Some films sneak into the cinema with only a smidgeon of promotion.  Others bash the cymbals, crash the drums, have months of hype and millions of dollars spent on a campaign that takes expectation beyond the stratosphere into the stars.  In the case of the latter, the film has got to be good.  After much …

It seems almost ridiculous to be writing a “Not Forgotten” piece about Kate Bush.  She is currently all the rage after undertaking her first live performance in 35 years, her back catalogue of albums charting again and a whole host of people discovering her music for the first time.   It’s no surprise that Hounds of …

Weather can be a dangerous thing, particularly if you live in Oklahoma where the tornadoes terrify high school students and wannabe YouTube stars alike. As long as there is a storm chasing documentary film crew around, they’ll all be safe, won’t they? If you think this plot sounds familiar, there is definitely a nod towards …

I belong to a unique group of people who have links with cancer in some way. It’s not like we want special treatment or anything, or to be recognised for this fact. It’s just life is difficult sometimes and this is our reality. You might think, then, that seeing The Fault In Our Stars is …

I never thought I’d see Woody Allen act again.  He’s already replaced himself in his own movies with the likes of Owen Wilson and Jesse Eisenberg.  What John Turturro did to lure Allen out in front of the camera again can only be imagined.  Maybe it was the promise of filming in New York and …

I don’t generally do monster movies.  In fact I don’t generally do what the BBFC would deem ‘sustained threat and peril’.  I blame watching slightly scary films on television with my Nannan, who would view them with the affect of a coiled spring.  When anything happened to make you jump, she would grab the nearest …

The new album from Suzanne Vega is a mixed bag.  The themes of the songs are fascinating, calling on aspects of Tarot, the Bible and feelings about a playwright and politician Vaclav Havel amongst other subjects.  She refers to her songs as stories and parables, and the lyrical content is always diverse, even if we …

I like it when we see Kenneth Branagh named as director for an action movie.  I like it even more when he gets to play the bad guy, all dead eyes, false smiles and charm.   Game on then. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a solid action thriller starring Chris Pine in the title role.  Ryan …

Judi Dench starring in a film opposite Steve Coogan?  I know!  Who’d have thought it?  It’s an interesting pairing which works, Coogan almost acting as Dench’s straight man for the purpose of the movie.  The character of Philomena is often unintentionally funny, but even with this it’s Dench that gets to deliver most of the …

So the second Thor installment.  What’s that about then?  An other-worldly superhero in the guise of a Norse-type god re-engages with his earthly love interest, whilst saving everyone from an evil enemy.  They do a lot of world jumping.  What?  That’s Christopher Eccleston under all that prosthetic make up?  A war! A monster! Some super …