1ST TIMERS Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) - Action-packed, entertaining and with a healthy dollop of humour. ★★★★ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - Powerhouse acting from McDormand, Rockwell and Harrelson: intriguing plot and worth all of its accolades. ★★★★ Greenland (2020) - A nice addition to an already packed genre of disaster films that... Continue Reading →
[Review] I Care a Lot
Films have the ability to transport us to a myriad real-life and fictional cities, countries and continents as well as showcasing situations and scenarios that may not have crossed our minds before. I Care a Lot focuses on Marla Grayson, a savvy, smart businesswoman who is exploiting America's legal system for her own benefit. She... Continue Reading →
[Review] The Edge of Seventeen
It's not often that I can relate to someone half my age, but in the case of the lead character in The Edge of Seventeen, played by Hailee Steinfeld, I felt myself agreeing with her and feeling empathy on multiple occasions. The Edge of Seventeen focuses on Nadine, an awkward high school junior who has one... Continue Reading →
Thursday Movie Picks #345: Forbidden Love
This week in Thursday Movie Picks - run by Wandering through the Shelves - we've been asked to list three to five films that feature forbidden love. If you haven't seen some of these films, expect spoilers! Romeo + Juliet (1996) The archetypal story of forbidden love is, of course, William Shakespeare’s 'Romeo and Juliet',... Continue Reading →
[Review] To Catch a Thief
Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are a dream pairing, but when you add diamonds, burglary and the French Riviera into the mix, you suddenly have a hefty amount of glamour and intrigue. To Catch a Thief, released in 1955 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, sees Grant's John Robie, a retired cat burglar, accused of a... Continue Reading →
Thursday Movie Picks #344: Friends to Lovers
This week in Thursday Movie Picks - run by Wandering through the Shelves - we've been asked to list three to five films that feature friends falling in love. After giving it some thought I've gone for a feel-good selection of enjoyable films. Suffice to say, if you haven't seen these films, expect spoilers! Zack... Continue Reading →
[Review] Timbuktu
Set around 2012 and inspired by the real-life occupation of Timbuktu, Mali by Ansar Dine (a militant Islamist group), Timbuktu feels in some ways more of a fly-on-the-wall documentary than a feature film: you feel as though you are observing ordinary people as they go about their day-to-day lives as there is a naturalness -- a... Continue Reading →
Ranking the Mission: Impossible films
It's been 40 years since Tom Cruise made his big screen debut (he had a minor role in the 1981 romantic drama Endless Love). Over the last four decades he has brought to life such infamous characters as Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, Jerry Maguire and Ethan Hunt. Cruise has played Ethan -- the charismatic Impossible... Continue Reading →
What I watched: January
1ST TIMERS Casablanca (1942) - A great film worthy of its acclaim. Read my review. ★★★★ Demolition Man (1993) - Very daft, but actually quite witty in places. Almost feels like a spoof. ★★½ Wild Target (2010) - Very British humour: likeable cast headed up by Nighy and Blunt, and laugh out loud funny in... Continue Reading →
[Review] Ponyo
When I posted about my Top 10 Films Not in the English Language I was touched that so many people left their personal recommendations. One of those people was Table 9 Mutant from Cinema Parrot Disco. As you can see from the comments she left, Table 9 Mutant is a big fan of anime. She... Continue Reading →
The beauty of the Captain Fantastic sountrack
Happy Monday, folks. I hope you all had pleasant weekends. After a nearly six-year break I'm returning to one of my regular series: Musical Mondays. Read my previous posts online and get comfy as I treat your ears to some dulcet delights. When I'm trying to concentrate on what I'm doing the Captain Fantastic (2016) soundtrack... Continue Reading →
[Review] The Dig
Set on the eve of World War II in rural Suffolk. The Dig is inspired by the real life archaeological exploration of Sutton Hoo resulting in a significant discovery of Anglo-Saxon treasure. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan take the lead as excavator Basil Brown and wealthy landowner Edith Pretty respectively, and they're ably supported by Ken Stott,... Continue Reading →
