You, Me and the Movies tells the story of a chance meeting at a hospital which reunites Arden with Mac, a university film lecturer she had an affair with thirty years ago. I appreciated reading a book with an older protagonist. The flashbacks to her young adult self at university worked really well. I enjoyed the…
‘Starfish’ Review: A Visually Stunning Debut Exploring Grief
“For the end of the world, press play.” A.T. White’s debut feature Starfish follows Aubrey (Virginia Gardner), whose reality begins fraying at the edges as she struggles with the death of her best friend, Grace (Christina Masterson). The film opens at Grace’s funeral and her gravestone reads ‘Always Right,‘ which is the first insight we get into…
‘Unicorn Store’ Review: Being Yourself Isn’t Something You Have to Give Up
Brie Larson’s feature-length directorial debut has been long anticipated. First premiering at Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017, Netflix only picked up the distribution rights to Unicorn Store in January 2019. The film follows Kit (Larson), a failed artist who moves back in with her parents (Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford), and gets a job at…
Top 10 Modern Scream Queens
The term ‘Scream Queen’ refers to actresses who are associated with the horror genre, either through recurring roles or one significant performance. Jamie Lee Curtis is regularly regarded as the ultimate Scream Queen and is usually who people first think of when they hear the term. Known mostly for her role as Laurie Strode in…
‘Under the Silver LAke’ Review: AN Ambitious and Unique Neo-Noir from ‘It Follows’ Director
After the success of his critically acclaimed horror, It Follows, David Robert Mitchell takes risks with his highly anticipated follow-up. Under the Silver Lake is an ambitious and unique neo-noir that is full of twists and turns. The story begins with Sam (Andrew Garfield), a lazy and unemployed young man with nothing better to do than masturbate, spy on…
Captain Marvel: Does Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers Lack Personality?
As the first female-led superhero film from Marvel Studios, Captain Marvel has not had it easy. There has been plenty of support, as well as some fair criticism, but otherwise there’s mostly just complaint after complaint from the same people; the group of white men that set out to condemn the film after Brie Larson’s comments on…
The Expanse: An Intense Space Opera Worthy of Your Time
Set in a future where humanity has colonised the Solar System, The Expanse follows a group of characters who find themselves at the center of a conspiracy that threatens the very existence of humanity. It’s based on the science-fiction novels by James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who…
Book Review: The Playing Card Killer
During withdrawal from anti-anxiety medication, Brian is plagued by dreams of women strangled to death and left with a playing card on their corpse. This premise hooked me right away as I’ve struggled with anxiety and medication withdrawals myself, and also love a good read about a serial killer! The book was slow (and quite…
Book Review: The Haunting of Henderson Close
Hannah lands her dream job reliving spooky tales as a tour guide for customers from all over the world at Edinburgh’s derelict Henderson Close. But Hannah starts to feel uneasy when she begins seeing mysterious figures and experiencing other unexplained phenomena. The Haunting of Henderson Close is an excellent ghost story that has a very strong…
Film Review: Tomb Raider (2018)
How does the 2018 film compare to the 2013 game? Mild story spoilers for Tomb Raider (2018). I wasn’t overly enthused when Alicia Vikander was first announced as the new Lara Croft. I believed her to be an incredible actress – especially having seen her in Ex Machina – but she didn’t seem like the right…