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A delightful couple of Anne Boleyn-orientated days away with sister Julia and friend Gemma, to commemorate Anne's death on May 19th, 1536.
We stayed in a lovely hotel, The Leicester Arms, in the ridiculously picturesque village of Penshurst in Kent.
'Shamed be he who thinks evil of it' (motto of The Order of the Garter - est. 1348 by Edward III. Hanging outside the room I slept in on the second night)
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Julia and me in our room :)
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- Hever Castle -
You wouldn't think that Katherine of Aragon would have ever visited the Boleyn castle, but here she is taking a selfie with her portrait.
Ditto Anne, who doesn't look moost happi about Katherine's visit.
At the stairs going up to what is thought to be the bedroom shared by Anne and Mary when they were young.
Wonder if the Boleyn sisters giggled under the covers and had midnight feasts of marchpane confections and comfits (Julia and I used to have a few pear drops and mint imperials held back from our weekend sweet allowance...)
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Queen Elizabeth's coronation robe (obviously not the original!). It stands in the room Henry VIII stayed in when he visited the castle - a shame he didn't know what a mighty and much-loved queen his second daughter would become, or he might not have been such a murderous git to Anne.
One of those days when I thought I couldn't be bothered to go for my walk but was so glad I made the effort!
In the three years or so that I've been taking regular walks in this park, I have never seen anyone sitting on the 'Happy to Chat' bench. Plenty of people chatting away on all the others, though.
My latest mini TV and film reviews, with trailers and 'where to watch'.
If you have trouble finding where any show/film is available in your country, this is a good site: Justwatch. Just put the name of the show into the search, and choose your country further down, from the drop-down menu. It shows where you can stream, buy or rent.
If you can't find what you're looking for, try putting 'where can I watch (name of show)' into your search engine
If you would like to see more posts, please click here: Lately I've Been Watching. If you get as far as the bottom, 'Older Posts' will take you to more.
Film: Living (2022)
5 stars plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK & US Rent/Buy: Amazon, Google, Apple)
A truly beautiful film - funny, touching, sad, though it never felt designed to tug at the heart strings; it just did. Adapted from the 1954 Japanese film Ikiru, which was inspired by Tolstoy's novella The Death of Ivan Illiych, it's set in London in 1953 and tells the story of Rodney Williams (Bill Nighy), a senior official at London County Council, who discovers he only has six months to live. It is at this point that he realises he has not been truly alive for many years, and sets about changing this. In the wrong hands it could have been horribly schmaltzy, but this most definitely isn't.
I adored the 1950s feel, the snapshot of an age gone by - and the opening titles sequence, in the style of a film produced in that era.
Watch it. Please!
(btw, my other favourite Bill Nighy performance was as ageing rocker Ray Simms in Still Crazy(1998). Must have seen it about ten times!)
Series: The Last Of Us - Season 1
5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US & UK: HBO max; buy Amazon, Apple)
I waited until this was over before watching it all over 2 nights. If you're a 'perilous post-apocalyptic journey' addict, like me, you'll love it. Actors all great, story convincing, etc. I very much liked how much time was taken up with the side stories of how certain situations came to be - they were every bit as good as the main one, and it showed the post-apocalyptic world from different points of view, which is always welcome. Bit of a weak ending, but I really, really liked it. And was still sad about Joel's daughter, right up until the end; she was so lovely.
Documentary: Paula
4.5*⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK: All 4)
Two episode doc about dazzling super-flirt Paula Yates, who had huge charisma, was witty, sharp, amusing, entertaining, immensely likeable and always looked fab. I liked how this documentary put paid to all the nasty stories about her during the time when she left Bob Geldof for Michael Hutchence, the love of her life - and afterwards, when he died. RIP Paula.
Dark Comedy Series: Beef
5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Netflix)
Glenn is back! Great to see Steven Yeun slaying it in these excellent ten episodes with Ali Wong, equally as first rate. Starts off with a road rage incident between the two of them and escalates into all manner of domestic horror. It's extremely funny in places, so well-written (by Lee Sung Jin), the acting is spot on and the send-up of privileged Californians is perfection. Loved it, highly recommended.
(Also, TWD lovers, Steven can sing up a storm, play the guitar as a pro, and his acting has matured so much!)
Series: Vikings: Valhalla - Seasons 1 and 2
4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Netflix)
Takes place a hundred years or so after the story of Ragnar Lothbrok, Rollo, Loki, Bjorn and Ivar the Boneless. I love it, but my husband thinks it's a lukewarm follow-up to the original with rubbish characters; I think his words were 'Thank God that's over', when it was. Guess I'll be watching S3 on my own, then. I do actually know what he means, in a way (in that Travis Fimmel has nothing to worry about) but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. So there.
Film: Sunshine (2007)
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK: Disney+. US & UK: Rent/Buy: Apple, Amazon)
Dire warning about what happens when you try to play God with the weather. Fun futuristic sci-fi, entertaining, definitely worth a watch.
Film: Sharper (2023)
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK & US: stream Apple+)
Enjoyable film about conmen and women. Kept one on one's toes, working out who was conning whom. Very much enjoyed it, but a bit of a rubbish ending. Stars Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan.
Film: Fall (2022)
3.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Netflix)
Becky and Hunter are Extreme Climbing hobbyists. Becky is traumatised by an event of a year ago, and has not left terra firma since it happened; she is a total wreck, drinking too much, etc. Hunter, meanwhile, has monetised her sport by becoming 'Danger D' (or something) on You Tube, and doing her climbs in low cut tops. Hunter persuades Becky to face her fears and do another climb with her - this time, up a disused TV signal tower. 3000 ft. Of course, lots of terrifying stuff happens, none of which I will list here because spoilers.
This film is not for the faint of heart - sometimes I was actually forced to look away, and I love scary shit! A definite 10/10 for suspense, special effects, etc. So why only 3.5*?
Here's why:
Neither actress looked as if they spent their time doing anything more physical than clubbing, and certainly didn't have the sort of muscle that would have built up if constantly doing this sort of thing.
If Becky had been out of practice and on the piss for a year, why would she or Hunter think it might be a good idea for her to 'conquer her fears' with a dangerous, unresearched climb? Especially as she clearly wasn't emotionally ready for such a feat. Which leads me to...
Surely the people who do this sport do a risk assessment first? Yeah, I know that doesn't make for an edge-of-your-seat film, but .... something?
The consumption of something I won't name (spoilers) by one of the girls near the end apparently turned her into Superwoman. I think it would have been more likely to make her severely ill.
The end was really, really weak. Worthy only of a 1980s B movie. No twist, no surprises (though there was an excellent twist in the last quarter of the film - totally unexpected!), felt like scenes were cut.
ON THE OTHER HAND!!! Becky's lovely lovely father is played by lovely lovely Jeffrey Dean Morgan, so what else can I say but 'go watch it now'??!!
Cartoon Series: South Park - Season 26 eps 1 - 6
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Paramount +)
I thought the first episode was weak, but the second one was the enjoyable piss-take about the Markles; since then, Season 26 has continued to be good. Not brilliant like some other seasons, but good. With a show that's gone on as long as this one, there are bound to be highs and lows.
Documentary: Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Discovery+, YouTube)
Living in England as I do, I had never heard of Jared from Subway (an obese, reclusive young man who lost stones on his Subway sandwiches diet, and became a national hero) until I saw the South Park episode about him, made before his paedophilia was exposed. This 4 part documentary features the woman who first discovered the truth about him, and also the two girls who suffered as a result of their mother meeting Russell Taylor, Jared Fogle's great friend and the director of the 'Jared Foundation'.
It was intricate in its detail, but I felt it was spun out for too long; could have easily told the story in 3 or even 2 episodes. There was a bit too much foreshadowing that gave the wrong impression of what was to come. Prepare to be grossed out.
Film: Boston Strangler (2023)
4*⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US: Hulu. UK: Disney+)
Story of the (clue's in the name) in the late 1950s. Stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon. Good, I'd recommend, though not particularly memorable. Interesting seeing, at the end, what happened to the real life journalists played by Knightley and Coon.
Series: Mayor of Kingstown - Seasons 1 and 2
4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US & UK: Paramount +. Buy Apple, Amazon)
"Mayor of Kingstown follows the powerful McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption, and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither."
Liked this a LOT. Co-created by Taylor Sheridan, who does lots of other good stuff like Yellowstone and Tulsa King.
Series: Your Honor - Seasons 1 and 2
4.5*⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Amazon, Showtime, Paramount+, Now)
Judge Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston, hurrah!) has his life crumble in an instant when son Adam kills the son of local gangster Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg, hurrah!) in a road accident, and flees the scene. This leads to all manner of disaster, ruining the lives of so many.
I watched the first season when it came out and thought it was excellent; watched it again before seeing S2, and felt that in the second series the story was a little dragged out, and the impact lost. However, it's still jolly good. Definitely recommend
Film: Most Dangerous Game (2020)
4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Amazon)
This was thrilling, edge of your seat stuff, all the way through. Chap with terminal health and money problems (Liam Hemsworth) is offered the chance to be the prey in a human hunt. The hunts are arranged by a shadowy group, as recreation for jaded billionaire psychopaths.
The financial pay-off for Hemsworth's character is great. Even if he gets killed, his pregnant wife will still earn handsomely. If he survives 24 hours of being pursued throughout Detroit, he gets to enjoy his winnings, too.
Also watched the 2023 series of the same name, same principle, same smooth Miles (excellently played by Christopher Waltz) offering another young man with severe money problems the chance to make them all go away. Boxer Victor's game is set in New York. Each episode is short, often less than 10 minutes. Works just as well as the film, hope there will be more!
Series: Da Vinci's Demons - Season 1
4 * ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US: Amazon, Starz. UK: Disney+)
Ridiculous fiction loosely based (and I mean loosely) on the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Lots of action, much about the political state of Italy at the time, lots of really good-looking people performing amazing feats. Works best if you see it for what it is - not so much a historical drama as a Renaissance Romp. Most entertaining.
Plan is to publish Infectedon June 25th, and Book #2, Darkness on the same day or very shortly afterwards.
Infected will be just 99p or equivalent, permanently, whereas Darkness will be the same price for the first week, after which it will be on sale for my usual price of £1.99.
~ The Blurb ~
'Every time someone gets bitten, that's one more of
them and one less of us.'
SFV-1: a virulent virus that sends its hosts into a state
of extreme rage and ravenous hunger. When it attacks the UK, 127 people
are infected within the first hour.
London wife and mother Cat is taking
part in TV reality show Year Out, on a remote Scottish island.Her
world turns dark when the TV crew fail to arrive for the monthly health check—her
one lifeline to her family is now broken.
Completely absorbed in the commission of a lifetime, artist Norah ignores what is taking place
outside the safety of her studio, until the virus reaches her hometown and a
shocking event jolts her back into reality.
Lion, a stressed
out marketing consultant, is enjoying a month away from his hectic online life in
northern Cumbria when he encounters a worrying sight in a nearby village. Is it some kind of zombie? It can't be, can it?
The books are shorter than my usual novels; my other publications are all around 90-105k words, but Infected is 53K and Darkness around 62k. Book #3, Reset, is my current work-in-progress, still on the first draft. Though a continuing story, each part depicts distinct phases in the characters' lives, and I will provide a 'story so far' piece in Books #2 and #3, as I always do.
This month's mini TV and film reviews, with trailers and 'where to watch'.
If you have trouble finding where any show/film is available in your country, this is a good site: Justwatch. Just put the name of the show into the search, and choose your country further down, from the drop-down menu. It shows where you can stream, buy or rent.
If you can't find what you're looking for, try putting 'where can I watch (name of show)' into your search engine
If you would like to see more posts, please click here: Lately I've Been Watching. If you get as far as the bottom, 'Older Posts' will take you to more.
Marvellous film; I believe it is/was nominated for various awards, and rightly so. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as Pádraic and Colm, two friends living on the Irish island of Inisherin in 1923. This dark tragi-comedy is based around the outcome of a dispute between them.
The scenery/cinematography is magnificent, the sense of place and time is like a glimpse back into a different world, and the acting is poetry. Kerry Condon (Clara in S4 of The Walking Dead, Mike's daughter in Better Call Saul) also stars as Pádraic's sister, and Barry Keoghan (Chernobyl, Dunkirk) as local boy Dominic.
Can't recommend too highly.
Limited Series: American Gigolo
4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US: fubo, Roku, Showtime. UK: Paramount +)
Eight part series based on the 1980 film of the same name, with Jon Bernthal playing male escort Julian Kay. The episodes delve into the character's past, so we understand more about why Kay ended up with the life he didn't really choose.
I'll watch anything with Jon Bernthal in it, not only because he is top totty but also because he's a terrific actor (for TWD fans: in this he comes over very much as Season 1 Shane Walsh!). I also love Gretchen Mol, who plays his one true love, Michelle Stratton (she was exquisite as glamorous, delusional narcissist Gillian Darmody in Boardwalk Empire). Clever of the producers to choose a beautiful woman of fifty instead of someone younger, I thought - and to have the same actor playing the young Julian Kay and also Kay's son, later in the show. I couldn't remember what happened in the film because I haven't seen it for decades, but the pain and love in Stratton and Kay's relationship oozes from the screen, and I so wanted an HEA for them!
Rosie O'Donnell is great as Detective Joan Sunday (male detective Joe, originally) - she's the stereotypical world-weary, the-job-is-everything, emotionally screwed up TV detective who makes some serious mistakes but gets it right in the end, but she brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the role that makes Sunday more appealing than I'd anticipated.
It's jolly good. And you get to look at Jon Bernthal for, like, hours.
Limited Series: Clickbait
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK and US: Netflix)
Eight episodes about the kidnap and murder of loving husband and son Nick (Adrian Grenier - Entourage). Each episode is shown via the point of view of one of the main characters - Nick's sister, his wife, one of his sons, the detective working the case, etc. Most effective.
More than anything, Clickbait (clue's in the title) explores the way in which people can develop whole relationships online, without having a clue who they're talking to. I guessed some of the outcomes earlier on (like the woman who considered a fake online profile to be her 'boyfriend', and spoke of him thus, but didn't reveal to anyone that she had never actually met him), though the end was a total surprise. It's good. Kept me interested all the way through.
Series: Tulsa King - Season 1
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK and US: Paramount+)
Liked this more and more as it went on - Sylvester Stallone stars as New York gangster Dwight Manfredi who gets released from prison after 25 years, only to be sent by the 'family' to Tulsa, Oklahoma - which is the equivalent, in their world, of being banished to Siberia. Except that he makes a go of it. He falls foul of the FBI and an brutal biker gang headed by Ritchie Coster (Head Reaper 'Pope' in The Walking Dead), but soon gathers a new crew around him. It's violent, but very funny in places; there's some great dialogue, particularly for Stallone. Definitely recommend!
Series: Falling Skies - Seasons 1-5
First shown from 2011 - 2015
4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(US: HBO Max. UK: Buy on Amazon/Apple)
Five seasons of alien invasion on Planet Earth. Husband described it as 'the Happy Shopper Walking Dead' which I thought was about right, though I did enjoy it!! Stars Noah Wyle as Tom Mason, a history professor turned inspirational and fearless military leader. Sadly, the Mason family are largely unlikeable (with the exception of middle son Ben - Connor Jessup), being self-righteous or just a bit bland and irritating. Certainly no Grimes vibe going on here.
The Daryl/Merle character (every apocalypse show needs one) is John Pope, expertly played by Colin Cunningham, and my favourite character in the show. He alternates between rogue-former-baddie-you-love, and irrevocably-damaged-psycho, depending on how annoyed he is with the self-righteous Mason. Will Patton plays Hershel Greene - sorry, I mean Dan Weaver - the old-timer with lots of sound, old-timerish advice.
It's a very fast-paced show, with never a let-up in the action/disaster/potentially lethal danger, give or take the odd pause for profound philosophical observations and kissing bits, though at the same time it's a bit repetitive, but I didn't really mind that. The special effects are great, as are the destroyed city settings.
Featured in Season 5 are the Pathetic Sharks of the military, who made me think of the UK police force chasing up people who tweet offensive words, but ignoring actual crime. In Falling Skies, this outfit is more concerned with catching human collaborators than fighting the real enemy - indeed, when Mason asks them to help in a battle against the creatures who are trying to, like, destroyhumanity, their Commander says no because she wants to keep her soldiers safe. It is at this point that it occurs to Mason and Happy Shopper Hershel that the Commander might have ulterior motives.
If you like gun battles and things being blown up, death and destruction and aliens that speak perfect English with an American accent, you will love this. It missed that X Factor that made it memorable, but mostly I enjoyed it all the way through; I looked forward to getting back to it each evening throughout its duration :)
Here are some cool clips featuring Colin Cunningham as Pope, also Mason and Hershel/Weaver: Good Stuff!
Film: Into the Storm (2014)
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(UK: Amazon. US: HBO Max, Directv)
Enjoyable weather disaster romp starring Sarah Wayne Callies, just post-Walking Dead, and various other recognisables playing documentary teams and storm chasers as they surviving freak earth-shattering tornadoes. Also Alicia from Fear The Walking Dead. Fab special effects. I love disaster stuff, especially when lots of people get their ticket punched in unusual ways, so this was right up my rue; if it is also up yours, I recommend this as a worthy use of 2 hours of your life!
Film: M3gan
3.5* ⭐⭐⭐
(Rent: Apple, Amazon)
YA type horror film about an AI controlled doll that develops a mind of her own. It's a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of passive entertainment hours!
Documentary: Unseamly
4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Discovery+)
Four part documentary about chain store clothing design billionaire Peter Nygård (the 'Polyester King'), discovered to be a sexual predator of the most monstrous kind. Up there with Savile and Epstein, though some describe him as the worst of the lot. Gross and horrifying. And that's just his hairstyle.
Film: Under The Silver Lake (2018)
3* ⭐⭐⭐
(Showtime, Amazon)
Andrew Garfield plays a young, aimless 30-something in LA, who becomes involved in the disappearance of a girl with whom he spent one night. As his search brings him into contact with more and more strange characters and peculiar scenarios, it became more and more biazarre, seemingly for the sake of being bizarre. According to Wikipedia: Under the Silver Lake polarized critics; while its originality, direction, soundtrack, cinematography, and Garfield's performance were praised, some found the screenplay confusing, too cryptic, and lacking the substance and depth the film was aiming for.
Series: The Rig - Season 1
3* ⭐⭐⭐
(UK & US: Amazon)
Crew on a dilapidated oil rig - led by Iain Glenn with Martin Compston as chief communications chappie - are stuck there because of oddly unusual bad weather. An organism from pre-history appears and does all sorts of weird shit. People die and stuff. The mutinous member of the crew (every similar show has one) reveals his honourable side after he and Iain Glenn, in a life or death moment, discover they have personal tragedies in common. I was waiting for Iain Glenn to say, 'You're one of my best crew members, apart from when you're being a pain in the arse. Are you with me?', and he nearly did but not quite.
Along comes Mark Addy as the bloated red Face of Corporate Evil. Then people fly off in a helicopters but we don't know where to. End of Season 1. Sorry, meant to say 'spoiler alert'.
Despite being about life/death and off-shore engineering problems, The Rig manages to carefully tick the PC boxes with far higher percentage of women working on an oil rigs than actually do (I looked it up), a gay male mixed race couple and a lesbian doctor, plus the token white heterosexual couple. Though she's American and he's Scottish so still makes a nod towards mixed race. Lol.
