My idiot klaxon has been sounding loudly this morning at some book news from the US. Apparently there is a call in Michigan to have Anne Frank’s Diary (or to give it its real title The Diary of A Young Girl) banned from schools because of inappropriate content…
The Place Beyond The Pines
7 May 2013 by Leave a Comment
I live in a relatively small town and have only two local cinemas. One is a Vue where the local parking is expensive, the other is a Cineworld with free parking and the opportunity to use an unlimited card. Guess which one I always use? The only problem is that it’s a small cinema and doesn’t always get every major release…
Red Dust Road
6 May 2013 by Leave a Comment
If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to make me pick up a book or watch a film it’s a connection, real or perceived, to my own life. I would probably not have bought Andrea Arnold’s Red Road if I hadn’t been brought up in the eponymous street. A similar thing happened with this year’s World Book Night list…
Top Ten: Crime Writers (Part Two)
3 May 2013 by Leave a Comment
One of my most consistently popular articles is my Top Ten Crime Writers feature. It is my second most viewed post beaten only by the In Praise of Trailers article. In that I listed 10 crime writers I love..
The Five-Year Engagement
2 May 2013 by 2 Comments
There seems to be a bit of a trend in romantic comedies these days for a slightly harder edged feel. No longer are they entirely soft and fluffy – we see inside the bedrooms rather than coy morning-after images…
The Croods
1 May 2013 by Leave a Comment
Earlier this week I pondered on whether Brave or The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists was more deserving of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature…
Warren Peace
30 April 2013 by Leave a Comment
When it comes to foxes I’m one of those woolly, liberal tree huggers that the Daily Telegraph loves to hate. I like foxes, I don’t think they are the enemy. When I read stories about rampaging red beasties eating our babies in towns and cities across the nation I tend to let my cynical side run riot…
Brave
29 April 2013 by Leave a Comment
One of the talking points of this year’s Oscars was whether or not the correct film won the Best Animated Feature category. Almost inevitably the Academy Award went to Pixar for their latest film – Brave. Fans of Aardman Animation’s The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists were outraged…
Top Ten: World Book Night Books
26 April 2013 by Leave a Comment
This week saw the UK celebrate its 3rd annual World Book Night and the US its 2nd. 23rd April was chosen as the date as it is the UNESCO World Book Day, the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death (and probable birthdate) and the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes…
Iron Man 3
25 April 2013 by Leave a Comment
The sun is out, the lawn is ready to be mowed and after a couple of films as a warm-up I think it’s safe to say that summer blockbuster season is open for business. Oblivion and Olympus Has Fallen both served as decent appetisers but it’s now time to get serious. We’re now in Avengers Phase Two and it’s kicked off in some style with the return of Tony Stark in Iron Man 3…