#did actually cracked myself up w this i have the humour of a 5 year old

[tostmin]

ff7 but sephiroths widows peak gets taller everytime he shows up

[mjwatson]

my spider-man: homecoming review.

there will definitely be spoilers under the cut, so do not read onward if you don’t want to be spoiled! this will also be extremely all over the place bc i am a MESS! let’s do this.

cons:

i guess the main one, my only really big complaint (the rest are very minor complaints, if they’re really even ‘complaints’ at all) are the hybrid/out of character type characters. the only one who worked for me was flash. he was fucking brilliant. and while i did adore ned with all my heart, he was ganke, and it makes me sad that miles may not get his ganke if he get films in the future bc ned was ganke. angourie’s betty brant felt wasted, and michelle... oh michelle. i wrote a huge post about her character so i’m not going to repeat myself. you can read it here, but yeah, this is definitely my only huge complaint. if they don’t at least rectify mj i’ll be really sad.

no mention of the spider senses again, or no showing that they really existed either.

no mention of uncle ben whatsoever. you could argue that line about ‘with everything that happened’ or whatever is about him, but it still wasn’t enough for me. i know we’ve seen the origin story so many times, but we need uncle ben. that’s peter’s motivation.

a little disappointed we didn’t get any iconic scenes of spidey web swinging in new york city, but i am still okay with that cause he’s still a high school student in queens and we will prob see him getting into the big city later on.

zendaya was barely in it. i know they kind of used her fame to promote, but they blew up her face on posters, used her for the entire promotional aspect, it almost felt like false advertising? but whatever it just makes me excited to see more of her.

not a huge fan of the ‘guy in the chair’ trope. it reminds me of the flash tv show and i just love how spidey is kind of a lone wolf but i mean this is BARELY a complaint, and just personal pref.

i also have other tiny little insignificant things, but i don’t know if they’re complaints. they might just me being unable to deal with change and i need to learn to adapt to certain things. i am just so set in my ways, and i am so passionate about the things i love that adaptions to certain things kind of catch me off guard a bit, but i’m not sure if it’s necessarily a bad thing.

pros:

tom holland was hands down the best peter parker/spider-man we could ever hope for. toby will always have a place in my heart, even though his adaption was very out of character, and andrew garfield will always be my spidey, just because he really brought it to life for me, but tom... holy shit. he is peter parker. through and through.

when the vulture broke the concrete ceiling down on him and his little panic attack, but then him proving to himself he can do this. that gave me chills. honestly tom knocked it out of the park. his performance was fantastic. when he's in the suit you kind of forget he's a kid. he takes down captain america. he takes down giant man. but in this scene you can see he's just a kid again, who is terrified and doesn't know what he's doing. the absolute fear in his voice fucking shook me. as @lordzuuko pointed out, the nicest touch to tom’s spider-man is that, he’s scared. and because of his age, huge scale situations scare him. he legitimately gets scared and nervous doing some things and voices out “i’m gonna die, i’m gonna die.” he knows he’s gonna die but he does it anyway because if he doesn’t do anything, other people will.

he definitely is the friendly neighbourhood spider-man. we get to see him deal with petty crime. we get to see him be the superhero we know and love; how nothing is too small for him to offer his help. PS: HIM HOLDING THAT CAT KILLED ME I AM SO IN LOVE.

tony wasn’t in it as much as i thought, which was good. i love iron man but i am glad he was only in it for as much as he was, it worked great.

the diversity and wokeness. i fucking loved it.

KAREN GOING INTO DEATH MODE AND THE EYES GOING RED AND IS LIKE LET’S KILL AND PETER IS LIKE WHAT NO

i absolutely adored the peter/aunt may dynamic. i love that they’re actually showing a relationship with the two. it’s beautiful and it was one of my favourite things about the movie.

DONALD GLOVER’S CHARACTER “I HAVE A NEPHEW” RIP MILES MY SON HELP.

michelle. the whole mj mess aside, i fucking loved zendaya and whoever she is. her character is hilarious, like one of the funniest in the whole movie. i really hope i don’t have to wait 2 more years to figure out who she is, i am tired and i just want her to be mary jane, man lol.

speaking of humour, it was just so fucking funny. and this was actually a worry of mine, that i’d put it in the cons list, cause a lot of reviews i was hearing was that it was too funny and didn’t hit the emotional mark enough. because while spidey is a wise cracking goober, there’s also so much depth in there, and it shows peter’s struggle and his pure goodness and it was just a great balance, but boy was it hilarious. i laughed so much.

him leaving the girl he really liked at the homecoming dance because he had to do something for the greater good. that’s just who peter is. putting his life on the back burner to do the right thing.

BEST AFTER CREDITS SCENE EVER ISODGHDKH (not the vulture one, though i loved how it showed him being human, and not just evil for the sake of being a villain, he was a person and he didn’t unmask peter) but omg that cap scene..... omfg. my sister, who hates waiting for credits scenes even said “okay, that was so worth it.”

end aunt may scene “WHAT THE F--”. i thought i’d hate that aunt may finds out he’s spidey, but we saw 2 adaptions with her in that ‘does she know?’ grey area, that it’ll be cool to explore this.

happy hogan is my uncle and i love him with my entire heart.

i know it was my first point but i just have to mention it again, guys, tom was so good at peter/spider-man... like i actually am getting emotional because this mother fucker is just him. i literally teared up at some of his performances, like how dare he make me feel things? now i just need my mary jane and i will be the happiest girl in the entire world.

i did love ned. i did, he was hilarious. just a little bittersweet bc that was ganke. and flash was spectacular. tony killed it and i hope they explore his character in other films.

THEY BASICALLY DID THIS MEME AND I SCREAMED.

literally that scene when peter goes to pick up liz for the homecoming dance and then adrian answers the door... them in the car with him finding out...... i literally haven’t seen a scene that tense since the milk scene in inglorious basterds I COULD NOT BREATHE. unreal scenes.

i larb you.

PETER VLOGGING WHAT A FUCKING NERD I HATE THIS GUY SO MUCH UGH.

i loved how much peter fucked up. he is so clumsy and so bad at being a superhero and we are really gonna see his journey of being this kid who’s trying to prove himself to being the hands down best avenger at the end of this, i guarantee you.

BILINGUAL PETER PARKER MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.

did i mention peter w/ the cat? aND THE DOG?

michelle fingering peter best scene hands down bye

that scene where he’s sitting on top of that whatever, all bloody and beaten up by the vulture. my sweet baby boy. that’s peter. this 15 year old who risks everything to save people. fkosdgdlh

guys i know i have been so worried about this movie, and i mean i still am for the future films to come, mainly for the portrayal of mary jane. y’all may think my over emotional ass is overreacting, but she is my favourite character. but all that aside, this is an amazing spidey movie. tom’s portrayal was insane, and i am so incredibly proud of him. he has worked so hard and i am really glad that he’s getting the praise he deserves. i don’t know if i’m just on a high still; maybe i’ll be brought back down to earth and realize it isn’t as great as i think it is right now, but for the time being, i am pretty happy with how it turned out. when i saw civil war i thought that tom could potentially be the best spidey we can get. with only 5 minutes of peter and 15 of spidey, i was already thinking that. so this movie just confirmed my theory. 

and i’ll end on this note: PENIS PARKER.

[meanderfall]

//tornadoes thru ur window, completely shattering the glass: for the writer meme, 5 - 6 - 8 - 10 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 34 - 36 - 39 - 45 - 47 - 48 - 49 - aaaand 50: how long do you usually let an idea fester in your mind before you're like, "okay, i'll write you down u little fucker"? ALSO IM AWARE THIS IS A LOT, LMAOOO

LDJF;KFGSKGF ADRI MY LOVE, MY WIFE, MY KNIGHT, MY SUN AND MOON, THANK YOU OMG, I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR A NOVEL OF AN ANSWER LMAO

5.     How much writing do you get done on an average day?

LMAO I ACTUALLY HAVE THIS CALCULATED PER HOUR just bc that’s how long my train ride is. So I can do about 400-500 words in 50~ minutes.anyway tbh, I write almost never, but when I do, I try to get around 1000 words done??? that’s usually when i lose steam too. (though i guess if i did 500 word spurts instead throughout the day, i’d get more done) (TO CLARIFY, the only reason it’s so much is bc i only write when I know /exactly/ what the scene is gonna be and im motivated. if u sat my ass down in front of a computer each day and told me to write, I’d probably only get 100 in two hours, less even.)

6.     Single or multiple POV?

I’m a multiple pov hoe. I’ve thought before of writing something in entirely one pov, but tbh i dont think i could do it if the thing is longer that a 2000 word one shot.

8.     Oldest WIP

I HAD TO PULL OUT MY USB FOR THIS GODDAMN

Okay so, my oldest wip ever, is an original story I started in, I think, 2011 and wrote throughout the year. It’s got about 22k words down, but tbh i dont think im ever gonna touch it again.fanfic-wise, my oldest wip is a harvest moon fanfic, that’s around 6k words i think? and i was planning on re-writing it bc i didnt like the characterization of one of the characters and i wanted to fix that, but it’s been like five years now, i dont think it’s ever gonna be done. (I still want to though). (and u can find said wip on my fanfiction.net account)

10.  Do you set yourself deadlines?

My guy, i’ve never set a deadline for myself in my entire life. I think I tried to do it once, and i completely let it pass by. (Though the fanfic i mentioned previously, im pretty sure i updated once a week before i fucked up)

15.  How do you deal with writer’s block?

I either set it aside (and never pick it up again lmao) and let it stew in the back of my mind until I get something else, oR I POWER THROUGH THIS MOTHERFUCKER, and I’ll probably only write 50 words and hate every single last one of them, but I got it done and it’s better than nothing and hopefully tomorrow i’ll actually have something. (also, sometimes when powering through, what i write ends up inspiring me and im like “oh of course!” and i blaze through it)

21.  Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?in case u havent noticed yet, about 99% of all my characters are snarky to some degree. I need a character with a wry sense of humour, and I’ll usually stay in their pov a lot. The only other character “type” I have are the sunshine pure cinnamon rolls who care and love everyone. Oh, and I guess also the ones who are pissed and bitter at the world at large. (I should.... probably... try to get out of this comfort zone...)

25.  Favourite part of writing

okay tbh, my favourite part is when I’m winding down from a good writing session, and I just feel so proud and alive, because I was productive and I created something with my own two hands and mind, and there are very few things that are as incredible as that imo

27.  Favourite line/scene

okay so this was hard to pick??? not to mention it’s all crap you’ve seen before but whatever.

There’s this one:

“McCreewas abruptly reminded of when he was nothing more than a teen, snarling andfurious at everyone around him, not willing to trust anyone. And he wasreminded of Gabriel Reyes who stayed calm and collected in front of his fury,gently rebuking him when he crossed a line; who praised him when he did welland willingly trusted him to have his back even though McCree didn’t trust him;who seemed to quietly understand why McCree acted in certain ways, accepted it,but encouraged him to choose better. Gabriel Reyes, who had faith in him whenhe wasn’t even sure he liked himself.“

And this one:

“IfWash’s head was a ghost town, then the Meta’s was a fucking wasteland.

Butthe worst part wasn’t the scorched earth and completely lifeless landscape, norwas it the stormy brown clouds above. No, the worst part was the lava that wasslowly inching its way up the mountain. It bubbled and simmered an awful sicklyorange as it creeped up bit by bit, not fast at all, but inexorably to the topof the mountain, going against all laws of physics. It was so awfully wrongthat he honestly felt sick witnessing it. Not helping was the sizzles it madeas it burned through whatever little vegetation there was and (he had no ideawhy he knew this, maybe it was because he was connected to the Meta’s brain?),it felt like the lava was actually gouging the earth, opening cracks andseeping inside, corrupting and destroying what lay within.

Wasthe Meta even a person anymore?”

(I proooobably would’ve picked something from the tuckington au but.... a lot of my favourite stuff is dialogue, or snarky narration, and idk it’s hard to choose and there aint a lot of depth to it)

28.  Favourite side character

OKAY THERE’S THIS ONE SIDE CHARACTER IN ONE MY ORIGINAL STORY IDEAS WHOM I ADORE (even though he has no name yet lmao) BUT HE’S BASICALLY REALLY SWEET AND CARING AND HE’S TRYING HIS BEST TO BE HAPPY AND SUPPORTIVE FOR ALL HIS COMPANIONS BC THEY’RE ALL GOING THROUGH HARD TIMES, BUT IT’S REALLY HARD FOR HIM AND HE’S INWARDLY SUFFERING SO MUCH BUT HE KEEPS SMILING FOR PEOPLE ANYWAY AND FLDG;DKHGFKG I LOVE HIM

29.  Favourite villain

I’m... cheating for this, I’ve never written a villain ever actually (and tbh what the fuck??? how??? i have so many original story ideas and none of them are villains??? what the fuck (maybe the true villains were the friends we made along the way))

okay so, originally, this character was gonna be the villain alright. She was mean, cruel, snarky, cunning, and manipulative. But as time went on, and I started exploring her character, wondering why she was like this, what her goal is, and I changed and shifted the plot of the story around she... sort of... became the main character. woops.

30.  Favourite idea you haven’t started on yet

IM ONLY GONNA USE ORIGINAL STORIES FOR THIS BC HOLY SHIT

Honestly, I’d probably have to go with this idea I had of a living person picking up the scythe of a Grim Reaper and becoming one and having to learn the ropes of the job.

Okay, I lied, it might actually be this detective series idea I had, wherein the main character, a police officer, has to investigate cases that, for the most part, are reminiscent, or re-imagined versions, of Quebec folk tales, and she has to figure out why the fuck this is happening.

34.  What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

FIGHTING AND ACTION SCENES I HATE THEM SO MUCH OH MY GOD THEY TAKE FOREVER AND I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE IM FUCKING THEM UP HORRIBLY I HATE THEM (I could give u a specific example, but i dont want to)

36.  Last sentence you wrote

“Shut up.”

(this is actually how chapter 2 of my tuckington high school au ends lmao and there’s nothing to gain from it have fun adri)

39.  Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had

OH SHIT I ACTUALLY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, okay so the i have no clue where the idea came from, but for some reason i had this idea of a character who’s mental stability or whatever was linked to these bracelets she wore??? but it was more like she became more primal and animalistic the more bracelets were taken off until she lost all sense of identity, and i think it’s because she was being controlled or used by an organization or whatever. This was just a random idea that I had and okay i know it’s dark af, but it’s honestly the weirdest one. (tbh…. im not sure i have one that could be considered weird…)

45.  How much world building do you do?

all of it. just. all of it. I need to know clothes, food, architecture, cultural norms, the history of the world, how the fuck people can communicate when there are multiple countries and multiple languages, and this is why absolutely none of my original stuff has ever been written

47.  Best way to procrastinate

Day-dreaming scenes and ideas instead of writing them

48.  What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written?

W O W ADRI U WANNA CALL ME OUT THAT BADLY HUH?

honestly it’s probably that main character/villain i mentioned previously, bc i just gave her all of my self-loathing and she was supposed to sacrifice herself heroically in the end and there was gonna be an entire speech about why she was the right person to do this. (if it makes u feel any better, I’ve modified it so she doesn’t actually die and everyone is like “wtf? NO!”)

also the protagonist in story, i just gave her my depression and general lostness in life. (most... of my characters... start off with a part of me I want to explore, but over time, as I flesh them out, they become their own people, and actually have nothing to do with me anymore tbh)

49.  Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

THAT SWEET CINNAMON ROLL I MENTIONED BEFORE OMG YES, I WOULD PROTECT HIM WITH MY LIFE

50: how long do you usually let an idea fester in your mind before you’re like, “okay, i’ll write you down u little fucker”?

*LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY* OH MAN ADRI U HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’VE JUST ASKED DO U OMG WAIT UNTIL U HEAR THIS

okay so u know that story with the cinnamon roll and main character/villain? The basic plot of that story has been in my brain since around 2011. I still haven’t started to write it. (though, to be fair, that story has changed so goddamn much since 2012 holy shit, and for the better tbh)

tbh adri, ur like 80% of my impulse control, and by that I mean you make me impulsive enough to actually write things instead of letting them ruminate in my brain forevermore. Hell, I’ve only started to get back into writing fanfiction because of you, okay, if u weren’t around I’d probably just give up on writing ever, and let the idea of being a novelist be nothing more but a fantasy i daydream about.

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Well this has been a week and a half. Well, technically it is a week and a day, but it one I would and wouldn’t like to repeat. It was with a very heavy heart that I had to say goodbye to poor old Mars on Tuesday. I discussed his condition with the vet and sadly she could tell the mass in his abdomen had grown dramatically in just a week. He wasn’t gaining weight even with the steroids and he was more and more tired so it was the kindest thing to do. I will miss him terribly, as does Luna who has had to say goodbye to both of her friends and really doesn’t know what to do with herself right now. I know the feeling.It didn’t make it easier that on the day in question, for the first time ever, WordPress through a wobbler and managed to delete the content of my post, a blog tour review for Louise Voss’s The Old You. A massive thanks to Jo Robertson for letting me know but I was awful rushing to prep the post while bawling my eyes out and trying to get to work. Apologies to Louise if my review wasn’t up to normal standards. I really did love the book. I was only working half a day too as on Tuesday afternoon I headed to London with Mandie for Johanna Gustawsson and Steph Broadribb’s joint book launch in Covent Garden. One moment of sun in a dark day. Well, that and the Chocolate bun from Ole and Steen. Well I was in mourning.

So, after that ordeal, I only had one more day to work last week as I was off to CrimeFest!!! Did I mention that? I think I may have … I’m not going to bore youa ll to death about it in this post, I’ll do a round up later in the week hopefully, but I will share a few book pics as I may have bought one or two whilst away.

Please note – Chris Whitaker loves me. Understandable as I am fab, but there you go. books I purchase this weekend are Big Sister by Gunnar Staalesen; Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes; Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker; Hydra by Matt Wesolowski; Head Case by Ross Armstrong; Dark Pines by Will Dean; The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurdardottir; and The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl. I also received copies of Ten Year Stretch, Hidden Killers andHer Name Was Rose and a signed copy of A Fractured Winter from the lovely Alison Baillie.

I’ll update you all on the CrimeFest shenanigans soon (ish) but I have to say one of the highlights for me was finally getting to meet Rachel Amphlett. I absolutely love her work and she so lovely. And tall. Thanks to Rachel and Nick for the photo – not embarrassing at all 🙂

When we meet again, I shall wear stilts …

In addition to the above books, I may have purchased a few and also received one direct. Books I bought are: The Taking of Annie Thorne by CJ Tudor; Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough; My Husband’s Lies by Caroline England; Motherlandby GD Abson; The Watcher and Head Case by Ross Armstrong; Songs of Innocence by Anne Coates; The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty and Murder Map by Richard Parker. I also received an advance copy of Seven Bridges from LJ Ross and Peter Ritchie’sShores of Death where I am also quoted inside.

Today I braved Ikea and went shopping for a new desk and chair. I am working from them now and am slowing building up a writing space. This is what I have so far…

I can tell you’re impressed. When I got home, I found that my certificates from my recent online courses had been delivered so I’m like a proper expert now. Or something. No – hold your applause now. This wasn’t neuro-science.

And apparently over the weekend I became the second funniest blogger in the Bloggers Bash Awards. Can’t help feeling the badge needs the world “place” in is as the wording makes it seem like a gentle put down lol. Thank you to everyone who voted for me but it is a weird category for me to be in really. I may be a funny/sarcastic Facebooker/Tweeter but my blog is actually full of really long and really boring posts. Not funny at all. Unless you’re laughing at my typos. Some of them are hilarious.

Now because of the cat and Crimefest, my reading has been pants this week. I finished Ten Year Stretch, plus I managed to read a couple of others, Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan and Seven Bridges by LJ Ross. You can read about them below.

Books I have read.

Ten Year Stretch – Crime Fest Short Story Anthology

Twenty superb new crime stories have been commissioned specially to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Crimefest, described by The Guardian as ‘one of the fifty best festivals in the world’.

A star-studded international group of authors has come together in crime writing harmony to provide a killer cocktail for noir fans; salutary tales of gangster etiquette and pitfalls, clever takes on the locked-room genre, chilling wrong-footers from the deceptively peaceful suburbs, intriguing accounts of tables being turned on hapless private eyes, delicious slices of jet black nordic noir, culminating in a stunning example of bleak amorality from crime writing doyenne Maj Sjowall.

The foreword is by international bestselling thriller writer Peter James. The editors are Martin Edwards, responsible for many award-winning anthologies, and Adrian Muller, CrimeFest co-founder.

All Royalties are donated to the RNIB Talking Books Library.

The contributors to Ten Year Stretch are: Bill Beverly, Simon Brett, Lee Child, Ann Cleeves, Jeffery Deaver, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Peter Guttridge, Sophie Hannah, John Harvey, Mick Herron, Donna Moore, Caro Ramsay, Ian Rankin, James Sallis, Zoe Sharp, Yrsa Siguroardottir, Maj Sjowall, Michael Stanley and Andrew Taylor.

A cracking anthology which I have reviewed in full. You can find the links for the final few at the bottom of this post and can order your own copy here.

…

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace – Vaseem Khan

In the enchanting new Baby Ganesh Agency novel, Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick investigate a murder at Mumbai’s grandest hotel.

For a century the iconic Grand Raj Palace Hotel has welcomed the world’s elite. From film stars to foreign dignitaries, anyone who is anyone stays at the Grand Raj.

The last thing the venerable old hotel needs is a murder…

When American billionaire Hollis Burbank is found dead – the day after buying India’s most expensive painting – the authorities are keen to label it a suicide. But the man in charge of the investigation is not so sure. Chopra is called in – and discovers a hotel full of people with a reason to want Burbank dead.

Accompanied by his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, Chopra navigates his way through the palatial building, a journey that leads him steadily to a killer, and into the heart of darkness . . .

Started on audio, finished in book format, I do love an Inspector Chopra book. Murder, mayhem and missing princesses make for another cracking read. You can find your own copy here and my review will be published soon,

…

Seven Bridges – LJ Ross

Ryan’s most explosive case yet…

It’s been five months since a killer walked free and DCI Ryan is preparing to leave Newcastle to hunt him down – this time, for good. 

But Ryan’s plans are scuppered when events take a dramatic turn and he is forced to stay and face his past one last time, or watch a friend suffer the consequences. 

Amid the chaos, another killer is preparing to strike. When the Tyne Bridge explodes, Ryan’s team are faced with a frantic race to uncover a deadly foe who won’t stop until every bridge is burned, along with everybody on it…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. 

Love this series and this is another belter but writing the review will be tough as there is too much chance of a spoiler. So I will just say – read it. It’s fabulous. And if you do then no it’s not but yes it is me. You can buy your own copy here and my review will hopefully be up on publication day.

…

And that was it. You can catch up with my daily blog posts at the links below:

Ten Year Stretch Part 4: Ten Years of CrimeFest

The Old You by Louise Voss

Ten Year Stretch Part 5: Ten Years of CrimeFest

Ten Year Stretch Part 6: Ten Years of CrimeFest

Guest Review: Broken Bones by Angela Marsons

Dying Truth by Angela Marsons

Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone

Blog Tour: The Cathy Connolly Series by Sam Blake

Freefall by Adam Hamdy

This coming week I have a few tours to take part in and possibly some reviews if I get time. Tours are for As Good As Gold by Patricia Furstenberg; It Was Her by Mark Hill; The Chosen Ones by Carol Wyer; and Songs of Innocence by Anne Coates.

So that is it for now. I am hoping for a far less problematic week this week. Thankfully only four days at work for the next three weeks and then I am on on my hols. Cannot wait. Unbelievably I also celebrate my second blog birthday on Thursday. I am beside myself with excitement. Actually, I am quite impressed. Never been able to concentrate on anything for two years before. Go me,

Have a fab week all.

Jen

Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 20/05/18 Well this has been a week and a half. Well, technically it is a week and a day, but it one I would and wouldn't like to repeat.

[rob-blog1234]

WEEKEND TV HOT FILM PICKS!

Check out my guide to the top films on TV this weekend and the best of the rest. Enjoy!

LATE FRIDAY 4th AUGUST

HOT PICKS!

TCM @ 1845       Bullitt (1968) ****

This fantastic cop thriller has been somewhat overshadowed by its fame for the glorious car chase scene, but it really shouldn’t be, Bullitt is an intelligent, focused and realistic crime drama with well-placed action and suspense. With Steve McQueen pulling out an understated but wholly credible role as Lieutenant Frank Bullitt he lifts this already great film to higher ground. As I have filled my recent film viewing with CGI heavy spectaculars full of clunky exposition and sacrificing script for mass glitzy destruction sequences, it was an absolute pleasure to return to the films I love. Films with intelligence, perfect sound tracks, with tone and mood matched perfectly to the story they are telling, realism, impressive live action scenes with no CGI… Bullitt certainly fits the bill.

Film4 @ 0220     Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) ****

A bizarre little slice of quirk all wrapped up in a charming comedy. 3 Magazine employees go on an assignment to interview a man who placed a strange classified ad seeking a companion for time travel. This offbeat comedy is funny and with some great interactions between the leads - part romance, part comedy, part Science Fiction, all good. Get it on the planner.

Best of the rest:

Film4 @ 1650        Home Alone (1990) *****

Film4 @ 1855        I, Robot (2004) ***

Horror @ 2100     The Ninth Gate (1999) ***

FIlm4 @ 2100       The Green Mile (1997) ***

Sony @ 2250        The Game (1997) ****

ITV4 @ 0035         The Naked Gun (1988) *****

Film4 @ 0040       Red State (2011) ***

SATURDAY 5th AUGUST

HOT PICKS!

Film4 @ 1100      ParaNorman (2012) ****

Check out this impressive stop motion animated adventure from the makers of the dark and quirky Coraline. I was immediately taken aback by the sheer detail - it is beyond comprehension. With Norman having over 40,000 different printed facial expressions you can see the level of detail they were aiming for here. You’d be forgiven for not realising this is stop motion animation. With a cracking script and great balance of comedy, horror and drama this is definitely one to stick on your watch list.

Norman is an 11 year old boy who can see, hear and talk to the dead. We follow him on his personal journey against adversity and ultimately on to saving the town.

This is an extremely well presented animated feature. Slightly scary for very young viewers but a welcomed darker side to the genre.

ITV4 @ 2100    Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) *****

I'm a sucker for a 3D film and with the news that Cameron is rereleasing it - remastered and in 3D - I for one am happy to hear it.  I have recently had to stop myself from ordering the Limited Edition release complete with Terminator Endo arm in a display case... I almost had to chop off my actual arm to stop myself... Anyway I digress.. Terminator 2. This is one of Cameron’s finest films. He really knows how to pull a great sequel out of the bag. In a similar vein to Aliens, Cameron ups the ante… all in! This is bigger, bolder, funnier and hugely ambitious in the Special Effects department. If I had to rank them I would say I prefer the grittier original but this is by no means in detriment to this stunning sequel. This film has the right combination of action, violence and a perfect sprinkling of cheese. My only qualms are Edward Furlong’s annoying voice and Arnie’s infamous thumb. Excellent casting of Robert Patrick as the pointy eared, molten metal morphing menace that is the amazing T-1000. Even after 25 years the effects still hold up strong. One of the best films of the 90’s.

Horror @ 2250     Eden Lake (2008) ****

I was surprised how horrible this film is to watch, I am surprised how uncomfortable it made me feel and I’m sure that’s exactly what they were hoping it to do. For many reasons including this one - I give this film a 4 star rating.  It is a bleak, brutal, unforgiving and more importantly a realistic horror that I never ever want to watch again.  No Fantastical beings - just the evil of people… and we are far more evil than any made up beast.  Pace picked up just when required and the story contains a few timely surprises. At the end of this film I was left sitting in stunned silence whilst the credits rolled.  This film really isn’t very nice… and really rather good.

ITV2 @ 0105     This is the End (2013) ****

There’s a party at James Franco’s house, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Danny McBride and the rest of the usual comedy crew are in attendance. What I love about this film is they all play themselves, albeit comedic versions of themselves, a cast of many recognisable faces, some great cameos and some hilarious scenes. The party takes a turn as an alien invasion devastates the surrounding area and the ones left after the attack hole up in Franco’s apartment and make plans for survival. Rude, crude and lewd - the comedy is thick and fast and is laugh out loud from beginning to end. There’s so much going on - there’s hardly time to catch your breath. This apocalyptic comedy may not be for all tastes - but for fans of Franco, Rogen and McBride’s style of comedy this will be right up your street.

Best of the rest:

5* @ 1150       The Princess Bride (1987) ****

ITV4 @ 1500   The Alamo (1960) ****

5* @ 1450       Willow (1988) ***

TCM @ 1250   Bullitt (1968) ****

Spike @ 1645 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) ****

Film4 @ 1855  Ghostbusters II (1989) ***

ITV1 @ 2000    The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) ***

W @ 2100        The Firm (1993) ***

Dave @ 2100  Black Hawk Down (2001) ****

E4 @ 2100       Bridesmaids (2011) ***

TCM @ 2100   Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003) *****

ITV1 @ 2250   GoldenEye (1995) ***

ITV4 @ 2345   Harry Brown (2009) ***

Film4 @ 0110 The Master (2012) ****

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST

WARNING: Calling all Parents... Frozen is on BBC1 @ 1440 - so set an alarm for 1400 to hide the remotes or alternatively smash the telly to smithereens.

HOT PICKS!

C4 @ 2150    The King's Speech (2010) *****

The King’s Speech is very deserving of its critical acclaim. Tom Hooper did a fantastic job directing but the main success of this film is down to Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s powerhouse performances. It has a wonderful vein of humour running throughout. Subtle humour with a lot of heart. This film is inspirational and also interesting to delve into Britain’s history as well as the challenges faced by those with a crippling speech impediment. If you need one feel good factor this weekend, stick this to the top of your list.

ITV1 @ 1930   Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) ****

If you want big battles, wizardry and spell bounding excitement - you do get a couple of crowd pleasers but this instalment of the Potter films focuses more on relationships. It's full of teenage crushes, giggling looks, teenage kisses and romance which was funny in places but also a little more for the teenage audience. In fact the scene where Ron’s sister kneels down to tie Harry’s shoe lace is pure awkward hilarity.

I have not read the books and I did feel the need for certain clarifiers to some partly explained and explored sub plots. There is a hell of a lot going on in this film. It just about gives enough of everything to keep confusion at bay. It is one of the more busy Potter films.

As always it looks amazing, today’s standard of CGI has allowed for this wonderful fantasy world to feel completely real. The young cast have all grown into their roles and give this film quality clout. I was also particularly impressed with Daniel Radcliffe in this film, especially during the scene where he took the luck potion - It was nice to see something different from him.

Although originally this was not one of my favourite Potter films it was more than good enough to keep the buzz alive, but now after numerous watches this Potter holds strong, and what small things frustrated the first time round, now seem altogether more whole and this has become a quality instalment to the Potter series I always enjoy returning to.

Film4 @ 0200     Wild Bill (2011) ****

Well done Dexter Fletcher. A splendid directorial debut in this low budget gritty East End crime caper. Bill has just completed an 8 year stretch in prison, he comes home to find his 11 and 15 year old sons have been abandoned by their mother. It’s a pretty linear story but the brilliance of the cast, a solid script and some nifty camera work make this a very rewarding British film. What also makes this stand out is the way it handles the serious side very well but doesn’t sacrifice any humour and there are as many smiles as there are serious moments. It has a lot of heart and the connections between the characters build perfectly as the story progresses. Thoroughly entertaining.

Best of the rest:

ITV1 @ 1525           The Living Daylights (1987) ***

ITV2 @ 1710           A Bug's Life (1998) ****

ITV4 @ 2100           Cliffhanger (1993) ***

Universal @ 2100 Fatal Attraction (1987) ****

C5 @ 2305              Point Break (1991) ***

ITV4 @ 2310           Mars Attacks! (1996) ****