Jane Fallon describes her work as chick noir. I’ve never read any of the non-noir variety, but this is my third Fallon, and I looked forward to another fab read with a happily-ever-after.
Red Sparrow book vs movie review
FilmJennifer Lawrence stars in this grisly thriller as Dominika, a Bolshoi prima ballerina whose dance career is kiboshed when her clumsy partner (Sergei Polunin from Orient Express) delivers a gruesome, bone-shattering injury during a live performance.
I took a bereavement blogging break
BloggingThe last time I blogged was September 17. The last time I posted on Instagram was September 18. While I was never prolific, 14 weeks is a significant gap, especially as I was almost getting into the swing of things. But after years of making pulmonary fibrosis look like a head cold, my dad suddenly worsened.
Something in the Water, future movie, Reese Witherspoon
BooksWhile scuba diving on your dream honeymoon, you discover something sinister. Do you a) report it to the authorities b) speed away and pretend it didn’t happen, or c) get in way over your head?
Ma’am Darling by Craig Brown – Picasso wanted to marry Princess Margaret
BooksThe Shoebill is a prehistoric-looking bird that exists in the marshes of East Africa. Scientists know that these intensely private creatures rarely raise more than one chick; a second is insurance in case the older one doesn’t make it.
Netflix 13 Reasons Why – book vs show
Books, TV & NetflixRecently, I read “You Think It, I’ll Say It.” It’s a new book of short fiction by Curtis Sittenfeld, an author whose work often features adult women still seething at the injustices of high school.
Mini movie reviews for the weekend!
FilmI live on an island, and I have to get a boat to see most of the cooler stuff on at cinemas. But with movies coming out so fast on digital platforms and DVD, why spend all that money on choppy trips to the multiplex?
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher – an opus to Harrison Ford
BooksCarrie Fisher once gave a cow tongue wrapped in a Tiffany box to a film producer who allegedly attacked her friend. My first thought was “poor cow”. My second was “that sounds like Fisher.”
No, Solo isn’t about a boy band star’s quest for his own singing career
FilmWhen Alden Ehrenreich was officially cast as young Han Solo in the latest Disney Star Wars spin-off, the studio seemed oblivious that fan enthusiasm for this particular origin story wasn’t exactly sky-high.
Annihilation UK review – future cult classic or subpar sci-fi?
FilmA meteorite streaks past the camera. It carries an alien mineral, and it ain’t Vibranium. It smashes to Earth; the invasion of the planet has begun. Ground zero is covered by an iridescent dome called the Shimmer, which looks like a soap bubble, or a gigantic blister.
Those who enter don’t return.
Tomb Raider reboot – more ‘meh’ than terrible
FilmLondon has never looked like a better location for a twee romantic comedy than it does at the start of the rebooted Tomb Raider, a capable origin story and actioner with no sense of humour or wonder.
Black Panther review – a standalone success
FilmThe Hollywood Reporter recently pointed out the obvious; even Jennifer Lawrence can’t open a movie. Studios don’t look to big star names any longer, but to brands like Marvel.
Fantastic Beasts: the five crimes of Grindelwald
FilmOne of the great mysteries of the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was how a movie that gained rave reviews, crossed the $800 million milestone, and gained an ‘A’ CinemaScore came to be considered ‘lacklustre’.
Wind River starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen & Ian Bohen *****
FilmI wish I hadn’t watched Wind River on a Saturday morning. It’s an evening movie; when it’s over, you can lock your doors, and pray you don’t have nightmares.
Mudbound – the novel versus Netflix
Books, TV & Netflix“Mudbound is the Oscar movie we need right now,” admonished The Washington Post.
Murder on the Orient Express review – 2017 millennial version
Film“Not another remake!” is a familiar online cry normally accompanied by declarations that Hollywood has run out of ideas.
The Last Jedi reaction: Luke what you made me do
FilmThere was lots of red in The Last Jedi, from the blood-coloured soil of Crait, to Snoke’s crimson throne room. And while critics were in raptures – Rian Johnson is an auteur don’t cha know – a lot of hardcore fans were left, well, seeing red.
Personal Shopper review – Kristen Stewart as a stylish psychic
FilmIt’s 2007, before teen audiences would learn that Kristen Stewart was to be their Bella Swan. There’s so much acclaim for her tiny role in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild, you’d be forgiven for thinking the former child actress was being prepped for major stardom.
From page to screen: coming to cinemas soon?
BooksEarlier this year I read Lion, the true story of a little boy who survives the streets of Kolkata before being adopted by an Australian family. Years later, he tracks down his mother in rural India using Google Earth. It became a hit movie, which inspired me to get cracking with more novels destined to reach our screens!
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets review – a zany hot space mess
FilmThe search for a male star who can replace Harrison Ford continues. As the eponymous Valerian, Dane DeHaan is supposed to be a happy-go-lucky, square-jawed hero and roguish galactic agent.
Product Photography 