Before I tell you about what is inside this book, take a look at its cover above. See the irreverent humour in the tagline at the top ‘Spoil Christmas for someone special’, the homage to the title graphics of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the fact it is by that film’s editor. Factor in some Read More
Category: Film & TV
A Screenplay for #NovNov24 – Dougal and the Blue Cat by Eric Thompson
Reading screenplays is difficult, with fewer clues apart from stage directions to imagine the scene, they often come across as strange and in the case of the first Magic Roundabout movie, completely bonkers. The screenplay written by Eric Thompson, (Emma’s dad, in case you didn’t know), who wrote the English scripts to all the episodes Read More
Nonfiction November – My Year in NF
Nonfiction November runs for 5 weeks from today! As always, week 1 is ‘My Year in NF’, and is hosted by Heather. I’ve participated since 2017! My best ever NF year was 2019 when I read 33 books, making up 25% of my total. This year, I’ve read the fewest non-fiction books for ages, 11 Read More
Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series by Tom Salinsky
Volume 1: 1988-1993 – Review with Guest Fun Facts by the author Having been a fan of Red Dwarf since the very beginning, I had to read this book. Of course it brought all the memories flooding back – well most of them! Back in the day, we struck lucky getting tickets for one of Read More
Watchlist: July to the start of September
Bingeworthy TV Slow Horses (AppleTV+) is back for series 4 – what more can I say – it’s the best thing on any TV platform! Initially centring around River’s father played by a wonderful Jonathan Pryce, with all our favourite disgraced spies back led by Jackson Lamb, the action is never far away. Gary Oldman Read More
Shiny Linkiness
I’ve had a run of non-fiction reviews posted at Shiny New Books, so for those who’ve not seen them, here’s a capsule paragraph on each with links to my full reviews. The Future of Energy by Richard Black One of the latest additions to Melville House’s ‘Futures’ series is Richard Black’s book on The Future Read More
Watchlist: May & June
Mostly binge-worthy TV Now I can watch Netflix whenever I want again. The basic package has recently gone down in price, but now contains a few ads which aren’t too obtrusive. However, the big plus in a bonus second screen so my daughter and I can both watch now. I’ll be able to catch-up with Read More
Watchlist: April
Series watch: Telly suddenly got good again – I’ve had a splendid April’s viewing – largely thanks to Prime offering a cheap deal on Paramount+ TV (£3.50 pcm for 3 months) which meant subscribing to see the superb adaptation of Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow was affordable. AGinM stars Ewan McGregor as the Russian Read More
Watchlist: Jan-March
Time was, I kept a running list of all the thing I’d seen that I wanted to mention on my watchlist posts, but I’ve lost the scrap of paper I was writing them on. I’ll start a new ‘note’ for next time, so this post will be heavy on the past few weeks and less Read More
Watchlist: Nov and Dec
Big Screen on the Little Screen Past Lives (Prime rental) – Such a simple premise, this simply gorgeous slowburn film follows the life of two childhood friends from Korea over 24 years, after Na Young’s family emigrate and their lives and thus relationship change over the years. Na Young ends up in NYC married to Read More
Watchlist: Summer into Autumn
I haven’t done a watchlist for a good while – this one covers from mid-July to now. Sadly I haven’t been to the theatre all summer, nor the cinema, managing to miss Asteroid City, but I’ll stream that as soon as the rental price comes down. But I have watched loads on the small screen… Read More
Watchlist: May into mid July
It’s ages – two and a half months – since I did one of these, and I’ve had a busy time watching things, including three theatre trips which I’ve reviewed at length separately: THEATRE TV FILM What have you been watching lately that you could recommend?
Zona: A book about a film about a journey to a room, by Geoff Dyer
Recently, I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky for Shiny New Books (see here), on the occasion of the Folio Society producing a beautifully illustrated reprint of the 2012 Gollancz restored translation. Not only a book I’ve long wanted to read, but to receive a review copy Read More
A Bond novella for the coronation!
On His Majesty’s Secret Service by Charlie Higson Although I’ve largely given up on reading the latest Ian-Fleming-estate-sanctioned James Bond novels, when I spotted that Charlie Higson had written a novella to celebrate the coronation of King Charles, I couldn’t resist, being a big fan not only of Higson’s own thrillers (the latest reviewed here), Read More
Watchlist: mid-March to end-April 2023
Films on the small screen: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Prime) – after reading Baxter Dury’s memoir (reviewed here) I was recommended this biopic of his dad, Ian and loved it. Andy Sirkis’s singing is a little more raucous in comparison, but he was brilliant. Tetris (Apple+) – starring Taron Egerton. Who’d have Read More
Watchlist: Feb into March
Theatre: The Tempest – Shakespeare’s Globe I went with our Year 8s to a special Schools Production of The Tempest at the open air Globe in London. Cut down to ninety minutes. So we got Prospero and Ariel’s magic, Miranda and Ferdinand’s love story, the drunken antics of Trinculo, Stefano and Caliban (the latter in Read More
January into Feb watchlist
At the theatre: Stewart Lee – at the Oxford Playhouse You either get Lee, or you don’t. He’s unashamedly literary and intellectual for a comedian and I’ve been a fan for years of his TV shows (a couple of his shows are available on BBC iPlayer), but this was the first time I’ve seen him Read More
Nonfiction November Week 3: Stranger Than Fiction
This week is hosted by Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks. My immediate thought on reading the prompts for this week was to take me to one of my favourite TV series ever – Mad Men! If ever there was a profession where life imitates art it is the world of advertising in 1960s New York, Read More
Watchlist: October
This month’s summary is going to be dominated by two trips to London to see two plays, both productions that had been postponed by the pandemic. One was good the other not just ‘Good’ but excellent! The Doctor, written & directed by Robert Icke, starring Juliet Stevenson The setting, wooden walls, a long table with Read More
Watchlist: Aug-Sept
Better late than never! What did I watch from the end of August through September. The West Wing One of the very best TV series ever made. Spotting it had become available on Amazon Prime, I spent most of August into September re-watching all 154 episodes, bingeing on them 4 or 5 at a time. Read More
May-July Watchlist
Having started the year so well, I have rather lapsed with my watchlist reports, but apart from a couple of NT live screenings (see down the page), I haven’t been to the cinema. I have watched a fair amount of telly though, so here are a few high and low lights. Bingeworthy (& not so Read More
April Watchlist
Big Screen on Little Screen I wasn’t able to get to the cinema this month – nothing I particularly wanted to see there, but I did stream some good films – and a little dross as well! Film of the month has to be Boiling Point (Netflix). That this film was made in a single Read More
Feb into March Watchlist
Time for another review of what I’ve been watching lately, as opposed to reading. Big Screen I’ve only made it to the cinema once. That was to see the wonderfully funny and touching film The Duke, starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. The story, set in Newcastle during the early 1960s is based on a Read More
Jan into Feb Watchlist
It’s time for something different as a breather or palate-cleanser from all the Nordic reading I’ve devoted myself to since Christmas! It’s the return of my Watchlist – on the big and little screen. Big Screen Movies I went to the cinema twice – to see two films in black and white (although Branagh’s has Read More
Sept/Oct Watchlist
I didn’t compile a Watchlist for September, as it was a thin month for viewing with back to school tiredness – apart from Strictly that is. However, October has been much more interesting – and I’ve been out to the cinema THREE times! No Time to Die Bond comes out of retirement to save the Read More
August Watchlist
Bingeworthy TV Obviously, I’m already addicted to new BBC drama Vigil two episodes in, which started with killing off a main character (remember Spooks?), and am still loving Ghosts. I’m also working my way through rewatching Detectorists, which is just lovely. I was inordinately excited to discover that zombie spectacular The Walking Dead series 10 Read More
July Watchlist
This was such a busy month, especially at the beginning with all the end of term stuff – trips were back on for that last fortnight – big time! Also my daughter came home from uni, I had the School magazine to compile, cover shifts at school on admin, etc etc. So I didn’t get Read More
June Watchlist
Binge-worthy TV Just two notable series this month – both of which were excellent. James May: Our Man in Japan (Prime) – May has always been my favourite of the Top Gear trio and in this series he travels down the length of Japan visiting all the main islands and cities. He writes Haiku along Read More
May Watchlist
I still haven’t been back to the cinema, but in a couple of weeks once my second jab takes full effect, I’d love to see the big screen again. Meanwhile here’s what I’ve been watching this month… Binge-Worthy TV I watched all of The Pact on BBC1, but it wasn’t great. It wasn’t bad, just Read More
April Watchlist
Bingeworthy TV What with the über-excitement of Line of ‘Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey’ Duty every Sunday evening, and rewatching each episode to make sure I got as much as possible from it, it’s a miracle I watched any other TV series, but I was very pleased to discover that BBC2 is reshowing Read More
