05. April 2025

Strong New York-based American and French accents throughout. Intermediate speakers and up. 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 Conversation and Unforgiven, to his most...

23. Februar 2025

Adult themes and American accents throughout, for upper intermediate levels only. 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 a perfect example of this. An erotic...

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...

19. Mai 2024

American accents throughout with some slightly tricky ones for intermediate speakers. Basic Instinct is over thirty years old now. A thriller starring star MIchael Douglas and complete unknown Sharon Stone, it tells the story of a San Francisco cop who investigates the gruesome murder of a retired rock star, stabbed to death, during sex, with an ice pick. His girlfriend at the time, Catherine Tramell, is a novelist who is clearly involved somehow. And then the games start. Michael Douglas was a...

13. April 2024

Clear English accents throughout, but some challenging European accents too. A great film for intermediate English speakers and above. I have to include this one. It's the best Bond film ever made. But, more interestingly, it is the most maligned, too. Two weeks ago I had yet another great discussion with some students about film in general which ended up on the subject of 007. It followed the usual, agreeable tone (Connery is king, Skyfall is great, Dalton is better than Moore, etc etc) but...