumble, grumble). Who’s the best? Who failed miserably? And who’s so fucking scary I can’t look at the screen when they’re on it? To the article!

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