‘Small Pleasures’ by Clare Chambers. a review by Megan Robinson. Small Pleasures is set in 1957 in the southeast suburbs of London. We follow Jean Swinney a nearly forty-year-old journalist who is contacted by a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, claiming that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth. The more that Jean investigates […]
Blu-ray: Jungle Fever (1991)Jungle Fever directed and written by Spike Lee and released in 1991 is a tale of interracial romance and racism. Following several characters interconnecting threads, and set in early 90s New York, Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes), is black, successful, happily married and lives in the ‘nice’ part of Harlem with his wife Drew […]
Blu-ray: Maeve (1981)Pat Murphy’s first film was her most experimental. Set during the troubles in Ireland it tells the story of Catholic girl Maeve Sweeney (Mary Jackson), a young Belfast woman who lives in London and returns to the family home for a visit.The film zips back and too though time and Maeve’s hairstyle changes […]
‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller a review by Megan Robinson The Song of Achilles is set in Greece in the age of heroes. We follow Patroclus and his tender friendship with demi-god Achilles, a bond that blossoms into something deeper as they grow into young men. But when Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, Achilles is […]
Normal People is a million-copy bestseller that has also been adapted into a BBC programme. It follows Connell and Marianne who grew up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but their similarities end there. It is a story of mutual fascination, friendship and love. It takes us from their first conversation […]
Blu-ray: Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) Rich Socialite and beautifully haired Claire Gregory (Mimi Rogers) goes to a posh party with her somewhat boring but very rich boyfriend Neil Steinhart (John Rubinstein) and on seeing her old boyfriend Winn Hockings (Mark Moses) agrees to meet him ‘downstairs’. As she totters towards the meeting place […]
DVD: The Virtuoso (2021)The titular Virtuoso (Anson Mount) is an unnamed (as are all the characters in this film) professional assassin who is given an assignment by his boss ‘The Mentor’ (Anthony Hopkins), but the only details are a time and location where to find the target.Arriving at a remote diner frequented by a handful of […]
DVD, Digital & Blu-ray: Roald & Beatrix – The Tail of the Curious Mouse (2020) Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse was shown on sky tv on Christmas Eve 2020 and is without a doubt a perfect Christmas Movie. It’s set in 1922, at the time of six year old Roald Dahl’s […]
Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download: The United Way (2021) I have had zero interest in football for 30 years now, but during the 1970’s and 80’s myself & my best mate used to go and watch Manchester United. Driven to Manchester by parents in our earlier years, and then driving ourselves when we got older. As […]
Blu-ray: Uncle Peckerhead (2020)Matthew John Lawrence’s Uncle Peckerhead tells the story of Judy (Chet Siegel) who is the bassist in a struggling pop/punk band called ‘Duh,’ along with guitarist Max (Jeff Riddle), and drummer Mel (Ruby McCollister).They are going on their first tour and just as they’re about to put their gear in the car, it gets […]