The airbag made me do it

Have you seen any good films lately? I have not, no way, not at all, nope. I absolutely did not LAUGH MY HEAD OFF at several scenes from Bad Neighbours, and there is no way on earth that I actually handed across almost ten pounds of my hard earned money to go and watch the sequel at the cinema...erm, okay those last two statements are complete lies. I did do both of those things. 

Oh dear, what has become of me? I used to be such a film snob, I was all about the indie flicks that were a little bit weird, a little bit odd, and often even a little bit off. I would also sneak in the odd blockbuster here and there, usually during the summer when it would be kind of acceptable to my inner film snobbiness, but Bad Neighbours nonsense type film would never cross my path, I wouldn't let it dare! Until now. I'm blaming the ironing. 

The ironing pile, as per the usual, was bordering on Mount Everest style and when I know I'm going all in, tackling the mountain, I have to have something crap to watch. Something that requires no concentration and doesn't even really need to be watched as I focus on the shirt sleeves (ugh, I HATE ironing shirts!). I came across Bad Neighbours. I hit play and I got sucked in, like all the way in. 

First of all, the characters are just so likeable! Second of all, the scene with the airbags was so funny that I had to stop ironing so I could bend over, I was laughing that hard. Dave came back at around this time and I tried to explain it to him but I was still laughing so much that I couldn't tell it without tears rolling down my face. Ironing hysterics...? I immediately had to text my fellow crap-film lover D to tell her about the airbags. Turns out she had also just watched it and had to rewind that scene several times just to get through it! See, not just me! The text chat carried on and all of a sudden we had made a date to go and see the second one at the cinema. 

Oh dear. Former film snob curls up into a tiny ball inside. 

Of course there were airbags. Of course I nearly stopped breathing I was laughing so hard. And of course it was so awful it was funny.

So the moral of this tale? Banish your inner film snob, embrace the awful, and enjoy those big belly laughs. The airbag scenes alone are worth it! 

Book to screen - The Martian

I would say I am totally open to reading any book, from any genre, but science fiction is something that I have rarely dabbled in. A long while ago I read 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K. Dick but I think that's probably it, until I picked up 'The Martian' by Andy Weir. I half knew about it from a book You Tuber I follow and had seen a review or two on Goodreads, but had no idea what it was about really when I decided to add it to my groaning-under-the-weight-of-books-I-just-fancy-trying bedside table. 

So it's about an astronaut, who is stranded on Mars. In order to survive he decides to grow potatoes. Through sheer resolve and determination he finds ways to communicate with NASA and well, I don't want to give the ending away, so if you want to find out what happens you'll have to read the book. Which is very easy to read. And very funny! This I was not expecting at all. I found myself chuckling out loud several times. Mark Watney (the main character) is a funny guy! Although there is a lot of science-y stuff in it, it's pretty easy to skim over those parts, unless you're a total science geek of course, in which case, knock yourself out. 

As soon as I was finished with the book I knew I had to see the film to see how it was done. Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, and it's directed by Ridley Scott, so it already had a pretty good head start; it didn't come as too much of a surprise that I loved the film. I thought Matt Damon was amazing - his transformation from buff astronaut to skinny astronaut waiting to be rescued was actually quite visually shocking, and overall I thought his performance was outstanding. I loved the way that Mars was depicted - it was stunning and very red. The music added so much and was used in such a clever way that it made me laugh out loud a couple of times. The various spaceships and vehicles were amazing and I wondered out loud to Dave how much it must have cost to build them all for the film (or were they borrowed from NASA? Would they really allow a spaceship to be taken apart and dropped to the floor...? I think not but feel free to correct me if you know better!) The only downsides for me were the added bits at the end - those pesky film-makers never can resist from meddling! But it didn't at all spoil the film, which I thought was ace. Definitely recommended. 

Maybe I need to try more science fiction. Any recommendations? 

Big screen/small screen

After about 6 weeks of barely watching anything except for YouTube videos, I've made up for it in the past couple of weeks by watching loads of good stuff! Sharing is caring and so here are a few little reviews of the things I've seen. Maybe you'll find some inspiration if you're looking for something new. Let's start with the big screen. 

Ricki and the Flash
Wah I love Meryl Streep! It was especially easy to love Meryl Streep when she is playing an ageing rocker in tight leather trousers and dodgy 80s hair plaits. And can we just talk for a moment about how much Mamie Gummer looks like her? Terrifying! This was funny and sad and all kinds of fab. The band scenes were pretty good too, I think it really was Meryl singing but I'm not sure if she was really playing the guitar. If she was I'm even more impressed. All round, good couple of hours entertainment. Go Meryl! 

The Intern
In the same spirit as above, I love Robert de Niro. And how can you not love him when he's playing an adorable senior intern to Anne Hathaway's boss-lady. I'd heard and read all sorts of things about this film and was worried that it might be a bit preachy but actually, it was delightful! It was funny and adorable and just a feel-good kinda film, perfect for a chilly and grey Sunday afternoon in October. 

There are loads of good films coming out at the cinema, and Dave and I are still planning to see Legend in the next week or so. Bringing the film love back.

The TV love is good right now too though. Especially since we got us a second telly and a Tivo box! So good! The boys can sit and watch all the boring sport stuff and I can lie back on the huge sofa and catch up on some Netflix viewing. Happy days. 

Bloodline
This is a made for Netflix thingie by the same people who created Damages, which I also loved. I started watching it ages ago and then just stopped, but I picked it back up again after the arrival of the magic Tivo box and I couldn't stop watching! I had to watch the final two episodes at the same time as I could barely breathe at the end of the penultimate one. So good! If you're looking for a good family drama, with an excellent cast, and endless sunshine from the Florida setting, then this is the one for you. Gripping. Try to breathe at the end, it'll help with the massive cliffhanger that they drop at the end. Gahhh! Come on Series 2! 

Wish I Was Here
This is a film but I watched it on a small screen so does it count as TV? Let's go with it. You might not think that an out of work actor deciding to home school his kids would make for a good film but I adored this. It was warm and touching and left me with all the feels. I do love a bit of Mandy Patinkin too, that beard is just all kinds of awesome. 

Mr Morgan's Last Love
Michael Caine playing an American is a bit of a stretch but if you can past the occasionally dodgy accent this is a charming film. It had me at being set in Paris (love), and starring Clemence Poesy (girlcrush) - oh she is so beautiful and chic and I find her enchanting to watch. Throw in a bit of Gillian Anderson and it's a winner. Great cast, great location, cute story. Can I say delightful again? 

Life in Squares
The BBC are really really good at making period dramas. If you also make it a period drama with lots of romping (love that word!) it's usually going to be a winner. This little treasure is all about the Bloomsbury group. I have quite the fascination with them from various other films and exhibitions that I've seen so was keen to catch up with this one. It was interesting to see it from the point of view of the group beginning and how they evolved and the complicated relationships that became established. I've still got the last one to watch but so far so very enjoyable. And lots of romping. Nice one BBC, another good'un. 

The rest of my screen time is spent avoiding the Rugby World Cup (will it ever end?) and the Euro qualifiers (bor-ring!). I like having a second TV! 

Do you have any recommendations for me? Big screen or small, I'm open to all.