The second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them series is finally arriving this week. I already have my cinema tickets for Friday, and as you may have gathered, I am extremely excited to see it! It is almost exactly two years since the first Fantastic Beasts movie was released, and I found that one truly … Continue reading The Crimes of Grindelwald
It is extremely rare to come across something that absolutely everyone likes, but the spellbinding quality of Blue Planet II is such that it can't be met with anything other than universal acclaim. We all love it and admire it, and even feel a little overwhelmed by it. I have very vague memories of the original Blue Planet, … Continue reading Bowled over by The Blue Planet
As someone who likes reading as much as I do, it took me a frighteningly long time to get round to starting on The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, the novel which - perhaps more than any other in the last decade - has become a total phenomenon. It's now the archetypal psychological thriller, … Continue reading Book to Film Review – The Girl on the Train
Never before have I watched so many movies in a year than in 2016. It came to be a personal resolution that I made up for lost time and took in many of the quality motion pictures that I had missed over the years, and on the whole it has been a fruitful journey. Visits … Continue reading My 2016 – Films
In the world of literature and drama, it would appear that there is a never-ending stream of stories relating to the Second World War. It has become a genre in its own right, because it opens up a whole world of opportunity. Even now, over 70 years on, there is a generation of storytellers who … Continue reading Analysis: The Book Thief
For all fans of the Harry Potter series, both fanatical and casual, the announcement from J.K. Rowling that the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie franchise is likely to span the course of five films has had us rejoicing. In a year which has also seen a groundbreaking West End play, the … Continue reading Fantastic Beasts
There are few more prominent authors and screenwriters in Britain today than Dr David Nicholls, so I couldn't miss the opportunity of seeing him discuss his work and inspirations at an event at the University of Bristol, where he graduated in 1988. In a bright and atmospheric lecture theatre, Dr Nicholls provided an extremely fascinating … Continue reading An Audience with David Nicholls
At the end of February Leonardo DiCaprio won the Academy Award for Best Actor at long last. That was for his role in The Revenant, where he played the hardy frontiersman Hugh Glass, and it was an award that I questioned not because of an absence of quality in his performance, but for his relative … Continue reading Lincoln: A top quality script and top quality acting
Anybody who pays the slightest amount of attention towards world politics will be a little concerned by the possibility of seeing Donald Trump elected as president of the United States. At present he is the clear frontrunner in the race to be the Republican candidate to stand in November’s vote, which means that he is … Continue reading Trump in line for a Love Actually moment?
In this day and age, every so often we see a book or a movie; perhaps even a television series that has a profound effect on language and popular culture. It is usually a measure of its level of success and influence, but in years gone by and especially during the 20th century there were … Continue reading Influence, Censorship, and George Orwell
