Film Pick UK

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  I attended the gala showing at this years London Film Festival with more than a little curiosity and perhaps if I am honest a little scepticism. Everything about this film seemed as extraordinary as its title. Lets start with the pairing of Annette Bening and Jamie Bell, an improbable combination to say the least but one that not only works, it works like a charm. Of course this is an extraordinary story, a true story. The film is based on the book by Peter Turner which is a memoir of his affair with the film star Gloria Graham. Unlikely? Yes, but true none the less and it is the truth that makes it so touching, romantic, tender, sexy, funny and sad; beautifully, heartbreakingly sad. This film is all those things. It begins at the end of Glorias life and then moves seamlessly into the past and the telling of the history between these two people. Just as we find ourselves swept up in their beguiling romance the film returns quietly to the present. Dipping i...

I am often asked what gets a film onto my top ten film list? So I'll try to answer that question.  Obviously it has to be a great film, but what does that mean? Well firstly all the aspects that make up a film must be good; script, story, acting, direction, cinematography, music, editing. If a film has all these things and you enjoyed the film, then it’s a good film, right? Yes. . .  But is it a great film? Any list is of course very personal and highly subjective, To quote from ‘When Harry met Sally’ “Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humour, but they couldn’t possibly all have good taste”. ‘When Harry Met Sally’ is a great film deserving of a spot in anyone’s top ten list and maybe if it was Tuesday and the wind was blowing in the right direction and I was in the right mood I would put it there. To be 'great' a film must have staying power. It may be of its time but must prove itself to be timeless. Because of this I would say a film  can't ...

The first film I ever saw in a cinema was The Sound of Music at The Odeon Astoria, Finsbury Park. I clearly remember waiting for the bus with my Mum and my Aunt. It was a chilly grey day and the wind almost blew me over. We seemed to wait an eternity for that bus and I had only a very sketchy understanding of where we were going. We were cold and glad to arrive, stepping through the door I immediately knew this was something special, a hushed world of wonder, a star shaped fountain in the middle of the foyer trickled. I was so entranced by the foyer that I had to be persuaded into the auditorium with the promise that I would see it again on the way out. Once inside however another world was revealed to me, the vast high ceiling was studded with tiny lights like stars. I thought I had entered a fairyland in which day had suddenly turned to night. The enormous arch which framed the screen looked like a castle and all around seemed to be little houses. I wanted to live there, I n...