August: Osage County

There’s a very specific kind of acting that I can’t stand. It’s over the top, it’s shouty, it’s showy, it’s very much aimed at getting awards. I refer to it as ACTING with all capital letters, when you speak about it you slip into a loud, plummy accent. ACTING darling, ACTING…

12 Years A Slave

I’ve not been terribly good at getting to the cinema recently, but the Oscar nominations last week have focussed my mind. I didn’t want 2014 to be yet another year where I hadn’t seen the winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in advance of the ceremony. Given that until today I had only seen two of the nine nominees…

Top Ten: 2013 Movies (so far…)

We’re almost half-way through the year so it’s time to have a look back at how 2013 has been so far. Next week I’ll be doing a Top Ten books that I’ve read this year (although not all have been published in 2013) but I’m starting with the Top Ten 2013 Films…

Star Trek Into Darkness

I’m not a Star Trek fan – the TV series did nothing for me and I’m fairly neutral on the films. I quite liked The Next Generation but I’ve never gone nuts over it. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the J.J. Abrams reboot in 2009 which imagined a world where the young Kirk and Spock couldn’t abide each other…

Top Ten: Tantalising 2013 Trailers

2013 is looking like a decent year for cinema. The beginning of the year saw some great films released – Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln are among my favourites and the summer blockbuster season has already had a decent start…

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….