Why I Found Myself Watching Macclesfield
I’m not a football fan.Or at least, that’s what I’ve always said. And yet, there I was, sitting down properly, not half-reading the paper, not doing something else at the same time, but really watching Macclesfield FC play Crystal Palace. Wanting to feel every minute of it. Part of it goes back a long way. […]
Sentimental Value
I came out of Sentimental Value feeling raw. Not overwhelmed exactly, but stripped back. As if the film had asked me to sit with emotions that are usually softened, explained away, or hurried past. At one level, it is a film about family. A father and his daughters. Sisters who carry the same history differently. […]
Song Sung Blue – A Film That Caught Me by Surprise
I almost did not go. I do not usually enjoy musicals, and I expected people to standi and burst into song. What I found instead felt more like being at a gig, with music woven into the story rather than sitting on top of it. The film follows two people, played by Kate Hudson and […]
Watching The Housemaid: When Charm Hides Control
I have not written a film review for a while, but The Housemaid stayed with me long after the credits rolled. On the surface, it is a psychological thriller built around a familiar setup. A wealthy couple. A young woman hired into their home. Unease. Shifting loyalties. A growing sense that something is not right. […]
Watching the Internet Step Into the Ring
A reflective review I don’t write reviews as an expert. I write them as someone paying attention. These pieces are a way of sharpening my observational and descriptive skills, noticing atmosphere, contrast, discomfort, and resonance rather than technical detail. I’m interested in how events land in the body, what they reveal about the world we’re […]
Pillion – A film review and lessons learned
From time to time, I’m paying closer attention to the films, books, and essays that stay with me. Not as a critic, but as a writer learning to look more carefully. I often watch or read at surface level, for pleasure or distraction. Lately, I’m slowing that down, noticing what unsettles me, what mirrors deeper […]
Review: King and Conqueror — A Drama That Misses the Truth but Reveals Something Else
I hadn’t planned to watch King and Conqueror (a BBC drama) I already knew it wasn’t historically accurate. You expect a bit of dramatic licence in this sort of production, but what they’ve done here goes far beyond tightening timelines or simplifying subplots. They’ve changed major events, invented confrontations, and layered in symbolism that has […]
A Day in Hospital
Two weeks ago I spent a day in hospital having a lentigo maligna removed, a sun-damaged patch caught just before it could turn into skin cancer. Not a mole, though several people assumed it was. Just one of the quiet things that can appear on our skin as we age, the legacy of years spent […]
A Small Kindness at McDonald’s
I popped to the shops today and found myself opposite McDonald’s. I have a quiet fondness for a Filet-O-Fish, though I hardly ever have one, years rather than months. So I went in. I tried to use the ordering machine, but everything was geared towards meals, not a single sandwich. A member of staff noticed […]