20. Juli 2025

Perfect for all English levels, subtitles helpful at times. Get it here! https://amzn.to/4kU42Xb Alfred Hitchcock is one of cinema's truly great directors. He is famous for many films of course, including The 39 Steps, Vertigo, North By Northwest, To Catch a Thief, the list goes on. But Psycho remains the greatest of all. Starring Anthony Perkins as Norman and Janet Leigh in the pivotal role of Marion Crane, what begins as a supposed crime thriller descends into something much more horrifying,...

07. Juni 2025

Sometimes a film comes out of nowhere. It arrives often unannounced, with very little marketing and not much expectation, either. But its (usually) very good, and through fierce and The sleeper hit is a film that, despite the lack of marketing, big stars and budget, makes bank. Real bank. It comes out of nowhere and has such an impact that everyone talks about it. Ghost, Sister Act, The Sixth Sense, the list goes on. Crocodile Dundee was one of those films. Released in 1985, nobody outside of...

05. April 2025

Strong New York-based American and French accents throughout. Intermediate speakers and up. Get it here! https://amzn.to/45e9XS8 This film is on the list for a couple of reasons but the most important is Gene Hackman, who died a short while ago. Hackman was an absolute giant of cinema throughout his career, which spanned 5 decades and included some of the greatest performances ever seen on screen. Starting with his star making turn in Bonnie nd Clyde, his powerhouse performances in The...

23. Februar 2025

Adult themes and American accents throughout, for upper intermediate levels only. Get it here! https://amzn.to/4kYp33a The 90s included a plethora of low budget thrillers that got by simply by being provocative and including sleazy sex scenes. Every now an d then, however, there would be a bigger budget version, such as Basic Instinct, that would take the genre and make it accessible for a larger audience. It would include bigger stars and, of course, a bigger budget too. For me, Wild Things is...

19. Januar 2025

Going to the cinema is a privilege.I have always thought that, but these days it seems even more important. With the rise over the last few years of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon and Disney +, it has become somewhat inevitable that cinema viewings have dropped. Young people in particular would seemingly rather watch films at home than at the cinema. And who can blame them? This year, for example, the biggest (cost-wise, at least) Christmas film is Red One, financed by Amazon Studios....

01. November 2024

Easy to follow plot and clear English accents throughout. OK for everyone, as long as you like horror films! Horror is not a genre I would normally watch. I'm not a fan, I'll be honest. I enjoy dark thrillers (Silence of the Lambs springs to mind) but "slasher" movies are a complete no go. But with last night (October 31st) being Halloween, I decided to rewatch what is one of the best horror films ever made. The 70s was a great decade for cinema. The Godfather movies, Star Wars, The French...

22. September 2024

American English througout but with clear spoken English. Some slang used. Intermediate speakers and up. Occasionally a film will come along that just blows you out of the water. You weren't aware of it, so you know little to nothing going in. Ive been lucky to had had this experience with three films: The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en and this one. LA Confidential is a crime thriller in the true spirit of the term, several characters all integral to the plot, a clear story with a great twist....

11. August 2024

All accents throughout, including Irish and Scottish as well as American and british english, making it a great experience for intermediate and advanced speakers. Brian de Palma is one of cinemas great directors. He made Scarface, once of the most recognised gangster films ever. He made the first Mission Impossible, kicking off the franchise. He made Blowout, Carlitos Way and Dressed to Kill. The man's cv is very impressive. His most famous film, however, is The Untouchables. And in my opinion,...

02. Juli 2024

American accents throughout with some strong accents at times that may make this a challenge for intermediate English speakers. A sports film is a curious thing for me. It s usually the most telegraphed of films, in that you almost always know how it's going to play out and end. The team starts off badly, makes tough decisions involving the initial "star" player, improves over the course of the film, before coming out on top against the team that beat them badly at the beginning. I could reel...

14. Juni 2024

American and British accents throughout, but not a problem for intermediate students. A new one for a change, and well deserved. How many other franchises have their best episode in the 7th (and most recent) outing? Beginning in 1996, the film series starring Tom Cruise stayed fairly close to the television programme from upon which it is based. Cruise's character of Ethan Hunt is new though, and it is he that carries the series through its various episodes and directors. Yes, each film until...