It’s important to know when stop, to bring things to an end and say goodbye, even when audiences are clamouring for more. Advice, the creators of Downton Abbey should have heeded, leaving well enough alone after the drama’s first cinematic outing. After all, by the end of the original film, the Dowager had passed the … Continue reading Downton Abbey: A New Era review
When it comes to history, the Second World War is arguably the period that interests me the most. If you were to look at my historical book shelf, it dominates. Yet, I must acknowledge that my understanding of the period leading up to the declaration of War on September 3, 1939, is limited at best. … Continue reading Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
Should truth be sacrificed for the sake of entertainment? This is the question I ask myself every time I sit down to watch Netflix's Drive to Survive, the so called "inside track" on the latest Formula 1 season. Hamilton alone at the restart in Hungary as rest of grid takes advantage and pit With 2021 … Continue reading Fact or Fiction? Netflix’s Drive to Survive
Every so often a film comes along that captivates you, gets under your skin and haunts you. With it’s primal, brutal, visceral intensity, Robert Eggers' The Northman, is one such film. While narrative inspiration is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Eggers unapologetically leans into the world of Norse mythology, as protagonist Amleth, played by Alexander Skarsgard, … Continue reading The Northman Review
The last two years have seen many frustrations as well all try to get to grips with the 'new normal', but for me one of the biggest frustrations was the impact the pandemic was having on the Aviation and Travel industries. Not only do half of my family work within the Aviation world, I had … Continue reading Travelling From My Sofa… via YouTube
We all love a good murder mystery... an Agatha Christie, a Val McDermid, an Arthur Conan Doyle. We've all read them and we've played at being an armchair detective and worked out who the murderer is, feeling both frustrated and excited by the twists which change the game and throw us off track. But what … Continue reading Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
Every single one of us has that small collection of films that we'll watch over and over again, even though we can quote it line for line and know all the twists and turns. These films are our comfort blankets, the escapes we turn to when we need a lift and the friends we know … Continue reading Steel Magnolias review
In the world of 21st century cinema, films must thrive despite vast competition during their opening weekend, leading to a studio tendency to over-hype supposed brilliance in the weeks before release, in a desperate bid to sell tickets. Too often phrases like 'greatest film of the year' and 'masterpiece’ are bandied about without the film … Continue reading 1917 review
Ever since the Second World War ended, 75 years ago, historians and commentators have pulled apart the Bombing War, examining it in exacting detail and passing their knowledge onto the general public through books, documentaries and podcasts. It’s reached the point where you’d think nothing new could be added to the conversation. Yet ‘new’ is … Continue reading Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend by John Nichol
For 150 years the story of four sisters has captured imaginations around the world, selling millions of copies and spawning numerous adaptions... so when Greta Gerwig announced that she was following her highly successful directional debut, Ladybird, with a new version of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, it left many of us asking if there was anything new to be added to such a well loved, well told tale?
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