Gareth and I don’t get many dates these days, so when we have them they are precious and not to be wasted.  To say the last one was wasted on Grimsby would be harsh but if I had my time over I would probably do it differently. The choice of film came down to Grimsby or Deadpool. We looked at what was on and these two were the films most likely to hit the middle ground between what we both enjoy. Action comedy is our safe zone.  Sometimes on a Friday night we can spend an agonising hour watching trailers of films on iTunes in the hopes of finding one we are both willing to try.  I think there has been a couple of times when after all that it’s got so late we give up and just watch James Corden in cars with famous people on YouTube.  It’s like searching for the Holy Grail finding a film we’re both going to equally enjoy. We watched trailers for both Grimsby and Deadpool and essentially Grimsby won …

When I saw the trailer to this film I wanted to see it straight away.  It’s about an Irish girl emigrating to New York in the 1950’s.  She falls in love with an Italian boy, but then has to return to Ireland when there is a family tragedy.  Whilst there she meets an Irish boy and there you have the drama – a life changing choice to be made.  Which boy?  Which country? The film is based on a book by Colm Toibin.  After what happened to A Time Traveller’s Wife and One Day when they were turned into films, I wanted to read the book before I saw the film.  Whilst I thought the film of A Time Traveller’s Wife was a great adaption, it just couldn’t come close to the depth and beauty of Henry and Clare’s story.  Anne Hathaway absolutely ruined One Day for me.  If I had seen the film first, I don’t think I would have bothered with the book.  My policy is always read the book first. I read …

Last week I went to see Trainwreck at the cinema. It is rude.  I mean, Amy Schumer rude.  It’s the sort of rude that means you shouldn’t see this with someone outside of your generation.  That is to say, don’t go with your mum or dad, certainly not your granny and I reckon watching it with someone who is young enough to be your child  (in my case 23 or under) would also be uncomfortable. It is funny.  Despite my comments above I would recommend it (unless you are in fact mine or Gareth’s parents), because the offensive, graphic parts are quick and not labouring the point.  They are just the right side of shocking and then they move on so you can enjoy the story. The story is essentially about Amy.  I’m pretty sure it’s about Amy Schumer herself.  She did write it so let’s assume there’s quite a bit in there that’s a reflection of her life.  In some ways the protagonist is a modern day Bridget Jones, still single when perhaps she …

I was warned before I watched this film so I think it’s only right that I should warn you too. You will need tissues, you will cry, it is sad. This is about a woman who I presume is in her fifties as they don’t give her exact age, only that she is young for her disease.  She is an academic, she has proven herself professionally and done it raising three successful children whilst married to an equally ambitious husband.  We enter her life when she has it all, a great career, strong marriage, loving family and her hair is ‘Julianne Moore fabulous’. But we cringe as she forgets what she wants to say at a presentation, worry as she forgets where she is on her daily jog and feel the anxiety with her when she begins tests with a neurologist who doesn’t say, I’m sure it’s nothing. I don’t think I am giving a spoiler here as it’s essentially the whole premise of the film – Alice has early on-set  Alzheimer’s.  She has a …

I shall warn you now, Anna Kendrick will not come off well in this review.  If you are a lover of the little songstress prepare yourself to feel defensive and most likely a little offended. The film is of course a sequel and sadly like 95% of sequels (unless they are part of a trilogy or adapted from a volume of books by the same author) it really didn’t entertain like the first.  I think it tried to.  In that, I’m pretty sure the new Director and her team sat down and said, ‘whatever was good in the first one, let’s do that again but louder’.  I think this will have been their to-do list: 1. A plot about the underdog.  The Bellas were successful at the end of the last one so let’s bring them back down to rock bottom with something super shocking.  Which leads to… 2. Fat Amy. She is by far the funniest character in the whole film so let’s make her part bigger and more outrageous, cue her flashing her …

This category of blog is the one I am hoping for the most interaction and feedback, a Movie Club if you will.  Please wade in with your thoughts, if you have seen the same film. I like to watch films.  I’m no buff, I don’t want to set my stall up as being someone who is qualified to be a critic but I enjoy “the movies”, so this is my space to share what I think of a film. Last night I went to see Age of Adaline.  I really enjoyed it. The story goes that Adaline, played by Blake Lively, was born in San Francisco at the beginning of the 20th century.  She marries and has a daughter.  Her husband dies in an accident connected with the building of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Soon after, in 1935, she is driving at night during an unusual snow storm, crashes off the road, her body freezes, gets struck by lightning and for some crazy made up scientific reason her body stops ageing. The film is set in …