Films watched and reviewed in December 2021

Festive favourites reigned supreme in December, as they normally do at this time of the year. In among the fake snow and sugary-sweet children there were a few non-holiday films: Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) was a wonderful watch and a role played to perfection by Sally Field. I also rewatched Mean Girls (2004),...

Questing to find a new favourite Christmas film

Watching festive films is now as synonymous with the holiday season as listening to Christmas songs while wrapping presents and enjoying a glass or two of Bucks Fizz. What constitutes a Christmas film is a hot topic. "A Christmas movie is like a Christmas song – you don’t want to listen to it except at...

Reflecting on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on its 20th anniversary

Peter Jackson's trilogy has been wholeheartedly embraced by my family, as my mum, Wendy, writes in this guest post. Has it really been twenty years since The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of director Peter Jackson’s three epic fantasy adventure films, was premiered? Twenty years since millions fell under...

Top 20 iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Clocking in at around 558 minutes there are a plethora of memorable scenes from Peter Jackson's award-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And that's just the theatrical cuts. The extended editions deliver over two more hours of movie magic. To celebrate 20 years since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship...

Films watched and reviewed in November 2021

As we continue to hurtle towards the end of the year, I made another trip to the cinema (totalling five visits so far this year) and rewatched my beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy ahead of Fellowship's 20th anniversary. I'm now up-to-date with Phase Four of the MCU and have enjoyed a few more...

Remembering Cary Grant

It has been 35 years since the death of beloved screen icon Cary Grant, who passed away aged 82 on 29 November 1986. Born Archibald Leach on 18 January 1904, Grant took the name 'Cary Grant' at the request of Paramount Studios who signed the actor in the early 1930s. Hollywood legend says that he...

Girl Week 2021: Celebrating the iconic Grace Kelly

To celebrate women in film - on camera and behind it - Dell on Movies is back with Girl Week 2021, running 22-28 November. There are no set rules. Dell says: "You can join the fun by posting or talking about films with females in the lead, directed by women, or feature women in some...

Films watched and reviewed in October 2021

Well, spooky season seemed to fly by, didn't it? I had a busy month with several wedding-related appointments (I said 'yes!' to my boyfriend when he popped the question in September) but I did squeeze several films in, including a trip to the cinema to see No Time To Die. 1ST TIMERS The Farewell (2019) -...

Thursday Movie Picks – Oscar Winners Edition: Best Animated Movie

For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves, we’ve been asked to list three to five films that have taken home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. As usual I have based my selection from films I've watched. Shrek (2001) The Shrek series is one of DreamWorks Animation's most successful...

Horror films: Can I finally stomach them?

Growing up Geraldine McEwan’s portrayal of Mortianna the witch in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) haunted my dreams for years. As did my brother’s plastic Dracula mask that – with the benefit of hindsight – I now realise wasn’t particularly frightening at all. If I did, on the very rare occasion, decide to take...

Thursday Movie Picks – Halloween/TMP Television Edition: Horror

For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves, we’ve been asked to list three to five TV shows from the horror genre. As usual I have based my selection from films I've watched. It was a hard call just picking five, as there were actually six in the running. A special...

Thursday Movie Picks – Halloween edition: Horror Comedy

For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves, we’ve been asked to list three to five films that are in the comedy-horror subgenre for the next part of a special Halloween series of posts. As usual I have based my selection from films I've watched. Shaun of the Dead  (2004, Dir....