rags to riches stories don't always involve a pretty girl in a pretty dress. The Blind Side doesn't make a song and dance about it.

TDR RATING 8/10

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron): It's nice, I never had one before.Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock): What, a room to yourself?Michael Oher: A bed.

It is with great shame that I admit that I hadn't seen this before now. Every now and then some movies just fall by the wayside. I sat down to watch this just after having seen Into the Wild, Emilie Hirsch plays Chris McCandless who abandons his modern life to live in the wilderness. I recommend only watching this if you are feeling emotionally stable as it will leave you a little unhinged. Back to my point, The Blind Side was a completely contrasting story, though both inspirational for different reasons both carry the same idea. A true story about a young Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) and his journey from the housing projects to American football superstar. Now I know very little about American football and the NFL other than that college football is a REALLY BIG DEAL! Honestly I am only really interested in the half time show; that’s the fault of my day job. The year Beyoncé performed, I really did try to watch the whole thing, but there was a power cut in the 3^rd quarter? I think? It was about 4 a.m. here in London, I couldn’t make it to the end and I just fell asleep.  

John Lee Hancock’s interpretation of Michael Lewis’s book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is in essence a documentation of Oher’s rag to riches story. Oher had a difficult start like many young people who grew up in the projects, for lack of a better word he is rescued. Oher was taken in by the Tuohy’s who are a well to do family whose fortune came from the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut franchise. Sandra Bullock won the 2009 Best Actress Academy Award for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy. Her Good Samaritan nature kicks in when she spot’s Michael wandering the streets in the rain in only a t-shirt and shorts and carrying a spare t-shirt in a plastic bag. We follow as Michael and Leigh-Anne bond as she enables him to achieve what he thought was a near impossible future. It is a real-life Cinderella story that isn't without heart and power. I feel that Bullock is often underestimated in her ability and the gravitas that she can present along with her charming personality and sense of humour.

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The Blind Side makes you laugh and feel good but the picture doesn’t lead you up the garden path. John Lee Hancock makes a solid point of showing that many of these young men and women from these housing projects don’t have such a lucky escape. 

WTF did I just watch? Attempting to relate to Harmony Korine's Spring Breaker's in my Late 20's

TDR RATING - 4/10

 Spring break forever, bitches. - Vanessa Hudgens as Candy

I get the impression that Spring Breaker’s is trying to be too smart for its own good, to the point that its intention is completely lost on me. The rumour mill is going at it again with producers wanting to cash in on a sequel to the cult hit. Thankfully one of its stars, James Franco who plays Alien a gun and drug dealer has already got super annoyed at the mere idea of a sequel.  Understandably as there is absolutely no need for one.  It is starting to become really quite boring that there is a major lack of originality in Hollywood. Cult films are so because of their originality, the cast and sometimes because they are a little bit (or a lot) weird, look at Heathers, pretty much any Wes Anderson movie, The Crow, Garden State, Donnie Darko and the list goes on. I was the perfect age for Donnie Darko, when it was released it was a slow burner. Nobody at school had heard of it, I felt like it was my own little piece of weirdness. It wasn't till it sat on the shelves of the video rental shop that it became a cult hit. Donnie spoke to my teen angst, (this probably is a little bit too much into my inner psyche but still it seems relevant). Angst driven and paired with a flawless soundtrack, I was exposed to abstract thought and music that was familiar but had no real connection to.  Is Spring Breaker's what teens connect to now? I am in my late 20’s, a little less impressionable and with less angst, my ability to relate is a little off. 

Now the casting is really something to behold. I would love to pick the brains of both the characters and the actresses who played them. What drove these teen sensations to say yes to such dicey roles? Vanessa Hudgens as Candy and Selena Gomez as Faith where (mostly) squeaky clean poster girls. Maybe this was their ‘Miley Cyrus’ moment? Fed up of the ‘good female role model’ ideal and ready to be seen as strong, independent and creative women. There has been a lot of talk about the lack of strong female characters in Hollywood and these young women are strong. I just can’t help but be a little disappointed in that they did it with their boobs out.

The plot was confusing, sparse on details, detailed in flesh. Abstract and free interpretation of the meaning is all well and good, but down right confusing isn't. What was the motivation? It’s just girls gone wild? James Franco was brilliantly terrible making the story, albeit only slightly, more tolerable (shame about the accent though).

I don't if you know but Tribeca Film Festival has an online festival of Shorts and they are top notch!

Just click the picture below, sign up and go. 

Hell's Kitchen is cooking up something incredible and it tastes devilishly good.

Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll): Can I ask a personal question?

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox): I haven't always been blind.

Karen: I guess that's what everyone wants to know.

Matt: That or, "How do you comb your hair?"

There is something that is just so seductive about this poster.

Well what a fantastic move that was with Daredevil? If you haven’t seen any of it, I beg you go watch it. It’s a brutal and dark take on Marvel’s series. While Marvel is on the upswing, taking time to produce something of merit with the story was really spot on move.  Along with the decision to move to T.V. and collaborate with Netflix, Marvel are killing it!

Initially I was a little confused with the Charlie Cox casting as Matt Murdock, I loved Stardust for so many reasons I thought I wouldn't be able to leave Cox’s Tristan Thorn behind. I know he’s done a bunch of stuff since then, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey and then there’s The Theory of Everything. He’s had a slow burner of a start to his career but that’s not to say there’s not great things coming from him. As far as Cox goes with Daredevil, it’s a fantastic surprise that he is really great at the superhero thing. He absolutely kills any memory of Ben Affleck in the role. This is a gritty and dark piece of T.V. a total contrast to Marvel’s work with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which I have kind of let fall by the wayside after the first few episodes, the same can be said for D.C’s Gotham they just don’t have the pull that I wanted them to have.

Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, I have most certainly had mega-girl crush on her since her first appearance on True Blood and I've been eagerly anticipating what she would move onto next. She is as charming and tenacious as I had hoped and the fact that the looming/inevitable romance has been somewhat put off in the series, it’s really refreshing to see that the sub-plot was less about romance and more about the friendships. The friendship between Murdock and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) is especially captivating watching these friends deal with each other’s live choices. Henson is far becoming one of my favourite supporting actors, for me he was incredible in The Butterfly Effect (which I think is totally underrated BTW.) and who can forget The Mighty Ducks! OK I JOKE! Maybe? Who knows? Now the antagonist of the whole scenario is the one and only Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) brilliantly cast and a character of many layers. Thankfully they left behind the Bullseye/KingPin storyline from the atrocious Affleck Daredevil. Fisk is dark to perfection and oh did he make me hide behind cushions! Having now finished the series I can only eagerly await The Defenders which should be appearing on Netflix by the end of this year, finger’s crossed!!

Zack Snyder is a bit of a tease, releases a little IMAX teaser for Batman v. Superman

Confirmed 4.20.15 #BatmanvSuperman @IMAX special teaser screening events. Limited space. RSVP http://t.co/TasYGlJGig https://t.co/fnxFIERUlv
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) April 16, 2015

From the looks of that Batman Suit, Bruce Wayne is getting old. EEEK

No Replicants may apply within. The Final Cut of Blade Runner still proves to be the best.

I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life - anybody's life; my life. All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die.

- Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) Narration from the original 1982 release.

Sean Young is far to beautiful for me to not run this without her face on it somewhere. <3

As part of the Future Films Strand, the BFI on the Southbank in London has been showing Ridley Scott’s adaptation Blade Runner: The Final Cut of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Android’s dream of Electric Sheep? As I am not quite old enough (don’t hold that against me!) to have seen the picture for the first time at the cinema, this was a little bit of a no-brainer. Not to say I haven’t seen this before, I am not a hermit. Blade Runner was meant to be watched on the big screen, the visual feast and Vangelis’ score can be admired in its full glory. Upon entering the cinema we were handed a printed Credit’s list for the picture along with a brief summary and excerpt from producer Michael Deeley’s Book; Blade Runners, Deer Hunter’s and Blowing the Bloody Door’s Off. I only actually got around to reading pamphlet when I sat down to write this and there are some points that Deeley makes that underline my existing thoughts on the changes. I was a little concerned that I may have forgotten some of the details it’s been a while since I last watched it. The ‘Final Cut’ doesn’t rip apart the original and try to rehash it together as Deeley says it does simply ’restore’ it.  The poorly cut scene of Zhora’s (Joanna Cassidy) demise is re-edited, as is Roy Batty’s (Rutger Hauer) symbolic release of the dove; those scenes now have a better flow to them. There are a few other minor tweaks to it but Blade Runner is still the masterpiece it was.

Everyone in the cinema shared a chuckle as the movie stated it was set in Los Angeles in 2019. I’m pretty sure we are a little way from experiencing anything similar to the dystopian future Blade Runner set up.  With rumours floating around of a Blade Runner 2 without Ridley Scott, I am unsure of the need to revisit the story. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Harrison Ford has as we all know is involved with the return to the Star Wars saga along with the announcement of Indiana Jones 5 , can Ford jump into something now that isn’t a reboot/sequel or some damned awful The Expendables movie. Sorry! There have always been questions around whether or not Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a replicant; a short shelf-life synthetic human who is implanted with false memories, I think this story ends well where it does. Blade Runner has made a path for young filmmakers inspired by the neo-noir sci-fi thriller. Can’t we just leave it on the pedestal the story deserves? 

Beauty and The Beast Cast Photo.

Can't wait for you to be our guest.

A photo posted by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Apr 14, 2015 at 11:37am PDT

I just couldn't help myself! :-/

Fall in love with Paris in one movie. Midnight In Paris - Woody Allen you are a master of your art!

TDR RATING 8/10

We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist's job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence. - Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates)

Owen Wilson stars as Gil, the eternal romantic who falls in love with Paris in the 1920’s. Set in the modern day Gil finds that after midnight he is whisked off into 1920’s Paris. He finds himself socialising with literary and artistic geniuses, the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Scott Fitzgerald. Gil every night escapes his frustrating engagement to fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and sinks himself into this fantastical world from the past. 

Owen Wilson is a master of comedy there's no doubt, but it’s really his work in drama, the real and heartfelt pieces where he has immense gravitas and poignancy. Wilson is flanked by a strong supporting cast, the kings and queens of literature and art; Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald respectively, Corey Stoll as Hemingway, Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, Adrian Brody as Salvador Dalí and finally the mesmerising Marion Cotillard as Adriana.  

Midnight In Paris encapsulated the beauty and the effervescence of the 1920’s. If you haven’t been to Paris, you yearn for it; if you have then you are desperate to go back. I once had dinner in at Bouillon Chartier, I think that’s the closest I’ll ever come to experiencing early 20^th Century Paris. Oh the beauty and the food! I highly recommend you go eat there!! Oh I digress! Music is an excellent way to time travel and Woody Allen has accomplished this remarkably with his selection and composition accompanied by such beautiful costume design. If you would like a romantic escape from reality then this is it, though it has a bitter-sweet tone to it, isn't that the cost of a true literary romance?  

The Book of Life - a refreshing take on animation

TDR RATING 7.5/10

An underestimated animation that came out last year, The Book of Life is beautiful and vibrant. If you have any small children, this is definitely a miserable Sunday afternoon movie that will bring a bit of sunshine back into your living room. It’s got some great re-workings of some chart hits like Mumford and Son’s I Will Wait and Radiohead’s Creep paired with some classic pieces from operas such as Carmen. With Guillermo del Toro taking a seat as a producer on the project and Jorge R. Guttiérrez at the helm as director and writer. The Book of Life has an inspiring artistic style, Guttiérrez has a fantastic eye for imagery with the Day of the Dead influencing the artistry. It’s not just the art that is impressive, the plot wonderfully addresses ideas of life, love, death and the afterlife. It’s a brilliantly refreshing animated movie, maybe that’s why it wasn't so successful on its world wide release in comparison to other films with a similar target audience since it ranks number 59 on IMDb's 2014 profit list. It’s just frustrating that TNMT and Rio 2 were above it on the list. Needless to say The Book of Life still has the star power of Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Diego Luna, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube and of course a cameo by Danny Trejo all absolutely on point, with a few hammy accent moments from Tatum. Guttiérrez and del Toro make a great team in animated movies, I hope they venture out together again soon. 

A movie about amnesia, Before I Go To Sleep isn't so forgettable.

TDR RATING - 6/10

There’s a couple of movies floating around with the theme of Anterograde Amnesia: 50 First Dates, Dory has it in Finding Nemo and Remember Sunday. Before I Go To Sleep takes a new and chilling approach to the predicament. Christine Lucas wakes up every day believing she is in her early 20’s when in fact she is 40. With a story board of photographs to remind her of her life and having to put instant faith into the first person she sees in the morning, her husband Ben (Colin Firth). One particular morning is different when she begins to question her life and the trust she has to place in her husband Ben. Nicole Kidman as Christine Lucas is unsurprisingly brilliant, Christine is vulnerable and overwhelmed by her surroundings. Watching her process the information as quickly as possible is captivating. Now if you are a fan of Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy or any other of his charming yet bumbling British gentlemen roles then you may not want to see this one. Firth is as surprising in Before I Go To Sleep as Robin Williams was in One Hour Photo. May all your previous opinions on him be quashed, Firth is more versatile than I had ever hoped. I found myself hiding behind pillows with the tension. An impressive thriller considering its initial reception. 

Mid Week Girls Night In movie.

 TDR RATING 6/10

Dick: Hi I'm Dick

Rosie: Of Course, you are. 

I just had to use a picture with that terrible wig on Claflin. 

So what! I am a sucker for a chick flick, I can’t help it. With Sam Claflin doing such a wonderful job as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games, who could possible resist that Riot Club boy smile? I sure couldn't. So here is where I confess to having watched Love, Rosie. Oh the Shame! A classic will-they-won’t-they story between Rosie and Alex played by Lily Collins and Sam Claflin respectively.  Mixed with a lot of really bad timing, it’s wonderfully cringe worthy. It’s got some great little slice of life moments which are in my opinion few and far between. Any of these moments then get totally pushed aside by some unsurprising Hollywood-isms. I have a big issue with some of the language used (not bad language, I mean geographically); two supposedly quintessential British teenagers were far too Americanised. This was pre Alex moving to America to study at Harvard; yes of course it was going to be Harvard. 

The cast were great, they were emotive and fun. Lily Collins is enchanting and that isn't just because of those incredible eyebrows! She is really charismatic and excels at the part of Rosie; I can’t help but think that Rosie should have been a more salt of the earth kind of girl. Jaime Winstone provided a wonderful best friend to Rosie, but it stuck to the same archetypes that every chick flick/ teen romance does.  The best friends are what can only be described as bubbly and fun and the women that are projected as the enemy are much taller, much more beautiful, blonde and not quite as nice as the heroine. So you equally envy and dislike them. There are no real surprises in this movie but fun to say the least and most definitely a mid-week girl’s night in movie. 

New Marvel's Avengers:Age of Ultron Trailer is here!

It's two weeks until the premier of the latest instalment of the Avengers saga with it's general release scheduled for the 1st May. Avengers:Age of Ultron marks the end of phase 2 of this particular story line with a cataclysmic destruction of the world. Supposedly Ant-Man, which is to be released on 17th July; will be the end of Marvel's phase 2 and the beginning of phase 3. This is set to be a pretty action packed year, along with the new reworking of Fantastic Four; out 7th August. So I figured I'd put the latest TV Spots/Trailers in one place.

This teaser is a little old now, I expect there will be some new trailers soon. fingers crossed!

Also click Here to see the cast/filmmaker commentary on the latest trailer. It looks a bit more serious than the  It's a bit empty of information but it looks ok, I'm not desperate to see it at the moment, 20th century Fox are trying to Christopher Nolan/Batman it. We'll see whether it works.

Meanwhile on the small screen the Daredevil trailer number 4 was released today (yes charlie cox yes!I am so so excited for this on Netflix! on the 10th April so here are the latest trailers #3 and #4 for your perusal.

I am so excited by this! Deborah Ann Woll, I am so happy you are back on my T.V. screen. 

(I haven't included any info on Arrow/The Flash I need to catch up with that, Thank you marvel for being so wonderful right now, just don't f-up spiderman again pls.)

Amy Winehouse documentary trailer just released!

Here is the Amy Trailer. The long awaited Amy Winehouse Documentary is coming out this year. I get the feeling this is going to be super sad. Tissues at the ready.

If music be the food of love...play on! How Suite Française; a bittersweet war-time romance wooed me.

TDR RATING - 8/10

It feels like every minute there is a movie adaptation of a book. Please don't take that the wrong way, I don’t have anything against this because pictures need source material.  If anything I'm as pro-adaptation as I am genuine originality; How many guises have we seen a re-hashed Shakespeare play.  Suite Française, adds to the plethora of adaptations out there. For me there were reminders the passion of Charlotte Gray (2001) and a hint of grit of 2014’s Fury. The romance is a well-executed story; believable in the time and an honest glimpse of how it was to live as a married woman in war-time France, when marriages were a thing of status. The social impact of a German army descending onto a small French town was depicted with brutal realism and truth.  

Other than the enchanting Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas and new 'hot property' Margot Robbie, there is very little that is Hollywood about this picture. The colour and tone of the picture is stark and grim. The only true glimpse of colour are in the dresses of Lucille Angellier played by Williams, they are very much representational of her emotions. Irène Némirovsky wrote the text during Nazi occupied France; Suite Française it is thought of as a true reflection of the times, the pain is very real.  Though the text was unfinished due to her classification as a person of Jewish faith, despite her conversion to Catholicism; her fate was to die of typhus in Auschwitz in 1942. 

The power of the music is perfect, sublime and yet epic; it’s a tour de force of emotion. A couple brought together through a mutual love of music is a true Romeo and Juliet scenario, I know another Shakespeare reference! I suppose this could be seen as a chick flick, it’s target audience is most definitely women. But that isn’t to say that it doesn’t have a broader range of appeal. It’s just not all gunfire and violence.

I need to give a quick nod to Sam Riley as Benoit Labarie; Berets off to you sir you did a cracking job, what a hero!

Brandon Routh looks SO happy with his A.T.O.M. suit!

Brandon Routh tweeted this still from the next Arrow/The Flash crossover. He looks so so happy! I think THIS was the role you were meant for in your own serial, not Superman. No Biggie. oh Felicity Smoak is a lucky girl!

Who Run The World Girls! Tina Fey strikes gold again with The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Hashbrown: No Filter 

- Kimmy Schmidt

Women in comedy really are killing it at the moment and I just couldn't be happier about it. The theme tune has been stuck in my head since the first episode. Though the idea is a little less culturally relevant now since. The theme’s reminiscence of YouTube viral sensation of Antoine Dodson’s remixed report of a man breaking into a house broke the internet was way back in 2010 or slightly more recently (and relevant), Charles Ramsey’s Dead Giveaway in 2013.  It’s a genius touch to Tina Fey’s latest piece of genius creativity.  Despite being totally devastated by the ending of Fey’s 30 Rock, this latest piece of female lead comedy is a breath of fresh air.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, follows a woman who’s been trapped with three other women in an underground bunker for 15 years in an attempt to avoid the apocalypse; on their release the media frenzy that surrounds the women dubs them as ’The Mole Women’. The women were entrapped by cult enthusiast Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne played by the usually charismatic Jon Hamm. It’s great to see him as such a character, as wonderful as he is as Don Draper in Mad Men. Ellie Kemper is delightful as Kimmy Schmidt, her wit and wide-eyed-wonder is completely charming and entertaining, plus her costumes are the greatest! Titus Burgess as Titus Andromedon is, for lack of a better word completely fabulous, but that’s not surprising since his appearance in 30 Rock as D’Fawn was an absolute treat to watch. I’m so glad he’s got a bigger platform to really shine on, I’m expecting great things. Another 30 Rock cast member who has also stuck with Fey is Jane Krakowski, whose sense of comic timing is impeccable as both Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock and Jacqueline Voorhees in TUKS (Sorry for the accronym, it’s a long title. But not as long as that last sentence DOH!). There are a plethora of recognisable faces throughout the series which really is such a treat. Though it doesn’t appear to be an instant hit except with existing Fey-fan’s, let’s remember that neither was 30 Rock so let’s just give it the time it needs to develop. That’s probably why it’s a much better fit for Netflix than for NBC (I bet their kicking themselves now).

Season Two, is going to be so FETCH!

Alejandro González Iñárritu's next picture has an awe insipring cast

The Reverent release date 25/12/15

Iñárritu really did kick some butt with Birdman, his next project due to be released on christmas day this year. A departure from his last mega sucess, The Reverent is set on the frontier in the 1820's a man is set out on a path of vengance after being left for dead.  This isn't an original piece by Iñárritu, he has adapted the original novel of the same name from Michael Punke alongside Mark L. Smith (The Hole and Vancancy). I don't doubt he would have put his own stamp on it, from the looks of the still's released so far it should be a cracking piece. Aided by a host of wonderful actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are back together again, what a treat! Along with some bright young things in the form of actors Will Poulton and Domhall Gleeson. The Brits really are taking on America.

Dear Diary, My teen angst has a body count. iZombie is the new Zom-Com for The CW.

What's more meta than a zombie having a bad zombie dream?

- Liv Moore, S01E02 Brother, Can you spare a brain?

Ok, so I had to use the best line from Heather's for this, it just felt right! If you haven’t seen the TV spots yet, this new TV comedy/crime/drama series from The CW is the latest comic book adaptation to hit the small screen. This series echoes similar thoughts that are behind My Life As A White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. This is in fact a great T.V. serial that has really set a pace for itself.  With the obligatory gross out brain eating session, the gore is so far pretty low key its going for prime-time slots less late night horror.  There's a bit of a diary entry style narrative from our leading lady zombie, Liv Moore (Rose McIver); such a wonderfully poetic name for a zombie. There’s a couple of familiar faces mainly Heroes antagonist David Anders as Blaine DeBeers and One Tree Hill darling Robert Buckley as Major Lilywhite, Liv’s ex-fiance.

The show has quite substantially changed from its source material so far. With the lead artist Michael Allred from the original comic book series on board, providing the open credits art and the occasional sting, it ties in nicely. We’ll just have to wait and see whether or not it will follow the main plot of the original text and keep up its current rage-virus pace, or drag behind with the rest of the hoard.

Of course Ryan Reynolds' poses 'seductively' in new Deadpool costume

Check this guy out, here's the super official it's-ryan-reynolds-in-that-deadpool-suit-photo. 

Oh Ryan! How we love to hate you, you big tease! Please don't ever change. 

Interstellar - Not so out of this world

Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated space epic has finally reached us in the form of DVD/Blu-Ray/Streaming.  Though it didn't please everyone, it lacked the overall gravitas that Inception had and the mere presence of Matt Damon put me a little on edge initially. Matthew McConaughey performs well, I think it would be unwise to think that his performance in this was going to be equal to his performances in Dallas Buyer’s Club and True Detective due to the nature of the story; but McConaughey is strong. His supporting cast members Anne Hathaway as NASA astronaut, Michael Caine as Professor Brand, John Lithgow as Coopers Father, Cooper's Daughter is played by Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain as the young and older Murph.  are strong but again are only let down by the strength of the plot. The premise is a solid idea, it’s clear and not a completely unrealistic idea of how the human race meets its demise on earth. However, it begins to unravel in space; the plot becomes a little thin and a little rushed in comparison to the earth set scenes which are incredibly detailed and well thought out.

Interstellar really does require you to suspend your disbelief; Nolan’s visual style is epic and breath-taking but does not quite make Interstellar his career defining piece. 

Heathers - A Seminal piece of Teen Drama

Best friends, social trends and occasional murder.

Heathers is still perfectly relevant to today’s young audience and still a guilty pleasure for the audiences whom first received it. This delicious black comedy is a brutal take on the emerging teen movie genre that began to appear in the 1980’s. Our primary character is Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) is in student in a cliquey Ohio school, who after meeting and falling for the sociopath J.D. (Christian Slater) goes on a murderous rampage though the school, beginning with the Heather’s the three most popular girls in school. In many way’s Tina Fey’s Mean Girls echo’s many of the themes from Heather’s though there’s no murder in Mean Girls. The subject matter becomes even more prominent now more than ever since the numerous amount of high school tragedies such as Columbine. These thoughts leads me to think that this picture may be social relevant for a long time to come.

Classic Cinema Sunday - His Girl Friday

This 1940’s romantic comedy still stands the test of time, It has you laughing out loud at the slapstick phsysicality and the straight up hilarious nature of the dialogue. His Girl Friday is based on a play called The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Though this premise is the same there is a gender change and Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is played as a woman. Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is the editor of a newspaper; The Morning Post. Walter does not wish to lose his star reporter and wife Hildy whom quit the position 4 months earlier, Hildy announces she wishes to divorce Walter in order to marry Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Walter decides that he’s not ready to give her up and through as variety of tricks he tries to keep her from leaving. The faced paced and witty dialogue combined with great chemistry between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell makes for a very entertaining pairing. 

Horns - Makings of a cult favourite?

Daniel Radcliffe has had to spend alot of time and effort shaking off the Harry Potter Saga. Its not done him any harm though spending time singing and dancing, with some moments of nudity and horses and accents on the stage of some high profile shows. Radcliffe now having been a little quiet on the film front appears to be picking up the pace with some interesting and versatile roles. 

Horns is a really interesting choice for Radcliffe, Loosely based on Joe Hill’s novel of the same name. Radcliffe plays Ig Perrish a reclusive man whom has been targeted and victimised over the murder and rape of his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple). Ig wakes up one morning and discovers he has newly developed superpowers and horns. Ig uses these powers to discover the true identity of the person who killed his beloved Merrin. This is begins as a black comedy but throughout the picture it becomes more of a horror. It’s thoughtful and the casting all round is strong. The only downside is it loses its pace every now and again which takes it from being a great film to and ok film, but the cult fan in me still loves it despite its shortfalls.

Kristen Wiig Night

I fell into the world of Saturday Night Live mainly due to the hilarity of The Lonely Island and their spectacular music videos. Then I found myself trawling though YouTube videos and watching old streams of SNL. The women of SNL are incredible and perfectly imperfect - Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Molly Shannon and Kristen Wiig.

Now the reason I focus now on Wiig is that her versatility is astounding, she can be funny and charming to dramatic to crass, then there’s her vocal talents. So here in no particular order are my favourite Wiig movies.

1.      Bridesmaids (2011)

Wiig’s most commercially successful movie to date, Excluding her roles animated features such as franchises’ How To Train Your Dragon ($394m combined gross) and Despicable Me franchise ($612.5m combined gross).  She co-wrote along with Annie Mumolo her first feature length picture and what a smash it was. Hilarious and fearless, Wiig and Mumolo’s script is perfectly shameful. It shows what a great partnership Wiig and Melissa McCarthy can be. *wink*ghostbusters*wink*

2.      Skeleton Twins (2014)

A wonderful piece of dramedy that shows Wiig’s full potential and bounces off Bill Hader wonderfully as her twin brother Milo. Milo and Wiig’s character Maggie are entering a phase of crisis both struggling with their lives, after not seeing each other in 10 years they go through a turbulent reunion in which they eventually find solace. Wiig really seems to excel in seeing the comedy in tragedy and sadness, it really suits her.  A really great supporting cast with Luke Wilson as Maggie’s husband Lance and the wonderful Ty Burrell as Milo’s ex-teacher Rich.

3.      The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Another picture that shows the scope of her talent. The object of Walter Mitty’s affection she proves herself as an actor with depth and humour, which can often be a battlefield of emotion.

4.      Friends With Kids (2012)

Not one of the best pictures of that year and pretty much straight to DVD/Streaming. But Wiig’s performance is perfection, thought largely being and ensemble comedy there are veins of drama that run through the movie and it’s in these moments of complete and utter painful heartbreak that Wiig reaches a new level. She really surpasses herself as an actress capable to true drama.

5.      Ghostbusters

Ok So I know that it’s not out yet and there’s no footage or anything, but I’ll be damned if Wiig doesn’t carry this movie. I really think an all-female cast from most of who are from SNL is an excellent. As Dan Aykroyd was an SNL cast member at the time of inception of the idea he had intended his fellow SNL buddy John Belushi to be a part of the project. SNL is part of Ghostbuster’s ectoplasm.

Worthy Wiig mentions –

Hateship Loveship (2013) (which I haven’t been able to get my hands on yet),

All Good Things (2010)

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Wiig movies to look out for –

Welcome to Me (Out 8^th May 2015),

Diary of a Teenage Girl (18^th March 2015)

Nasty Baby (no release date found as of yet, was a contender at Sundance Film Festival)

The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards (no details found as of yet, has a wicked cast so we’ll see)

And this!! Let's not forget Kristen's apperance on the 2015 Grammy's with Sia -

Keep doing what you're doing Kristen!

American Sniper - attempt 4

DR RATING 6/10

No the 4th attempt thing isn't the number of time's I have tried to watch it but the number of times I have tried to post this review. The universe seems against me on this one so I will keep this short and sweet. Though a well executed film put together by the brilliance of Clint Eastwood along with the indisputable talent of Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, this movie fall's short of Oscar winning quality all round. With the exception of winning Best Achievement in Sound Editing at the 2015 Academy Awards. American Sniper aims high but fails to hit its target unlike many previous military bio-pics. Eastwood tackles the source material well, with incredible sweeping shots of the war torn monotone landscape to the intimate shots of home life both on tour of duty and back in America. There are many uncertainties surrounding this film, one of which being the factual accuracy of the book written by Chris Kyle on his return from his 4th tour of duty. But from a cinematic stand point the script is a good piece of cinema. Kyle is a flawed character which more often than not makes for an intriguing watch, I found him very emotive; I both pitied him and disliked him.  The film also misses a few tricks the relationships of the service men are some of the most interesting parts but they are only briefly touched upon. The full gravitas of their deaths on Kyle are lost. All in all, a great anti-war film, but not the greatest war movie.

The Signal -

DR RATING 5/10

The Signal is an interesting one, sometimes I thought it was pure junk sci-fi and then I would think it was genius; it just doesn't quite commit to either one or the other. William Eubank had some big ideas but the majority of is lost plot and confusion. Brenton Thwaites as our lead as Nic who heads out on a road trip with his fellow MIT students and friends Haley (Olivia Cooke) and Jonah (Beau Knapp), they are drawn to a location but a computer genius they encountered on-line while back at MIT. Things change when everything blacks out and Nic awakens unable to walk and confronted by people in hazmat suits. The only face to face interaction is with Damon (Laurence Fishburne). This sci-fi thriller had bags of potential but it fell short with its plot. I can forgive the somewhat sketchy visual effects; I just feel pretty disappointed for a genre that I love.

Beauty and The Beast - Please be our guest!

Beauty and The Beast is the hot topic right now. With the release date announced as 17^th March 2017, the live action remake is due to star the English darling that is Emma Watson as Belle opposite Dan Stevens as The Beast. Along with newly announced Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Luke Evans as Gaston and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father Maurice. With Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella having smashed the box office with nearly $70m in its opening weekend this week, let’s hope as much thought goes into Beauty and The Beast. There’s many people like myself hoping it’s not horrible. 

Nightcrawler - Jake Gyllenhaal gets creepy again.

DR RATING 8/10

So Dan Gilroy's debut feature length picture is out for streaming, though I've been putting it on the back burner a little bit, man I really wish I hadn't. Gyllenhaal is spectacularly chilling as loner Louis Bloom in this noir-esq film. Bloom steals to make ends meet but when he discovers the underworld of night crawling his focus for work shifts. Night crawling is where film crew's trawl the streets for footage of incidents that they can sell onto local TV news. Bloom enrols the help of  young and homeless Rick (Riz Ahmed). Vulnerable and desperate, Rick is willing to do anything for a little cash.  Bloom becomes obsessed with chasing news with little or no thought for anything else. Bloom is an complete and utter sociopath, leaving you stunned at the levels he will stoop for money and success. Gilroy's script is strong and edgy, it covers some new subject matter I don't think has been covered before. It also has some really interesting social points, why is there desire for the public to see such graphic content in the news. I also need to mention Rene Russo's role as a veteran tv news employee who is a strong woman striving to maintain ratings. Russo's character Nina is pivetol in the unravelling of Bloom, watching him as he strives to impress her with footage to bargain and barter more money, with some subversive tactics.  As this is Gilroy's first directing piece, he really hit a home run with Gyllenhaal. His commitment to the physicality of the character is admirable, Gyllenhaal's eye's are expressive and generally creepy aided by the gaunt look in his face. The cinematography is another really strong aspect, the depth of colour and use of light is excellent.  You fall straight into this world, I found myself focusing on what he was picking up in his footage. All in all, an excellent thrilling ride.

The Crow remake starts production in Wales

So, tentatively I mention the remake of the 1994 cult classic The Crow. With Jack Huston now confirmed for the role of Eric Draven/The Crow, a role held in such high regard by many myself included. Now Nick Cave is penning the screenplay shines a little light on this.  A talented musician and now an emerging screenwriter Cave could be the man that gives this dark comic book series a new platform. However, the script is then in the hands of Corin Hardy who's debut wide-release feature length picture The Hallow is due to be released this year. This could be the perfect man for the job, he has tendencies for the dark and creepy in his shorts, see In The Back and Butterfly.

Now as much as I support British filmmaking, I just don't feel that I can get completely behind this (more than likely because I am far to emotionally attached to Brandon Lee as The Crow). I just feel given Lee's demise during the making of this picture that it should just be left alone and not rehashed and sent out into the stratosphere with a million other comic book movies that are currently in production and to be released in the next 5 years. We've all seen the terrifying timelines of the upcoming movies from DC and Marvel if you have have a look here. It's going to be so hard to compete or even be visible amongst all that and I am not saying it should. Needless to say I am really looking forward to Hardy's The Hallow (sadly no trailer as of yet) which is out 26th June 2015.

Is Twin Peaks Reboot no more?

David Lynch doesn't seem so sure any more.  After THAT big announcement last year we might not get a 3rd season after 25 years. WHY? because of complications with contracts. SIGH. 

Total false hope of David Duchovny reprising THIS role - 

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day so here are 10 movies from the motherland

1. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) - One for the kids

One of my favourite childhood film's my dad and I would watch this once a year as far back as I can remember. Darby O'Gill is funny, adventurous and endearing, it's a well written story based around old folklore stories of the 'little people' or leprechauns. The story follows an old man Derby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe), who loses his job to a younger more able man in the form of a very young and handsome Micheal McBride (Sean Connery). Derby O'Gill though a succession of events ends up in a series of escapades with the little people that live in the mountain near his home. It is a classic early live action Disney movie filled with heart and music.

2. Waking Ned (1998) - One for the Grandparents

Another Picture I am slightly biased over is as it was filmed where I grew up. Waking Ned, was also released under the title Waking Ned Devine. A comedy set in Ireland where and elderly man dies of shock when he win's the Irish lottery. We follow his closest friends as they try to hide his death from the lottery officials in an attempt to claim the prize. It's hilariously funny and cheeky one the whole family could sit down and have a giggle at.  

3. Angela's Ashes (1999) - One for the literary types

A memoir of Frank McCourt, the picture is a powerful dramatisation of the best selling book of the same name.  Alan Parker's visualisation is gritty and true, a real and visceral depiction of life for Irish families in the 1930's.  We follow the McCourt's from Frank's perspective who are living as Irish Ex-pats in America and follow the trials and tribulations as the find themselves back in Ireland. With a really strong casting in the roles of Angela (Emily Watson) and Malachy (Robert Carlyle) this true story shows the harsh nature of living in Ireland pre-war. 

4. Michael Collins (1996) - One for if you are in the mood for a political drama

Based on true events this is the life and death of Irish political activist Michael Collins in the 1920's. The film follows the establishment of the Irish Free State and the IRA, a true life drama with such a detailed interpretation of the events and violence in Ireland at the time, it deals with the delicate subject matter with repect and no bias. The picture is supported by a powerhouse cast with Liam Neeson as Collins, other cast members consist of Julia Roberts, Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman and Stephen Rea.

5. My Left Foot (1989) - One for the Artists

A movie which gave Daniel Day-Lewis his first of many best actor Oscars is life affirming and honest. Day-Lewis plays Christy Brown who has cerebral palsy, though assumed to be intellectually challenged in early life. It is through the perseverance of Christy's mother that Christy learns to paint and write to an exceptional standard through his only controllable limb, his left foot. 

6. P.S. I Love You (2007) - One for the romantics out there

I am pretty sure this is probably watched by many on valentine's day, it is cringe-worthiness and soppy yet a total guilty pleasure to watch. Hilary Swank plays a young widow who's husband's letter's are delivered to her after he passed away.....I don't really know why I started writing the plot because let's face it you've probably already watched it and if you haven't you certainly have heard of it, as many a housewife fantasy Gerard Butler plays the deceased husband. I'm pretty sure this us the movie that made Butler a heart-throb. So if you feel inclined to watch this on St. Patrick's go for it! No Judgement!

7. Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - One for the LGBT community

We watch Cillian Murphy prove yet again that he is possibly the most versatile Irish actor out there. Set in the 70's Murphy plays a transsexual woman Kitten. This is a comedy that deal's with real issues, being a trans woman in Ireland was difficult, with limited social acceptance at the time along with brushes with the IRA.  Kitten is also looking for her mother, when she finds herself in London, the chaos continues. Breakfast On Pluto is funny yet touching, Neil Jordan's picture is the second movie to grace this list having also written Michael Collins.

8. Leprechaun (1993) - One for the horror fans

Well I say horror, I think comedy-horror is more accurate. I couldn't resist putting this in the list as a little relief from the collection of political dramas on this list. Not one of Jennifer Aniston's finest moments but definitely a memorable one. Worth a watch for the creepy make-up creature-feature and some fun.

9. Veronica Guerin (2003) - One for the criminal minds

Another 'based on a true story', this time about journalist Veronica Guerin played by Cate Blanchett. Guerin writes a series of exposé about drug dealers in Ireland in 1996. Blanchett as per usual is excellent, she really is a flawless actress. Though this picture is a little 'Americanised' (sorry my american friends!) they are true to the woman she was.

10. Frank (2014) - One for the music fans

One of the of the best movies of 2014 - Just go watch.