Hello readers,
Another post for me in the same month is rare I know but as I am still on university holidays, I thought I would write about what I’ve been watching this year. I have had quite a lot of spare time so I have been watching many TV series and films. Not everything listed below came out this year. Hope everyone is having a good 2019 so far!
I will start with the films that I have seen.
Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol 2011
I watched this at home a few days ago and as a lover of the latest film I had high expectations. They were certainly met. The dynamics between the main cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner really gave the film the human spark it needed to not be a mindless action thriller. There were amazing stunts and cool gadgets – the magnetic suit for one, stunning locations and spine-tingling suspense. I would definitely watch again and I will be watching the earlier films in the Mission: Impossible franchise. 5/5.
Cast:
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an IMF spy, constantly on the run and never out of danger.
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, the funny computer genius who has just passed field training.
Paula Patton as Jane, a colleague who is out for revenge.
Jeremy Renner as Brandt, an analyst who gets caught up in Hunt’s mission.
Léa Seydoux as Moreau, an assassin looking to trade documents for diamonds
Mary Poppins Returns 2018
I was quite late to the party with this one but I managed to see it last week at the cinema. This film appear to have sparked a controversy as while some people were disappointed with the outcome, it has been nominated for four Golden Globes and three BAFTAs. I, however, really enjoyed it. I have seen the first one but not for a while so it wasn’t fresh in my mind but the overall feeling of this film is updated yet similar to the original. The songs and sets are different and the characters have grown up but Mary Poppins is still there to save the day. The animated scenes were inspired by but didn’t copy the original. The film gave me a heartwarming feeling. Great bit of fun for all the family. 5/5.
Cast:
Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, the magical nanny returning to the Banks’.
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, the lamp lighter who joins in on the fun.
Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks, he’s all grown up and struggling with finances.
Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks, she rallies for women’s rights.
Pixie Davies as Anabel Banks, the most responsible Banks child.
Nathanael Saleh as John Banks, the sensible one.
Joel Dawson as Georgie Banks, he likes to wander off and fly kites.
Julie Walters as Ellen, the housekeeper and cook.
Meryl Streep as Cousin Topsy, who can everything but not on a second Wednesday.
Colin Firth as Mr Wilkins, chairman of the bank who is determined to repossess the Banks’ house.
Finding Your Feet 2018
This heartwarming comedy will tug at your heart strings and put a smile on your face. Sandra discovers her husbands affair and runs to her sister’s council flat in London. By finding her long forgotten love of dance again and meeting Biv’s fun friends, Sandra gets a new burst of life and reconnects with her sister. I particularly liked the sequences in Rome and Biv’s eccentric zest for life. It also shows to me that older actors can still make a great entertaining film and younger leads aren’t always necessary.
Cast:
Imelda Staunton as Sandra, whose husband has been having a secret affair for years. She lived in a big house in Surrey but moves in with her sister at the beginning.
Celia Imrie as Biv, a woman who lives every day like it’s her last. She swims in cold water pools, does weekly dance classes, goes on dates and buys her stuff from the charity shop.
Timothy Spall as Charlie who lives on a canal boat and takes a shine to Sandra.
Joanna Lumley as Jackie a fellow dancer and a lawyer, she knows how to have fun.
David Hayman as Ted who lives next to Charlie on the canal. He’s Charlie’s best friend and is always there for support.
Overboard 2018
A hilarious comedy about a woman taking revenge a bit too far. Kate is working multiple jobs to put herself through nursing school and support her three daughters. After a billionaire playboy throws her off his luxury yacht, she uses him for her own gain. Leo, himself falls off the yacht and wakes up with no memory. Kate convinces him that she is his wife and takes him home. She makes him do manual labour and earn money until she can pass her upcoming exam. Full of heart and funny scenes this film was a delight to watch. The only slight downside was as most of the characters were fluent in Spanish they spoke it frequently with no subtitles. It didn’t impede too much on understanding the main plot though. 5/5.
Cast:
Anna Faris as Kate, a wannabe nurse struggling to balance work, studying and looking after her children.
Eugenio Derbez as Leo, a selfish billionaire who becomes a doting husband after her gets amnesia.
Eva Longoria as Theresa, Kate’s friend who is in on the act and helps her keep it up.
Mel Rodriguez as Bobby, Theresa’s husband, he lets Leo work for his building company.
John Hannah as Colin, Leo’s chef and employer on the yacht.
Roma 2018
I’m going to start by saying that I didn’t really enjoy or understand this film but seeing as it won two Golden Globes, some people must appreciate it. The film set in Mexico in 1970 is telling the story of Cleo, a domestic servant and the family she works for. It is in black and white and while this does give the film some atmosphere, I think that the film didn’t have a strong enough setting, dialogue or plot. There were also a lot of long shots such as the beginning and many unexplained events. The acting was okay but I didn’t really connect with the characters enough to care about what happened to them. The family appeared to care for Cleo at some points but still treated her like just a servant. Confusing. 2/5.
Cast:
Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, the domestic worker who works for Sofia and her children.
Marina de Travia as Sofia, the lady of the house and the mother of 4 children.
Fernando Grediaga as Antonio, the husband and father who works as a doctor and is away a lot of the time.
Verónica García as Teresa, Sofia’s mother who helped out the family.
Attack the Block 2011
I really liked this action comedy. It is set in and around a block of flats in South London. A gang of teenagers find a strange creature and kill it. It turns out to a an alien and the rest of the fleet descend on the block. Sam, a nurse teams up with the gang and they defend their home. They also have to avoid angry rival gang members and keep little wannabees out of the way. Featuring appearances from Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker and John Boyega, this award winning film is definitely worth a watch. 4/5.
Cast:
John Boyega as Moses, the gang’s leader who is just trying to survive childhood.
Jodie Whittaker as Sam, a nurse who gets sucked in to defending the block
Alex Esmail as Pest, the token white guy in the gang and the first to be injured.
Leeon James as Jerome, Moses right hand man
Luke Treadaway as Brewis, a rich boy who is the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nick Frost as Ron, a drug dealer with his own weed room.
I have also been loving many TV shows, most of them are Netflix Originals.
A Series of Unfortunate Events – Series 3 2019
This third and final series is the climax to A Series of Unfortunate Events. I really liked the film that was made but this series really does justice to the books. It uses two episodes for each book. Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire have been on the run from the evil Count Olaf since their parents died in a mysterious fire. They have discovered that their parents were in an organisation V.F.D but they don’t have all the answers yet. Can they ever escape from Count Olaf’s grasp? What is in the sugar bowl? What is V.F.D? Could one of their parents still be alive? Find out if you dare in series three. I really loved the series. The acting is superb and the story is very well thought out. It definitely does the books justice. 5/5.
Cast:
Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire, the oldest sibling and an inventor. She always ties her hair up with a ribbon when she has an idea.
Louis Hynes as Klaus Baudelaire, the middle sibling and the researcher. He has read many books and his extensive knowledge comes in handy.
Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire, the youngest sibling, a toddler who likes to bite things and often comes to the right answer before her siblings.
Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket, the narrator of the Baudelaire’s tale. He has pieced together the story for us to watch unfold.
Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, an actor who travels with his troupe and is desperate to get his hands on the Baudelaire’s fortune.
Lucy Punch as Esmé Squalor, the forth most important financial advisor and Count Olaf’s girlfriend. She travels with Olaf in hopes of finding the sugar bowl. She wears ridiculous ‘in’ outfits.
Kitana Turnbull as Carmelita Spats, a spoiled little girl who loves performing and travels with Esmé and Count Olaf as their ‘daughter’. She hates the Baudelaires and calls everyone ‘cake-sniffer’.
Alison Williams as Kit Snicket, the sister to Jacques and Lemony. She has been trying to help the Baudelaires.
COMEDIANS of the world: UK: Ellie Taylor 2019
I watched Ellie Taylor’s special and really enjoyed it. She talked a lot about marriage and impending motherhood but in a very funny way and many of her opinions. She is one of my favourite comedians and it’s great to see her representing the UK in this series. There are many different comedians from around the world in this collection.
The Good Place Series 3: Episode 10 and 11 2019
Since the series has come back from it’s mid series break, it has taken many turns. The four humans, Michael and Janet finally got to the Good Place but they only reached the mail room. They have to work out what to do next. Eleanor and Chidi talk about the events of episode nine and Michael is concerned about the points system. The next episode takes place in IHOP but I don’t want to give too much away. It’s hilarious as always whilst teaching about philosophy and what makes a good person.
Cast:
Kristen Bell as Eleanor, the shrimp loving Arizona trash bag with a thing for mailmen.
William Jackson Harper as Chidi, a philosophy teacher who struggles with choices and gets nervous stomach aches.
Jameela Jamil as Tahani, a rich self entitled party hostess who only does charity for her own gain and grew up in her sister’s shadow.
Manny Jacinto as Jason, a Jacksonville Jaguars fan who has been in many dance crews and doesn’t have much brain power but a lot of heart.
Ted Danson as Michael, a demon who enjoyed torturing the four humans but is now working with them to get to the Good Place. He loves human quirks.
D’Arcy Carden as Janet, a human search engine with powers to get you anything you want. She has been rebooted so many times, she is starting to behave like a human.
Sex Education 2019
This series is filthy, dramatic, funny, quirky, relatable and entertaining. Set in a rural part of England, Sex Education tells the story of Otis Milburn, a 16 year old who wanted to be that person in the corner. His mother is a sex therapist and after one piece of great advice to the school bully, Otis and scary Maeve Wiley set up a sex clinic for the students of Moordale High. People start coming to Otis with all sorts of problems. Otis is also trying to be a teenager and sort through his own issues with sex and relationships. He is helped by his best friend Eric who is constantly pushing Otis out of his comfort zone. Otis’ mother, Jean is an overbearing, involved mother with a vibrant sex life. I loved this series and watched it all in two days. Very graphic so definitely for over 18s. It has been watched by 40 million Netflix users this month. 5/5.
Cast:
Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn, unlicensed therapist navigating being a teenager and dealing with his embarrassing mother.
Emma Mackey as Maeve Wiley, she has a bad reputation, is very smart and is always broke.
Ncuti Gatwa as Eric, Otis’ best friend who is out and proud but struggles with his father accepting him and his outrageous outfits.
Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn, sex therapist and single mother, Jean worries about her son and doesn’t do boyfriends
Connor Swindells as Adam Groff, the headmaster’s son. He doesn’t care about school and prefers to bully the student body. His father is constantly disappointed in him.
Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee, one of the Untouchables who struggles with their endless rules, she always has a boyfriend and is friends with Maeve.
Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson, the head boy and competitive swimmer. He has a lot of pressure from his mum to do well and needs plenty of advice about girls.
Alistair Petrie as Mr Groff, Moordale’s headmaster and Adam’s dad. He knows how to deal out the punishments and does not let up for anyone, even his own son.
Mikael Persbrandt as Jakob, a plummer that is fixing Jean’s bathroom.
Friends from College – Series 2 2019
The second series in this hilarious comedy drama about six 40 year olds who have been friends since college. Set in New York City, the series concentrates on their relationships with others and each other. In the last series, a lot of drama went down and the gang is still recovering. Max and Felix are engaged now, Lisa and Ethan and separating, Sam and her husband are in trouble, Nick is finally dating someone his own age and Marianne is still living her carefree life. I love this series and the second series definitely delivered on the drama and comedy. A stellar cast, this series is amazing. 5/5.
Cast:
Keegan-Michael Key as Ethan, a young adult author who is desperate to know if his wife, Lisa wants a divorce or not after his affair was revealed.
Fred Savage as Max, a publisher who works closely with Ethan and is engaged to his long term boyfriend, Felix.
Nat Faxon as Nick, a player who only went out with girls in their 20s. He finds a woman his own age but can’t let go of Lisa who has been crushing on for 20 years.
Annie Parisse as Sam, a working mother who is the most successful of the group. She is having trouble with her husband, Jon after her affair with Ethan was revealed.
Jae Suh Park as Marianne, a carefree actress with nothing to tie her down apart from her daredevil on again off again boyfriend.
Cobie Smulders as Lisa, a lawyer who disappears after sleeping with Nick and reappears with a new boyfriend a year later
Billy Eichner as Felix, a doctor who is so done with the drama from Max’s friends.
Lost in Space 2018
This show has been out for a while but I watched the last few episodes in the series this year. I started it months ago but have been watching it sporadically. It’s about the Robinsons who leave Earth for a better future but crash land on a strange planet. They have to work together with others that land there to get back to the mother ship. There are alien robots, lying doctors, brave engineers and daring escape attempts. There is a lot of family drama involved and problem solving. The last episodes were the best for me as the middle of the series dipped from the great opening but still enjoyable. It’s different from the original series and the 1998 film. 4/5.
Cast:
Maxwell Jenkins as Will Robinson, the youngest and bravest. He manages to befriend a robot.
Taylor Russell as Judy Robinson, the doctor and the eldest, she takes risks to protect her patients and her family.
Mina Sundwall as Penny Robinson as the engineer who likes to do her own thing and bend the rules.
Molly Parker as Maureen, the mother and a rocket scientist. She designed their ship, the Jupiter and lied to get her son on board.
Toby Stephens as John, the father and a soldier. He was absent for most of the kid’s childhood and is trying to make up for it.
Ignacio Serricchio as Don West, an electrical engineer who doesn’t have a family so is always up for danger.
Parker Posey as Dr Smith, a survivor who is determined to reach the new world. She manipulates people to get what she wants.
Les Miserables 2018/9
An adaptation of the beloved book, this series is not a musical, but a drama. Only three episodes have aired but I am really enjoying Les Misérables so far. It tells the story of many different characters, a prisoner, a police chief, a factory worker, a little girl, two swindlers. It illustrates the gap between the rich and the poor in the early 1800s in Paris. The acting is excellent and I can’t wait to see what happens. 5/5.
Main Cast from first 3 episodes :
Lily Collins as Fantine, a factory worker trying to feed herself and her child
Dominic West as Jean Valjean, a prisoner who got 19 years for a loaf of bread. He goes from one place to another, escaping his past.
David Oyelowo as Javert, a governor turned police chief, hunting Valjean for his crimes.
Adeel Akhtar as Thenardier, a pub owner who brags about being in the war. He cheats people from their money.
Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier, a mother who cares for her own children only. Gets as much money as she can from anyone who comes her way.
Thank you for reading!
Happy Watching
Robyn 🙂