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!