Sisters (2015)

Kicked off the week with this comedy, starring the fantastic Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as middle-aged sisters who respond to the news that their parents are selling their family home by throwing one last house party.




Spotlight (2015)

Finally watched the best picture winner of 2015 this week, based on the true story of the Boston Globe's uncovering of child abuse within the Catholic Church. Powerful stuff. (It also features lots of the paper-based investigative work I always love in films.)




The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012)

Continued watching The Hollow Crown, which I recently discovered and am very impressed by. Tom Hiddleston is captivating as Henry V, the costumes are sumptuous, and John Hurt makes for a haunting Chorus.

Henry V in The Norton Shakespeare

Read Henry V after I'd watched The Hollow Crown adaptation, as I've done for the other history plays in the series. I find it useful for getting the most out of my reading, since I already understand the general story, and interesting to see how the adaptation differs from the text.




The Women's History of the World

What I enjoyed the most was Rosamund Miles' tone; witty, subversive, and unapologetic, I loved Miles' sarcastic asides and blunt truths. The Women's History of the World is self-consciously biased, and that is what I loved most about it.




Drive (2011)

A stylish, slow-burn thriller about a stuntman and mechanic who moonlights as a getaway driver, and who finds himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbour. I can't resist a stylish film, and this one, with its pulsating soundtrack, lingering cinematography, and lean dialogue didn't disappoint.




The Monuments Men (2014)

Loved the premise of this one, about the true story of a WWII platoon tasked with rescuing art masterpieces and returning them to their owners, but the delivery was a little disappointing. Still worth a watch though.




The Monogram Murders

Finally got round to reading the first in Sophie Hannah's continuation of the Poirot mysteries, and was both relieved to find a solid murder mystery, which almost felt like it both parodied and paid homage to the infamous Belgian detective, and pleasantly surprised at how witty it was. Will definitely be adding Closed Casket to my to-read list...which is why it never gets any shorter.




The Martian (2015)

I'm always late to appointments, so I guess it's apt that I'm late to the party with most of the films I watch and books I read. At least I get there eventually. This one stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars after his team assume he's dead. Funny, engaging, and featuring a stellar cast (yes, that pun was intentional).


Still reading: Eighteenth Century Women Poets: An Oxford Anthology and A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes