Films watched and reviewed in September 2021

September seemed to shoot by and included a long weekend in Glastonbury and just under a week in Scotland. The film highlight of the month was watching Blade Runner at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, while Vangelis' synthesiser-led score was performed by The Avex Ensemble in-sync. 1ST TIMERS Big Business (1988) - Helmed by two fabulous...

Thursday Movie Picks – Halloween edition: School

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 set in a school for the first part of a special Halloween series of posts. As usual I have based my selection from films I've watched. The Faculty  (1998, Dir. Robert Rodriguez)...

Visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand

Happy Hobbit Day! During our visit to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand in 2017, my mum and I visited Matamata and Hobbiton Movie Set two days before we left New Zealand and started our long journey back to the UK. As we made the hour's drive from where we were staying in Rotorua we played...

Thursday Movie Picks – Outlaws

For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves, we’ve been asked to list three to five films that feature an outlaw. The Oxford English Dictionary defines an outlaw as: "A person who has done something illegal and is hiding to avoid being caught; a person who is not protected by the...

Films watched and reviewed in August 2021

August saw plenty of 2021 releases watched, including the brilliant Free Guy and quite bizarre Army of the Dead. The Bondathon also continues while thanks to Amazon Prime I have also started, binged and caught up with Outlander. 1ST TIMERS An Affair to Remember (1957) - A charming film but the leads - Grant and Kerr - lacked...

Thursday Movie Picks – Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Score and Best Original Song

For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves, we’ve been asked to list three to five films that took home the Academy Award for either Best Original Score and Best Original Song. As usual I have my selection from films I have watched. Best Original Score John Williams for Jaws (1975)...

Top 10 characters from AMC’s The Walking Dead

AMC's The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween 2010, an adaption of the comic book series of the same name that has made zombies a regular fixture on television screens across the globe for over a decade. The show started by following sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes of King County, Georgia, as he attempted to find his...

Films watched and reviewed in July 2021

There was a mixed bag of films watched this month, from the brilliant North by Northwest to the bizarre Harpoon. I had forgotten about Harpoon until I checked my Letterboxd to write this round up. I think that says it all. Something that has given me a lot of enjoyment over the last month has...

Thursday Movie Picks – Non-English Language Movies

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 not in the English language. I previously posted a top 10 list of films not in the English language earlier this year. For today's post I'm making my selection from films that...

Films watched and reviewed in June 2021

I watched a mixed bag of films in June. My selection included my first trip to the cinema in over 12 months to see A Quiet Place Part II. It felt great - and safe - being back in the cinema and I look forward to watching more releases on the big screen over the...

Super sleuth to rock god: 10 performances by Tom Cruise

As Tom Cruise celebrates his 59th birthday on 3 July it's worth reflecting on his incredible Academy Award-nominated career that has spanned 40 years. Cruise's first role was in 1981's Endless Love where he had a minor role as a friend of ones of the film's protagonists. His breakthrough role came two years later in the...

Thursday Movie Picks – Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects

We're thinking about the Academy Awards again for this week's Thursday Movie Picks, run by Wandering through the Shelves. We’ve been asked to list three to five films where the film took home either the Oscar for Best Cinematography or Best Visual Effects. As usual, I’ve made my selection from films I have seen. Best...