This summer, movie watching was slow, but there was some excellent TV sprinkled into the media diet.

However, we got back into our cinema routine and saw some great (and not so great) movies.

Here's a roundup of my media diet in May, June and July 2024:

May

  • Le Chant du Loup | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Excellent French thriller set on board a submarine. Great tension, and some good acting.
  • The Tattooist of Auschwitz (TV) | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Harvey Keitel surfaces the difficult memories of serving time in a German camp.
  • Quartet | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Loveable British comedy about a retirement home for classical / opera performers. Great turns from Billy Connolly and Dame Maggie Smith.
  • Into the Inferno | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Werner Herzog documentary about life on and near volcanoes.
  • The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare | ⭑⭑⭑⭑½
    I really enjoyed this Second World war romp about the beginning of the secret service.
  • Adagio | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    An excellent drama set in Rome featuring bent cops working the angles on a blackmail, using the son of an old gangster as an undercover grass.  

June

  • Loudermilk S1-3 (TV) | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Watched this on my commute, and really got into it. Dark comedy about a recovering alcoholic, and his circle of dysfunctional friends.
  • The Darkest Hour | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Rewatch of the biopic of Winston Churchill, played excellently by Gary Oldman.
  • A Man in Full (TV)| ⭑⭑⭑½
    Jeff Daniels stars in this dark comedy about a larger than life Atlanta real estate agent facing bankruptcy.
  • Bridgerton s3 (TV) | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Third season of this, not as strong as S1/S2 - but an enjoyable journey through the 'ton'.
  • Eric (TV) | â­‘â­‘
    Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent, but this was overlong and slightly too trippy for my liking. Cumberbatch plays Vincent, an alcoholic puppeteer who hunts for his missing son on the streets of 80's New York.

July

  • The Bikeriders | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Back to the cinema for this excellent period piece about a US biker gang, stars the extraordinary Jodie Comer alongside Austin Butler and Tom Hardy. Superb soundtrack.
  • Supacell (TV) | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Like Top Boy with superheroes. Directed by Rapman, excellent TV Series set in London.
  • The Snowman | â­‘â­‘â­‘
    A bit muddled, a bit disjointed - Scandi-noir murder mystery starring Michael Fassbender.
  • The Beast | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Slightly odd science fiction movie set in French and English and about a world were AI controls everything, including peoples memories.
  • Fly me to the Moon | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Didn't expect to love this, but really enjoyed it. Loveable rom-com set in and around the US space programme and the first moon landings. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum do a great job.
  • Presumed Innocent (TV) | â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Jake Gyllenhal stars as an accused Chicago Attorney in this 'did he do it?'. The plot is a bit overwrought, and overacted.
  • Mr Bigstuff (TV)| â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Sky Comedy starring Danny Dyer, playing Danny Dyer - lots of laughs in the six short episodes.
  • The Batman | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Rewatch of Robert Pattinson as angst Batman - still an hour longer than it needed to be.
  • Kin S2 (TV) | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Finally caught up with the second season of this violent, gritty gangster series set in and around the streets of Dublin. Phenomenal ending.
  • Villain | ⭑⭑⭑½
    More gangsters, this time in London as an ex-con gets involved in a family business and the associated gangsters.
  • Mrs Harris goes to Paris | ⭑⭑⭑½
    Beautiful fun story of a cleaning lady who goes in search of a Haute Couture dress, really joyful acting from Lesley Manville.
  • The Wire S1 (TV) | â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘
    I never saw this first time around, so I'm starting the process of watching all five seasons of The Wire. So far, so excellent - great writing, excellent plots and not too dated.
  • Twisters | â­‘â­‘â­‘
    Nothing will come close to the original but the special effects in this teen flavoured reboot are superb.

Previously: January | February | March | April

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