Nicola, Author at robotnic.co

Book Talk Podcast: A Visit From the Goon Squad

01.06.2012 by Nicola //

There’s a distinct Goon theme going on here this week…

I’ve teamed up with the Scottish Book Trust to take part in their monthly Book Talk podcast.

Each month host Paul Gallagher invites 2 people along to discuss a new book. I was lucky enough to be invited along to record January’s edition, which features myself and the insightful Lee Randall discussing Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad alongside Paul.

You can listen to the podcast here, download it from iTunes here, and keep up with Book Talk at http://scottishbooktrust.com/booktalk.

Book Talk is also running a competition to win the 3 books which feature in the January, February and March podcasts: A Visit From the Goon Squad, The Death of Lomond Friel, and Boxer Beetle. Click over here to enter. Good luck!

A Visit From the Goon Squad is out now. You can buy it over here.

Review: Goon

01.05.2012 by Nicola //

Superbad co-writer Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel team up for a dumb comedy on ice – and that’s exactly what you can expect. Seann William Scott stars as loveable meathead Doug who, with a low-region IQ and fists of fury, is everyone’s best friend — until you cross his friends. After an altercation at a local hockey game, he’s picked up by the team manager to be an ‘enforcer’: not a hockey player, but a fighter.

Jay Baruchel keeps proceedings light and the tone extraordinarily low with his effervescent Irish Yank, whose twin loves of hockey and crude sex jokes come together on his amateur TV show Hot Ice. Why an intelligent comedy actor would write himself such a part is baffling and, as can be expected, his string of effusive expletives fail to garner laughs. Only one character gets a shorter shrift with Alison Pill as Doug’s love interest. She’s given little to work with, bemoaning her lack of self-respect and slowly falling for Doug’s innocent sweetness.

Although Goon clocks in at a lean 90 minutes, it doesn’t endear itself til somewhere in the second act, while the third falls apart altogether, shedding sub-plots as it reaches its bloody conclusion. Uncomfortably crass and violent at turns, Goon hits the right notes just frequently enough for a one-time watch.

Goon is released in UK cinemas tomorrow, Friday 6 January.

Link Lust #1

01.04.2012 by Nicola //

I wondered what Guybrush had been up to since he defeated LeChuck…

The other day my friends and I had a conversation about how people present themselves on the internet. My man observed that, “It’s almost like taste is the new talent. People are revered for putting together images or even links in ways we find compelling.”

It’s true, and it’s something I’ve always been envious about — more than I’ve ever actually tried it.

As a junkie of words and images (or, as I’m loathe to call it, but secretly hope to be one day considered by my peers, a “culture vulture”), gathering stories, harvesting links, and secretly hoarding away unread tabs like nuts for the winter is part of my routine. I’ve decided to share it.

Quotable Queen Miss Piggy and her Guide to Life, and other life lessons via The Paris Review Blog‘s Emma Straub.
Ellipsis podcast from former Rocketboomer Ella Morton – particularly this episode with Alice for the iPad designer Chris Stevens – is compelling listening for creatives.
Byliner ebooks and Kindle Singles have captured my curiosity. Any recommendations?
I’ve always battle the New Year blues by reading the archives of those who inspire me. Rachel Hills’ Musings of an Inappropriate Woman and Susan Orlean’s Free Range are good places to start.
If you’re a vlogbrothers fan (which, by the way, you ought to be); Hank has a new channel called SciShow. Perfect for SISNs (secret internet science nerds) and science n00bs.
2011: The Cinescape

Rewind by Levi Beamish — like Eternal Sunshine in miniature

What are you reading / watching / clicking compulsively this New Year week?