Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

January always feels like the longest month in the year, but I did nothing more with my deluded extra time in terms of film and television.

MOVIES

Only two cinema trips this month and sadly not as many movies watched at home as I’d intended. Still, trying to keep it positive; I didn’t do as badly as I have in the past.

Sister Act (Channel 4)
The Favourite (Cinema)
Proud Mary (Sky)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (Sky)
Glass (Cinema)
Twilight (Netflix)
The Blind Side (Netflix)

TELEVISION

My television watching wasn’t too bad – there were a number of shows started, a good amount finished and I have in mind what I’ll be picking up next month too.

Started
Les Miserables (BBC One)
Carmen Sandiego (Netflix)
Charmed (Sky) [One of curiosity I watched the pilot episode]

Finished
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – Season 2 (Amazon Video)
The Last Kingdom – Season 3 (Netflix)
Luther – Season 5 (BBC One)
You (Netflix)
Delicious – Season 3 (Sky One)
All About the Washingtons (Netflix)
Titans (Netflix)
The Good Place – Season 3 (Netflix)

Ongoing
Gilmore Girls – Season 3 (Netflix)

My favourite of the month was Luther (though it was close with The Last Kingdom Season 3)the revival of the much loved British series had me from the moment I saw the creepy as hell trailer back in December. Idris Elba brought back DCI John Luther in a way that was completely familiar and refreshing. We were awarded with a new psychopath to rage against and twists to make our jaws drop and our hearts clench. It as beautiful.

Over on Letterboxd I write a few lines in review for every movie, not just the ones I see in the cinema if you want to check those out.

Theatre Note:
This month I watched Caroline or Change at the Playhouse theatre. It once again returned me to the 1960s, set during the same time as The Help which I thought added a nice touch of symmetry to my month’s hobbies.

BOOKS

Least you forget I happen to also be an avid reader, and I’m sticking with the monthly reading themes in 2019 as it really helped me add order to my reading last year. This month I was focused on “When the hype dies down” – books that were once hyped about buy no one talks about anymore.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My favourite novel of the month was… The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I had seen the movie when it first came out but bided my time until the memory of the characters and actors had faded before I embarked on its literary source.

The book was so well written and the story of life in the 1960s in the American South was one that didn’t reach that far back in time and was all the more poignant because of it. It was a wonderfully motivational start to a new year of reading.

Check out my Goodreads for reviews and such.
Roll on February