Paddington

As a little girl my favourite bear was Paddington, the good-mannered bear from Darkest Peru. None of your Rupert with his weird trousers or Winnie the Pooh and his gang of freaky friends for me; it was always Paddington. When I love a book (or in this case character) the thought of a film adaptation is pretty scary…

Top Ten: Book to Film Adaptations

You know I love films and I love books, so it kind of follows that I love films based on books. Sometimes the adaptations are quite poor and disappointing (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), much less often they improve on the source material (anything based on a Tom Clancy book) but just sometimes a great book leads to a great film…

Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth universally acknowledged that book reviewers in need of a quirky and unique opening always turn to Jane Austen thinking they are being oh so funny and clever. Thank God I would never stoop to such cheap cliches….

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

When I named my five must-see films for autumn/winter 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was right at the top of the list. The extended clips and discussion with producer Robyn Slovo and screenwriter Peter Straughan at Empire Big Screen really whetted my appetite….

Colin Firth Joins The Railway Man

Not content with an Oscar for his portrayal of a stuttering King, Colin Firth is once again turning to a period drama which as awards-bait written all over it. Based on a true story Firth will star in The Railway Man as Eric Lomax, a former POW who searches for his captors decades after his experiences on the “death railway” between Thailand and Burma. This is likely to appeal to Academy voters – we all know there’s nothing guaranteed to stir them more than a little World War II tragedy.

Yet another Bridget Jones film given the go-ahead

EW is reporting that Working Title has confirmed a third Bridget Jones film is in the pipeline. The film promises more tension between Bridget and Mark Darcy and another romp with Daniel Cleaver. I really enjoyed the first film but I found the second instalment frustrating. How much more of Bridget’s pathetic, whiny, self-indulgent bleating can we put up with? I doubt I’ll be rushing to see this one.