Adapted from Jane Harper’s 2016 international bestseller, our latest randomly selected watch, The Dry, is a solid Australian slow burner of a crime drama starring Eric Bana. With Eric Bana in the lead, The Dry tells the story of Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Bana) as he reluctantly returns to his drought-stricken hometown in rural Australia…
Retro Review: The Birds (1963)
It seems as though Halloween brings out my retro side, considering most of my ‘Retro Reviews‘ so far have been classic horrors or thrillers and my latest first time viewing continues that tradition, as I take another dip into the film catalogue of the great Alfred Hitchcock with his 1963 offering, The Birds. Director: Alfred…
Help (2021) Film Review
Whenever there is a massive news worthy event, there’s always a question in the back of my mind – “How long before it is turned into a movie?” – but with the Covid-19 pandemic we were still in national and global lockdowns when the films started to churn out of the mill. Some, like Adam…
Free Guy (2021) Film Review
Unfortunately for gamers the world over, movies adapted from or inspired by video games don’t tend to have much luck in cinema, although some have been more successful than others – check out my post ranking my top ten game-to-film adaptations for my favourites – the latest attempt to unite video games and cinema is…
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) Film Review
For those still reeling from the loss of some of our favourite superheroes, the likes of WandaVision and Loki, have acted as a bridge from the Marvel Cinematic Universe of old to the scary unknown of the new. And whilst it may offer something of a comfort to know that familiar faces are still there, with Hawkeye coming to Disney+ in November…
Untold: Breaking Point (2021) Film Review
With Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from this year’s French Open and Simone Biles dropping out of a couple of events at the Tokyo Olympics there has been a huge amount of discussion and focus on mental health in sports recently which perhaps makes Breaking Point, the fifth and final episode in Netflix’s Untold series, the most…
Sex Education Season 3 (2021) Series Review
Sex Education season three is finally here – the wait is over!! Thanks to Covid related delays, fans had to wait an extra half a year to reconnect with the students of Moordale High and the longer the delay went on the higher the expectation. So the real question is whether season three will live…
Untold: Crime And Penalties (2021) Film Review
From the film’s introduction, and the revelation that a seventeen year old high school student was given the ownership of a hockey team, I was expecting Crime and Penalties to be a story about some entitled and immature brat, that didn’t understand or appreciate the value of money, running the team into the ground but…
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Film Review
After watching a BBC documentary on foxes, I had an overwhelming urge to re-watch Wes Anderson’s brilliant adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic story, Fantastic Mr. Fox, a film that I actually hated the first time round but very quickly grew to love and appreciate. Surprisingly, I always seem to forget Anderson whenever I think about…
Untold: Caitlyn Jenner (2021) Film Review
Netflix’s five part documentary film series is delivering above and beyond my expectation with fascinating stories from all around the world of sport, from basketball to hockey to boxing. The third episode tells the story of Caitlyn (‘Bruce’) Jenner’s journey to Decathlon Olympic gold, her struggles with her identity and the eventual transition to her…
Modern Classic: 500 Days Of Summer (2009) Film Review
Hey everyone!! It’s been a little while but I think it is high time for another ‘Modern Classic’. For those of you who are new to the blog, or just need a little reminder, I am trying to work my way through those (retro and modern) classic films that I, rather shamefully, haven’t got around…
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Film Review
After what feels like an age, but is actually less than 3 years ago, I wrote and published my first ever film review on Ralph Breaks The Internet, the follow up to what is, in my humble opinion, one of Disney’s best films. Although the sequel was a rather massive disappointment, and my review wasn’t…
Untold: Deal With The Devil (2021) Film Review
Netflix’s Untold, the new five-part documentary series that takes a look at some of most notorious events in modern sporting history, with a new feature length documentary released each week got off to a powerful start with their frank and open look at the brawl that shook the basketball world. The second instalment (released 17th…
Charlie’s Angels (2019) Film Review
I was a little apprehensive going into the new Charlie’s Angels, as twelve year old me loved the 2000 version and I am still kind of in two minds about straight out and out remakes. They tend to have a ‘been there, done that’ kind of vibe – a la 2016 Ghostbusters – but the…
Beckett (2021) Film Review
As someone who writes about film and TV you would think that I would try and keep on top of all the upcoming films but I really don’t. Part of the reason is because I want to try and go into a movie with no prior expectations or pre-conceptions, the other (somewhat larger) part is…
Untold: Malice At The Palace (2021) Film Review
Regardless of the sport, whether it be the likes of football, rugby or basketball, for some die-hard fans sport is life. Whilst I admire that level of passion, personally I’m a much more laid back sports fan saving myself for the big tournaments such as World Cup’s, Grand Slams or the Olympics. Timed to perfection,…
The ‘New Girl’ Flat Mates Ranked From Worst To Best
Building on – and improving – the format that F.R.I.E.N.D.S made mainstream what feels like an age ago, creator Elizabeth Meriwether’s New Girl is a quirky, refreshingly hilarious and surprisingly emotional sitcom about a group of flat mates that is an absolute must watch. Although the series finale aired way back in 2018, it wasn’t…
Nobody (2021) Film Review
From John Wick to Bryan Mills, the idea of an ex-something or other being dragged back into a life they managed to escape is not exactly new but writer Derek Kolstad (who gave us the John Wick franchise) gives his 2021 story Nobody a fresh spin for Bob Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell it’s not a kidnapped…
Loki (2021) Series Review
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave us a new Captain America. WandaVision delivered us a Wanda Maximoff who has finally tapped into the potential of potential of her powers and Black Widow potentially paved the way for a new widow. But where these all hint and tease at the future of the MCU, Loki…
Ford Vs Ferrari (2019) Film Review
No matter how many films I see, there always seems to be a few big blockbusters that I just don’t seem to catch on the big screen. Ford Vs Ferrari was one such film, and despite it taking the top spot on a lot of people’s favourite films of 2019 it still took a couple…
Detective Pikachu (2019) Film Review
Although I remember quite clearly when Pokémon took over the playground in the late 90’s, I was never really a fan – however when Pokémon Go was released in 2016 I quickly became hooked and embraced the ‘Gotta catch ’em all’ mentality. I’ll admit I was a little dubious about how successful a hyper-realistic, live…
Men In Black: International (2019) Film Review
After Will Smith’s surprisingly successful revival of the Men in Black franchise back in 2012 – oh, how time flies – it makes sense that they would want to capitalise on that success and continue the franchise with some younger, on-trend talent, and given their playful chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson…
Black Widow (2021) Film Review
Before Covid, the long awaited standalone Black Widow movie was set to kick off Phase 4 of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe but, with cinema’s closed and the subsequent reshuffling of movie releases, Black Widow made way for MCU’s first canonical forays into television. No matter how much buzz WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and…
Booksmart (2019) Film Review
Often referred to as a female-centric Superbad, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a modern and feminist take on the traditional high school ‘coming-of-age’ stories that are chock full of teenage shenanigans and raunchy comedy. Booksmart was one of those films that I had every intention of watching at the cinema but was always superseded by…
Bad Boys For Life (2020) Film Review
With a gap of 17 years between Bad Boys 2 and Bad Boys For Life, it would be fair to question whether another instalment is really worth it but if anyone can pull it off, Will Smith can. After all, he did give us the surprisingly brilliant Men In Black 3. I was hoping this…
Run (2020) Film Review
After enduring the harrowing and traumatic birth of her tiny premature baby, Diane Sherman (Sarah Paulson) can be forgiven for being a little over protective but seventeen years later she seems ready for her daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen) to leave the proverbial nest and go off to college. Chloe has a sharp engineering mind many…
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (2021) Series Review
Following on from the risky but effective genre-bending WandaVision, Phase 4 of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe continues with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which in essence is more in line with the MCU’s usual fare. With WandaVision‘s point of difference dividing both fans and critics alike, would the somewhat safer, more traditional set up of…
Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) Film Review
Back when I was young, children sat firmly in one of two camps; you were either a Sonic fan or a Mario fan, rarely both. Me? I was a total Sonic fan and have some very fond memories playing the games with my mum. So, when they announced their plans to develop a live-action Sonic…
Luca (2021) Film Review
I don’t think I’m the only one who has been a little disappointed by Pixar’s last couple of offerings, Onward and Soul. For me, they didn’t have the same level of heart or spark that I have come to expect from my favourite animation studio. I remember when Pixar releases were once every 12-18 months,…
Things Heard And Seen (2021) Film Review
Over the last few months Netflix have been churning out a host of female-led psychological thrillers, including Amy Adam’s The Woman in the Window and most recently Gina Rodriguez’s Awake. Kicking off this influx was Amanda Seyfried in Things Heard And Seen, a part gothic horror, part psychological thriller inspired by Elizabeth Brundage’s acclaimed novel…
Love And Monsters (2021) Film Review
From The Hunger Games to Divergent to The Maze Runner, I do enjoy a good young adult fantasy film so I was cautiously optimistic when Netflix released their monster adventure film Love and Monsters especially with Maze Runner star, Dylan O’Brien at the helm. In order to prevent the Earth’s destruction from an approaching asteroid,…
Whiplash (2014) Film Review
Even though Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash was one of those ‘Best Picture’ films that I felt like I should watch just because it was nominated for a best picture Oscar, I never really had much inclination to do so and so it stayed on the outer edges of my, mentally kept, watchlist. When I recently found…
Cruella (2021) Film Review
The origins of the deliciously devilish, dog-napping fashionista, Cruella De Vil, was never really something that had crossed my mind but with the announcement of Emma Stone (one of my favourite actresses) taking on the role and those incredibly edgy early images of her in full costume, I think it’s safe to say that I…
A Quiet Place Part II (2021) Film Review
One of my most eagerly anticipated films of 2020 was the follow up to John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, which smashed it at the box office and became an instant classic, even garnering praise from the King of Horror himself, Stephen King. Although it was the right thing to do, the postponement of A Quiet…
Army of the Dead (2021) Film Review
After being out of the limelight for a few years, Zack Snyder is taking 2021 by storm with the highly anticipated Snyder cut of Justice League and the return to his zombie flick roots with Netflix’s Army of the Dead. Penned by Snyder himself, Army of the Dead is a unique and interesting blend of…
The Mitchells Vs The Machines (2021) Film Review
With the surprising success of the LEGO movie franchise and the groundbreaking, Oscar winning Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse, it seems as though anything that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller touch right now turns into gold, and with the release of their latest endeavour The Mitchells Vs The Machines, the question is whether they can keep…
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (2021) Film Review
It’s good to be back! On the 17th May, UK cinemas reopened their doors in the country’s next big step towards normality and after fourteen long months Mark and I finally settled in our seats to watch something on the big screen. In a rather dramatic change of pace from our last outing which was…
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Film Review
Although the last twelve months felt as though they dragged something chronic, the awards season appears to have come and gone in the blink of an eye with most of the big Oscar contenders still sitting unwatched in my watchlist. So Mark and I decided to make the most of some recent time off work…
Ma (2019) Film Review
In the need of a new life and a fresh start, Erica and her sixteen year old daughter, Maggie, move from San Diego back to Erica’s home town in rural Mississippi. Maggie quickly makes friends with her fellow classmates Haley, Darrell, Chaz and Andy and they invite her to join them on a night out…
Birds Of Prey (2020) Film Review
Although 2016’s Suicide Squad was a total disappointment, that didn’t get any better on a second viewing, there was one shining light in amongst all the crap: Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. But in much the same way that Gal Gadot’s standalone Wonder Woman didn’t quite live up to the character’s potential shown in Batman Vs…
The Woman in the Window (2021) Film Review
Much in the same way that it took Leonardo DiCaprio five nominations before he finally took home an Oscar, Amy Adams has been nominated six time (SIX!!) and has still not received one of those coveted statues. So when I first saw the trailer for Joe Wright’s psychological thriller, The Woman in the Window, I…
The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness (2021) Series Review
The fact that there are so many well known serial killers is an unfortunate reflection on humanity’s capacity to inflict harm on one another and our seemingly ingrained fascination with the macabre. From Ted Bundy to Richard Ramirez to Peter Sutcliffe, Netflix have been capitalising on that fascination with a seemingly endless parade of documentaries…
Promising Young Woman (2020) Film Review
Each year there always seems to be one particular film that everyone, and I mean everyone, is either talking about or hearing about. Last time it was Bong Joon Ho’s history making Parasite, this time it’s Emerald Fennell’s #metoo era black-comedy thriller Promising Young Woman that was making all the waves. Now I’ve been wanting…
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021) Film Review
I am one of those unsocial butterflies who likes nothing more than to stay in my little bubble hanging out with the hubby and our two kitties, and largely ignoring the wider world around me. I very rarely pay much attention to the goings on in the news which means that a lot of the…
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (2019) Film Review
2019 feels like it was decades ago, but I do remember that Mark and I were quite keen to watch Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark when it was released but, for one reason or another, we never got round to it but when it got randomly pulled out of our lucky dip box…
The Dig (2021) Film Review
If you’ve been following me for a while, then you may already know that biographical dramas are one of my favourite genres, they are a great way to uncover some of history’s little known stories. Simon Stone’s The Dig shines a light on the discovery of an ancient Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk during the…
The Help (2011) Film Review
Considering the calibre of the cast, including the likes of Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain (two of my favourite actresses), it is shameful that I have only recently got round to watching Tate Taylor’s 2011 Best Picture nominee, The Help, based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel of the same name. Jackson, Mississippi in the early…
Doctor Sleep (2019) Film Review
Almost 40 years after Stanley Kubrick’s horror The Shining thrilled fans and pissed off Stephen King, Mike Flanagan, of The Haunting of Hill House fame, took on the challenge of bringing us its sequel Doctor Sleep, adapted from King’s 2013 novel of the same name. Now I know I was a little late to the…
Oscars 2021 – Best Actress
The culmination of the 2020 awards circuit is just around the corner with the 93rd Academy Awards taking place on the 26th of April. We’ve already taken a look at the Best Picture, Best Animated Picture and Best Actor nominees (check them out if you haven’t already) and now it’s time to celebrate the women…
Escape Room (2019) Film Review
As someone who loves a good puzzle, and who has completed an escape room or two, I have to admit that the idea of turning the concept into a saw-inspired horror flick is something that really appealed to me, so when Adam Robitel’s Escape Room came out of our lucky dip box, I’ll admit, I…