Movies

Based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth, this film serves as a beautiful reminder that even in the darkest of places, hope can be a powerful force for redemption and freedom. The 1994 film directed by Frank Darabont tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a banker, Andy Dufresne played by Tim Robbins, who has been convicted of killing his wife and her lover despite being innocent, and Ellis "Red" Redding, a hardened convict and contraband smuggler played by Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption explores themes of hope, friendship, and perseverance as Andy maintains his dignity and optimism despite the brutal realities of prison life - and it's been dubbed the best movie of all time by IMDb.The film is available now to stream on NowTV, and has earned an impressi...

As someone who adores films, I try to watch as many as possible, but at the very least a couple a week. This month I have banked more films that I would like to admit, so it felt only right to share my favourites of August. There's a newly released rom-com in there, a classic from 2001 and a Cannes Film Festival award-winning romantic dramedy.Cinema is truly hotting up ahead of Oscar season, so I'd encourage everyone to get out and support their local cinemas as the weather starts to take a turn. Here are my highlights of the month of August. Materialists (2025)Materialists is a 2025 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Celine Song, who formerly directed popular movie Past Lives. The film stars Chris Evans, Zoë Winters, Marin Ireland, and Louisa Jacobson alongside Pasca...

The Polish government has weighed in on an ongoing row about the plot of The Thursday Murder Club, a movie adaptation of Richard Osman's best-selling novel. A plot twist that occurs towards the end of the film has enraged fans and been described as "deeply unfortunate" by an institute run by Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The story follows four senior sleuths - Elizabeth (Dame Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Joyce (Celia Imrie), and Ibrahim (Sir Ben Kingsley) - as they band together to try and solve cold murder cases while spending their days at a charming retirement community. But when the body of Tony Curran, played by Geoff Bell, co-owner of the retirement home Coopers Chase, is discovered, the group find themselves on the trail of a murderer much closer to home. Similar t...

One of Daniel Day-Lewis' most recent movies has been hailed by fans and critics alike. The film, released in 2017, has been dubbed both a "masterpiece" and "mesmerising". Phantom Thread is a romantic period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Day-Lewis, alongside Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville.The film's synopsis reads: "Renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion in 1950s London -- dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites and debutantes. Women come and go in Woodcock's life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship. His carefully tailored existence soon gets disrupted by Alma, a young and strong-willed woman who becomes his muse and lover."Phantom Thread has an...

Fans of Julia Roberts will be delighted to discover her Academy Award-winning performance is now available to stream on Prime Video.The renowned actress secured Oscar nominations for Steel Magnolias and Pretty Woman in the 1990s, but it was Erin Brockovich that delivered her the Best Lead Actress prize.Originally released in 2000, the courtroom thriller features Roberts as single parent, Erin.After landing a job as a legal aide, she tackles the case of a Californian energy company accused of contaminating a city's water supply. The inspiring film is based on the real story of American woman Erin Brockovich, who initiated the legal case in the early nineties, reports the Mirror.Susannah Grant penned the screenplay, and acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh helmed the project. Both receive...

A Quentin Tarantino film lauded by critics as 'immaculate' is scheduled to air on TV tonight (September 6).The 2019 release Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood will be shown on Channel 4 at 10:10 pm., perfect for Saturday night entertainment.This star-studded period drama features Hollywood bigwigs Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, both of whom were nominated for Oscars for their performances.Pitt ultimately bagged the Best Supporting Actor award, while DiCaprio was overlooked for the Best Lead Actor accolade.The plot transports viewers back to 1960s Hollywood, where has-been actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) attempt to revive their careers, reports the Mirror.In their quest, they encounter intriguing characters that encapsulate the essence of Hollywood's G...

Netflix subscribers are in for a treat as they will have the chance to watch the 'original Hunger Games' before its upcoming remake.The 1987 version of The Running Man is set to land on the popular streaming platform on 7 September. This should provide fans ample time to enjoy this sci-fi classic before its remake graces the big screen later this year, in November.Both films are adaptations of the novella bearing the same title, penned by renowned author Stephen King. Interestingly, it was initially published under King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman.King released at least four books under the Bachman moniker, complete with a fabricated author's photograph.It's thought that King adopted an alias to publish more than one book annually without flooding the market with his own name.Once King...

Choosing what film to watch can take longer than the picture itself at the best of times. You could spend hours and hours scrolling on the likes of Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic looking for your next watch. But there's no need. A Letterboxd user has compiled a list of the top ten films of the 2010s by using a means of ratings and averages.Prof. Ratigan has taken the composite scores from the likes of Letterboxd, IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a quantification of the movies' presence on several well-established lists and created a list of the best films of the decade 2010-2020. Here are the top 10 films ranked from lowest to highest, and with The King's Speech only at number eight, what will rank above it?10. The Artist The Artist is a 2011 French comedy-drama f...

This 1991 American sci-fi is an all-time classic for film fans, and they're just in luck as it's about to play on ITV, for the ultimate Saturday night in.Directed by James Cameron and starring Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the second instalment in the iconic Terminator series.Acting as the sequel to the 1984 original Terminator, this film takes on a whole new challenge when the futuristic artificial intelligence Skynet sends a more advanced and powerful Terminator (T-1000) back in time.As the killing machine finds himself in 1995, his duty is to kill the future leader of the human resistance, John Connor, as a child, before he becomes the future leader of the resistance. Although, another Terminator (T-800) has also been sent back through time, e...

Choosing what film to watch can take longer than the picture itself at the best of times. You could spend hours and hours scrolling on the likes of Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic looking for your next watch. But there's no need. A Letterboxd user has compiled a list of the top ten films of the 2010s by using a means of ratings and averages.Prof. Ratigan has taken the composite scores from the likes of Letterboxd, IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a quantification of the movies' presence on several well-established lists and created a list of the best films of the decade 2000-2010. In this case, the top two films are from the same franchise, can you guess what they are? Here are the top 10 films ranked from lowest to highest.10. City of God City of God is a 2002 Bra...