dendy direct: the babadook I’m not generally a horror fan, but with Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo making regular “babadook” sounds in their flagship film review podcast for weeks and months, I decided to watch it. Again, there were playback problems with connecting the dendy direct (iPad) to the apple TV, and so part of the creepiness of …
Category Archives: media
apple tv: blue jasmine
Blue Jasmine (2013) was one of those lingering movie-of-the-week offerings on the apple TV, and it took me nearly a month to get back to it, but an evening finally arrived. If’s clear why Cate Blanchett won her Oscar: this is a role that gives her a broad emotional spectrum to play. It’s the usual …
DVD: Son of Rambow
DVD: Son of Rambow is the story of outsiders in a bizarre school, of imagination and film-making that will make you wonder why you ever stopped being 12 years old. with its references to Rambo, it’s probably not suited for very young kids.
dendy direct: The Ides of March
Dendy Direct: The Ides of March I liked the idea of having my movie rental money go through Dendy direct instead of to Apple’s coffers, so I’ve tried this out now a couple of times. It’s a fairly smooth process, although you have to log in via both a web browser and an app, so …
apple TV – Guardians of the Galaxy
Apple TV: Guardians of the Galaxy I heard a lot of positive things about this film when it was out at the cinemas, but it wasn’t something I made time for. Seeing it available for rent, and having an unexpected free evening, I hit the “rent” button and checked it out. This seems a film …
media: Grand Piano
Grand Piano is an obscure team-up between Elijah Wood and John Cusack. The premise is ridiculous, and it’s clearly a short film stretched out to feature length. Elijah Wood is the virtuoso piano player, back to the stage for the first time in five years after an embarrassing case of stage fright. Cusack, a disembodied voice …
media: Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia is one of those movies I’d always wanted to see, but never quite made time for it. It’s on the best movie lists for a reason – beautiful, sweeping views of the dessert. If you’re looking for strong female characters (or any female characters), you’re in the wrong place.
Apple TV: Doubt (2008)
Apple TV: Doubt When a Philip Seymour Hoffman movie comes up as the 99c movie of the week, you rent it, even if you’re not sure when you’ll have a chance to. Happily, I was able to make time. While not mentioning by name the accusations made against a parish priest (Hoffman), the inference is …
DVD: Brazil
DVD: Brazil is a movie I’d heard a lot about, but never seen. I found a copy of the DVD at Hum, and it doesn’t disappoint. Gilliam’s vision of a dystopian future is immersive. The consumerism, the slacking, the portrait of family life – they all bring a sense of realism to the surreal world that’s …
dvd: frozen
DVD: Frozen I’d been looking forward to seeing this for a long while and it didn’t disappoint, though it left me wondering about the parenting values of the parents of the two royals who have most of the running time. The funniest character is a talking snowman, there’s a somewhat empowering message for girls in …