You can see why companies want retired interns – with their final salary pensions they’re the only people who can afford to work unpaid in New York. The Intern reminded me of those couples who have been married for decades even though one is a Guardian reader and the other devours the Daily Mail, in its constant attempts… Intern, The Read More
Chain Reaction 2.5 stars
This is a 1996 film with a plot that wifi has rendered rather obsolete, a bit Like Home Alone which would never have worked if we’d had mobile phones. It’s about two very attractive people running away hand in hand from ugly people in the snow, I mean a scientific team discovering how to produce clean energy… Chain Reaction Read More
John Wick 5 stars
John Wick quickly lures you into its strange and self-contained world of murders-for-money, justified with an ambiguous sheen of honour. Its violence is repetitive yet compelling, the gunshots and stabbings almost hypnotic, as retired hitman John Wick and his old gangland boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) face and chase each other across New York with an… John Wick Read More
Reign of Fire 3.5 stars
This is a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for – in this case, an extended London Underground, where digging disturbs a creature left down there for centuries. And I’m talking a giant dragon, not some poor 16th century commuter desperate to get back to his olde hovel in Southwark. Reign Of Fire… Reign of Fire Read More
Nim’s Island 3.5 stars
I will be eternally grateful to Nim’s Island as it meant an afternoon not watching my children’s current fave, “Home Alone 4”, a movie which does for family franchises what Hannibal Lector did for Chianti sales. Set on a remote South Pacific island, Gerard Butler plays Jack Rusoe (Ja… Crusoe, geddit? No? Oh well), a widowed… Nim’s Island Read More
Far From The Madding Crowd 4 stars
I went through a big Thomas Hardy phase back in my teens (when you want authors who truly understand misery piled on misery, with a bit of extra misery thrown in for good measure) though I haven’t read or watched any in a while. Hardy stories tend to start bad then spiral into despair and utter… Far From The Madding Crowd Read More
Bad Moms 3 stars
For my Bad Moms Christmas review – click here Bad Moms isn’t awful by any means – there are some good gags and the female leads are engaging and fun – but it could have been a whole lot more. Perhaps if it had been written by actual mums. Yes Bad Moms was written by… Bad Moms Read More
Swallows and Amazons 4 stars
In the UK in the 1970s you really had to make your own fun, so a source of particular joy for children was sniggering at bedtime while one’s mother read aloud the exploits of the brilliantly named children Titty and Roger in Arthur Ransome’s classic tale of Lake District derring do. Sadly, though Roger remains… Swallows and Amazons Read More
Black Sheep 4 stars
Part sheep revenge fantasy, part cautionary tale about the evils of capitalism and the naivety of some activism, this is a shear delight, as demonic zombie sheep-human monsters take revenge on their captors (and anyone else who gets in their way). Not scared yet? Ewe wool be. If you like hiking, never has it been… Black Sheep Read More
Crimson Peak 4 stars
I’m a wuss when it comes to horror movies, but like the slasher film victim who just has to check out the scary noise in that basement while trying on bikinis when the power lines are down, I can’t stay away. I thought Crimson Peak wouldn’t be too bad to watch alone – it sounds… Crimson Peak Read More
Demolition 4 stars
If the title of this film wasn’t already so perfect it could be renamed “Two Stalkers and a Bulldozer”. I should warn you now though – that if you’re of a nervous disposition when it comes to wanton destruction, that a perfectly lovely high-shine kitchen gets destroyed in this movie. For those of us desperate… Demolition Read More
Coriolanus 5 stars
When it comes to Shakespeare, I sometimes feel that over the years I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly, on stage and screen. Shakespeare done well lifts you up with its sheer brilliance, but I’ve also sat through far too much lazy thigh slapping, hey nonny nonnies and unlikely mix-ups involving twins. And who can… Coriolanus Read More