Sunday 29 December 2019

My Top 5 TV Shows of 2019


Crikey, would you look at the date? 2019 is almost over and that can only mean one thing - it's time to recap the best that TV and streaming had to offer throughout the year.

Friday 27 December 2019

Tuesday 24 December 2019

My 2019 Movie Soundtrack Playlist

Every December I take a look back at the year that was and cherry pick some musical highlights, whether they be soaring orchestral scores or licensed tracks that have been inserted into films to great effect.

Four TV shows found their way into the playlist this year, with the first season of Watchmen, The Mandalorian and Succession, as well as the final season of Game of Thrones, all featuring some brilliant pieces of music from the likes of Ramin Djawadi, Nicholas Britell and Ludwig Goransson. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score for Watchmen is the pick of the bunch.

Meanwhile, Alan Silvestri's score for Avengers: Endgame was a suitably sweeping and bombastic affair, with tracks like 'Portals' and 'Main on End' capturing the scope and spectacle of Marvel's huge finale.
John Williams graced The Rise of Skywalker with his presence, and pieces of music like 'The Force Is With You' and 'A New Home' beautifully mixed existing themes, such as 'Rey's Theme', with the new.

I've also included a handful of my favourite 'needle drops' of the year, such as Hustlers' use of Britney Spears, Nirvana popping up in Captain Marvel and Booksmart's eclectic soundtrack, which featured Run the Jewels and Lizzo. And who can forget Quentin Tarantino's authentic mix of rock n' roll music and radio ads to soundtrack his homage to the Swinging Sixties, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

By no means a comprehensive list, feel free to let me know some of your favourite film soundtracks from 2019 and I can add them to the playlist in Spotify.


Monday 23 December 2019

Film Review: The Report


A procedural drama that recounts the US Senate's investigation of Iraq War era misdeeds conducted by the CIA, Scott Z Burns' film The Report is a stern and rigorous piece that lacks swagger or emotion.

Thursday 12 December 2019

Film Review: A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood


Director Marielle Heller's A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood is a tender yarn about the importance of empathy and understanding amidst familial turmoil and tragedy.

Film Review: Marriage Story


Netflix pulls out the big guns for a big awards season release, with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern and Merritt Weaver starring in Noah Baumbach's terrific Marriage Story.

Sunday 8 December 2019

Film Review: 1917


British filmmaker Sam Mendes serves as both writer and director on 1917, an audacious war film that is a technical marvel with a hefty emotional wallop for good measure.

Wednesday 27 November 2019

Film Review: Knives Out


With an A-list cast featuring the likes of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Jaime Lee Curtis, the game is afoot in Rian Johnson's riotous murder mystery, Knives Out.

Thursday 21 November 2019

Monday 18 November 2019

Saturday 9 November 2019

Film Review: The Irishman


"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." Martin Scorsese reunites with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci for The Irishman, a sprawling mobster epic that spans the 20th century.

Tuesday 5 November 2019

Film Review: Doctor Sleep


A sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror The Shining, Doctor Sleep sees director Mike Flanagan prove himself a studious and competent caretaker of The Overlook Hotel.

Sunday 3 November 2019

Film Review: Dolemite Is My Name


Dolemite is his name, and fuckin' up motherfuckers is his game. Eddie Murphy makes a long overdue comeback in Craig Brewer's biopic of comedian, musician and blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore.

Thursday 31 October 2019

Film Review: Terminator – Dark Fate


Just like he promised, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the T-800 in the sixth Terminator film, Dark Fate – but rather than providing a shot in the arm, Tim Miller’s (Deadpool) attempt to revive this ailing franchise sees it further tangled in a time loop of its own creation.

Saturday 26 October 2019

Classic Film: Terminator 2 – Judgement Day


Hasta la vista, baby. Ahead of Terminator: Dark Fate, I take a look back at Terminator 2: Judgement Day – a rare breed of sequel that can be considered career-best work for both director James Cameron and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

Friday 25 October 2019

Film Review: Ready or Not


Grace (Samara Weaving) gets an unusual introduction to her new in-laws when they insist she take part in an eccentric – and deadly – game of hide and seek. 

Thursday 17 October 2019

Film Review: Fisherman's Friends


Yo ho, the Mini British Film Festival is on the horizon once again. I previewed Fisherman's Friends, one of the films featured in this year's festival. 

Monday 14 October 2019

Sunday 13 October 2019

Film Review: Hustlers


You've got to respect the hustle as Jennifer Lopez springs into the Oscar race in Lorene Scafaria's gleefully entertaining Hustlers

Sunday 29 September 2019

Sunday 22 September 2019

Content Is King: Why Streaming Will Snuff Itself Out


Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan, Foxtel Go – they say you can never have too much of a good thing, but as more and more streaming services enter the market, I can't help but feel that saturation will only lead to suffocation. 

Saturday 7 September 2019

Friday 9 August 2019

Tuesday 6 August 2019

Film Review: Crawl


Director Alexandre Aja unleashes an army of alligators on a dysfunctional Florida family during a hurricane in horror/thriller, Crawl.

Thursday 1 August 2019

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Sunday 21 July 2019

Film Review: Booksmart


Olivia Wilde's Booksmart is a breath of fresh air that proves even a genre as well-trodden as the high school comedy can feel new again with the right vision and voice behind it. 

Sunday 30 June 2019

Film Review: Annabelle Comes Home


The third Conjuring film to focus on possessed doll Annabelle, director Gary Dauberman's Annabelle Comes Home proves to be a surprisingly effective haunted house ride.

Thursday 20 June 2019

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