I’m a bit out of the loop on movies at the moment, we’ve not been doing very well on the film front as TV and particularly nostalgic stuff has taken more of a front-seat. But from the looks of things, there’s not that much going on at the moment anyway. November has a few options to choose from but October and December are looking very light.

There has been some talk about the sequel for this movie, and that made me realise that I had really wanted to watch it but had somehow let it slide by and get forgotten. Soon remedied that and absolutely loved it. It reminded me of Gone Girl in the twists and turns and deviousness, but it wasn’t quite so frustrating. This one was just entertaining, funny, great characters, and some interesting plot developments. Loved it.

Wow, what a ride. This movie is intense from the opening moments of blasting off with the crew into space, to the sudden realisation that they’re a team of four and not three, and then everything that follows! At heart, the moral dilemma is an excruciating one, almost impossible to know what the best thing to do would be.

I really loved this movie. It’s not a new idea to take a mythical creature and put them fish-out-of-water in modern day society, but I really liked how this one came together. All the odd decisions Noelle made actually made sense in her world, and the whole time there was an undercurrent of saving Christmas whilst simultaneously breaking down the patriarchy which I wholeheartedly support.

Theatre is one of the biggest things I’m missing in this lockdown, and although the country is (rightly or wrongly) easing out of lockdown status, theatres aren’t looking set to open anytime soon. And if they did, would we be comfortable enough to go to them? In the meantime, and because there is zero support from the government, theatres and artists are having to find their own ways to keep busy and hopefully make a little money to keep going a bit longer. The National Theatre’s weekly streams of their plays have been incredible, although are coming to an end soon.

Actually, the story made more sense than the trailer made it seem. It was still loud and bright and glittery but I didn’t end up with a headache. I felt like the songs weren’t as strong, but I did enjoy country trolls and there was quite a lot of fun in guessing who all the famous people behind the voices were. So that’s something.

There’s always a big push these days to get people up and active and try and stem the sedentary lifestyles we have grown so used to. Given the many initiatives that are out there, I was wondering whether it wouldn’t be useful to have a celebrity or two making online videos that help try and show people how a) accessible and b) fun training and working out can be. It doesn’t have to be a chore.

Huge fans of the Pitch Perfect series, it seemed inevitable that this would be another brilliant outing to finish off the trilogy nicely. And it does that. There are a few gripes, of course, but overall it was almost as perfect as the title suggests.

I post the majority of my book reviews to my Goodreads profile, but occasionally like to hand-pick those that have earned five stars to share here. I haven’t been as voracious in my reading appetite this year, and have indulged in some books that I’ve read before, but still there were some great highlights along the way. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick I love Anna Kendrick a lot, so it was no surprise that her memoir was right up my street. Having said that, I was a bit taken aback by the book because it was basically like reading inside my mind - some of the anxieties, some of the anti-social tendencies, some of the obsessive compulsive stuff, you mean Hollywood stars feel like that too?

This was a really lovely film, from start to finish. The group of outcasts were lovely, all of them, and all had their own quirky story to tell - mostly quite sad but with occasional glimpses of happiness along the way. Once I got over my revulsion of the whole wedding thing, I was totally invested and wanted to know how it all worked out.

I knew this was going to be a kooky film but it was even more oddball than I’d expected. That’s not to say it wasn’t good though, or enjoyable. You sort of have to settle into the weirdness, and there’s no way of connecting with these two super-bizarre characters, but once you’re on board, it’s actually great entertainment.

Ahhhh, what a let down after the previous film. This one was just… a nightmare from start to finish. None of it made any sense, I had so many questions during and after the film, so. many. questions. The characters made decisions that were bonkers, the story itself wrapped itself up in nonsense knots, and really, it was just dull.

This film is a lot better than the previous two, the characters are starting to develop a little bit, although it’s all still way over-the-top dramatic. I like the love triangle going on, developing more and more, although the relationships are all intensely unhealthy and the boys are a little bit too happy to force themselves around.

Hmm, bit of a dip in form for the second Twilight installment. It was all just a bit over-emotional and dramatic, bad acting and poor dialogue, with not a lot to endear you to the characters. Particularly Bella. I have no sympathy for this girl at all, she’s an absolute nitwit. She’s scared of getting old so decided living a hideous dead life would be better? Sitting around for literally months on end because her boyfriend left town. Jumping off cliffs to get a glimpse of him? I can’t even.

So, here’s the thing about Twilight. I haven’t read the books and I really haven’t felt much of a desire to do so. All I’ve heard about them suggests that Bella isn’t really the kind of heroine I would appreciate, what with wanting to give up her life the very moment she meets a cute vampire.

I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this one. One half of me really liked it - it’s unusual for a Hollywood movie to include chatter about profit and loss and cost accountants in this way, which was fun. It’s a good thriller in terms of structure, I like dipping back to see how Wolff became the person he is today, and I really liked the relationship with Kendrick’s character.

I’ve always been a bit nervous of watching this - I know that people love it, but it is high concept and that’s always a risk. Having seen it, I’m disappointed I didn’t watch it sooner!

It didn’t quite blow me away though, as other kid’s films have. It was intensely bright and psychedelic, which made it a bit hard to focus on. The songs felt like they were shoehorned it at times - except for True Colours and the earworm that is Can’t Stop the Feeling. Knowing the good remix work Anna has done on Pitch Perfect, these songs didn’t feel as though that much effort went into them.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have watched this, I don’t think. It’s one of those films that is just a bit too stupid, a bit too crude, not really that funny. But I love all four of the main cast members, and it’s hard not to watch a Zac Efron movie, it just is.

I love Anna Kendrick a lot, so it was no surprise that her memoir was right up my street. Having said that, I was a bit taken aback by the book because it was basically like reading inside my mind - some of the anxieties, some of the anti-social tendencies, some of the obsessive compulsive stuff, you mean Hollywood stars feel like that too?

I struggled with sympathy for some of the storylines, because you know, I couldn’t care less about carrying on my genetic lines, but considering my cynicism the film actually did a good job. There was an interesting mix of successful and unsuccessful parenting units, and although there was some drama along the way, for the most part, it was all happy endings.

I wasn’t expecting to like this one, it’s been rushed to on-demand release and the reviews are awful. I’m not sure we would have watched it if it didn’t have Anna Kendrick in it, but we gave it a go. And actually, I thought it was great! A sweet story of early relationships, figuring out how to be a grown-up which is something I’m still doing! It was quite inspiring - find what you’re good at and do it, or keep looking until you find it.

Thankfully, it lived up to the high expectations. Great returning characters, with some nice surprises along the way. Fab new characters too, with Hailee Steinfeld squeezing in seamlessly with her own brand of craziness to add to the group. Love the concept of the girls being knocked down a peg or two and having to claw their way back up, particularly against the absolutely terrifying Das Sound Machine.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Cake, knew that Jennifer had received commendations for her work on it, and that it was an indy film about chronic pain - that didn’t sound too riveting, but as always with this type of film, the genius is in the characters and the subtle moments of drama.

It’s fair to say that if Anna Kendrick hadn’t been in this, we wouldn’t have watched it. She tweeted that the film was available on iTunes, so we clicked a look and got watching. It was good, and I’m glad we did click the link, but I did feel it didn’t quite go anywhere.

This is the time of year where I hand over the keys of my blog to Mr C, or at least give him a paragraph or two of space, to share the things he’s been loving this year. There are two categories - films and music - and we’ll be starting with the latter. Here’s Mr C’s top five songs from 2013, and I will tell you now, it’s been a heartwrenching process to whittle these down to just five.

It was so much better than I thought it was going to be! Funny in all the right places and cultural references galore. The music was a bit saccharine in places, but it had some excellent mashups and songs that got us talking. I was surprised that the big Cups song was actually just a tiny scene in the film, but it just made me want to learn how to do it. So, really enjoyed it, very entertaining and likely to stand up to several rewatches as well.

Despite the worries after watching the trailer, I really enjoyed the film. As expected, Mr Clooney can make anything great, but the story was good too. It was slightly predictable in places. The bit where he visited Alex at home, and the bit about the bridge, all guessed in advance. But the relationship between George and Natalie was good. I’m glad it wasn’t a throw two odd people together and watch them fall in love thing. Recommended. Also, how much did American Airlines pay!?