Normally I like to go and see films the week that they are released. It’s good for getting reviews up while the film is fresh in everyone’s minds and it means that I don’t have to actively avoid spoilers. It’s not always possible and the past month or so has been a bit of a nightmare in terms of getting to the cinema so I’m only now catching up with some recent releases…
The Book Thief
27 February 2014 by 2 Comments
There’s always a real sense of trepidation when going to see a film adaptation of a book that you truly love (see my thoughts on Les Miserables for proof that this isn’t confined just to books, but musicals too). It’s almost inevitable that any great book will eventually reach the screen…
The Monuments Men
26 February 2014 by 2 Comments
Sometimes a film has all the right components to make a perfect viewing experience and it just doesn’t work. The cast can be top-notch, the story enthralling, the production values great but the film just doesn’t add up. And so it is with George Clooney’s latest directorial effort, The Monuments Men…
Her
20 February 2014 by Leave a Comment
A few years ago I spent some time travelling round Europe, visiting a number of fabulous (and not so fabulous) places. One of the most confusing weekends was spent in Porto in Portugal. We had a wonderful afternoon in a bar, sampling different ports and eating lots of lovely food…
Dallas Buyers Club
11 February 2014 by 4 Comments
I’m just about old enough to remember the emergence of the AIDS epidemic in the early 80s. Here in Britain it was accompanied by doom-laden adverts showing exploding mountains and granite gravestones with the tagline “Don’t Die of Ignorance”. It probably saved lives by terrifying people…
Saving Mr Banks
6 February 2014 by Leave a Comment
Having missed Saving Mr Banks first time round at the cinema I’m thoroughly grateful to Cineworld for their Take-Two Thursdays policy where a recent film gets a one day reshowing for those of us who have been a bit tardy in our viewing…
12 Years A Slave
20 January 2014 by Leave a Comment
I’ve not been terribly good at getting to the cinema recently, but the Oscar nominations last week have focussed my mind. I didn’t want 2014 to be yet another year where I hadn’t seen the winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in advance of the ceremony. Given that until today I had only seen two of the nine nominees…
Piranha 3DD
11 December 2013 by Leave a Comment
It would appear that my battle against the creeping normalisation of 3D is being lost. At least in my own house. It was a red-letter day when I saw and loved a 3D film, but things are going even further. We now have a 3D television and subscription to Sky 3D. It seems that a lot of 3D is in my future …
Gravity
28 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
As I may* have mentioned before I hate 3D (*definitely, on numerous occasions). Hate it with an absolute passion. It’s usually a pointless gimmick which offers little to the narrative and relies on flashy whizzing tricks flying off the screen to elicit “ooohs and aaahs” from the audience…
Captain Phillips
25 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
One of my least favourite aspects of my own personality is that I can be a bit of a spoiler addict at times. I don’t ever (deliberately) share spoilers although my husband does have bad memories of our discussion about the first series of 24. No, I look for spoilers. I actively hunt them out…