What I think about films, TV and celebs!
1917 won Best Drama and Best Director for Sam Mendes at the Golden Globes on Sunday and there’s a reason for that. I honestly didn’t think it was going to win over the likes of The Irishman but I was pleasantly surprised and I hope this love continues throughout awards season.
I was looking forward to The Current War because I felt like it would fill a gap in my knowledge – I knew nothing about George Westinghouse and his involvement with the evolution of electricity – but the film only offers a potted history and I felt ambivalent about the whole thing.
It’s about to be the start of a new month, which means it’s time, once again, to look ahead to the films coming to UK cinemas this July.
I am usually ridiculously hyped for Marvel movies but I never was for Doctor Strange and I don’t know why. Maybe cos it’s so different to the others. I was hoping the movie itself would surpass my expectations but it didn’t. It was good, I liked it but I didn’t come out thinking ‘this is awesome’ like the others.
It’s that time of the month – movie preview time! This October isn’t a massive month for releases to be honest, but that certainly makes my job of picking my recommendations much easier. Here we go:
American Honey
This is just a wonderful character study starring newcomer Sasha Lane, who is definitely one to watch. We follow her as she joins a ‘mag crew’ who travel the country selling magazines, she gets involved in their heavy drugs and drink lifestyle and has a sort-of relationship with Shia LaBeouf, who gives his strongest performance in years. It’s a tad too long but seriously life-affirming. Review on its way. Released: 14th October
War on Everyone
Michael Pena and Alexander Skarsgard star in this brilliantly un-PC comedy about two crooked cops, who basically use their badges to steal drugs, money, etc and get away with it. The dialogue is hilarious; it is sharp, witty, and so, so wrong. Theo James also stars as their main villain. Released: Friday 7th October
The Girl on the Train
Okay, so this hasn’t received the stellar reviews we had all been expecting but I would still recommend you check it out. It is still good (just not amazing) – it is gripping, shocking and features an impressive performance from Emily Blunt, who plays an alcoholic who becomes involved in a missing person’s investigation. It also stars Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, with brilliant small appearances from Laura Prepon and Lisa Kudrow. Released today – you can read my review here.
Trolls
I do love a good children’s animation and I’m hoping this new musical featuring the voices of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick is just the ticket. They play Branch and Poppy, who go on an adventure to save their town from the troll-eating bergens. I want this to be so much fun. Released: 21st October
Doctor Strange
Marvel is back WOOHOO! This time we are meeting Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a top surgeon who is put out of a job following a car accident. He encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who become his mentor in the mystic arts. It looks like an Inception-style superhero movie from the trailer and I’m very intrigued, though definitely not as excited as other MCU offerings. Released: 28th October
Keeping Up with the Joneses
The trailer for this action comedy really made me laugh so I’m hoping the rest of the movie will do the same. Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis star as the Gaffneys, a regular married couple, who end up involved in an espionage mission after discovering their neighbours The Joneses (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) are secret agents. This better be hilarious! Released: 28th October
Zoolander 2 has been out for a couple of weeks now but I have only just managed to see it. I generally agree with the reviews – it is not as good as the original one and at times it isn’t funny at all – but I think we can all agree the celebrity cameos were the most impressive thing about it (plus all the original cast returning).
It’s the start of a new month which means my usual ‘what to watch’ list. Most of January’s list was comprised of the U.K. playing catch up with releases that had been out in the U.S. for months – but in February we finally get some actual 2016 movies like Deadpool and Zoolander 2. YAAAAY! Here’s my run-down of February highlights:
I had been raring to see this for ages because it looked set to be Johnny Depp’s best performance in years and he is bloody amazing. He is virtually unrecognisable and absolutely terrifying. This is a total must-see for his performance alone.
It is that time of the month again and this November, there are some pretty sweet movies on the way as awards season is well and truly upon us. Find out my picks below:
Tickets for the BFI London Film Festival opened today and I have been through the schedule and here are my (pretty obvious) choices for the tickets I want to get my hands on:
