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.

So, you know that feeling when you’ve loved the soundtrack to a movie for years and years, and then you start listening to more albums and catch up with one that you probably should have already known about, that quickly becomes one of your top ten, and then you realise that one of the artists actually sings on that original soundtrack, one of your favourite songs? Happens to us all, right?

New trailer released for The Golden Circle, the sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service (which I can’t believe I watched two whole years ago!). I actually ended viewing this trailer with my mouth agape. The first film garnered a 5 out of 5 stars rave review from me, and this second one looks just as good. It’s also a great excuse to have to re-watch the first one again… just to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.

Really enjoyed this album, it’s definitely an indication of what music will be like when the robots officially inherit the earth. Lots of good beats and repeated lyrics to get right into your head. The only one I didn’t like was Giorgio with far too much chatting.

This is just classic Steps. After 15 years, you’d think their sound has changed, and maybe it’s marginally more grown up but for the most part, it’s still that Abba pop sound that they do so well. I really enjoyed it, partly because I loved Steps before but also because there isn’t a lot of pop like this around anymore.

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.

It’s crazy how emotionally charged this film is, considering that it’s a true story and we all know how it’s going to end. I didn’t enjoy the beginning, where it was all a little Hollywood, and there were proper plane crashes that freaked me out and never actually happened. Also the drama with the family on either side of the wing, moving but slightly out of place, I felt.

Like this album. It’s very 80s, and many of the songs all have that similar Dignity vibe about them, but that’s a good vibe, so why not? Has a lot of re-listenability though, kind of gentle easy listening but also with some strong and catchy moments to keep you paying attention.

The format of rapping and inviting a guest in to complete the chorus works very well to me. Tinie Tempah has great beats, although his lyrics can be hit and miss. Some of the references are perfect, others are a little cringey. But overall a good album.

I recently got a chance to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the two part HP play that is currently featured in London’s West End. Around the same time, the play broke records for Olivier Award nominations and actual award success, so I was going in with some pretty high expectations. Naturally, I have to #keepthesecrets but it’s fair to say that I can fully endorse the awards for production, lighting and sound. The general production values of the entire five hour play are astonishing: incredible music, wonderful visuals and some astounding effects. We’re watching wizards, after all, so there’s some exciting stuff to behold.

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 was having a bit of a panic over the last few weeks that I’ve listened to lots of albums but can’t remember them all. What do I like? What don’t I like? Why so manyyy? And then I took a step back and realised this project isn’t about learning every single song I listen to. I compared it to the Film Watch odyssey, which isn’t about remembering all 700+ films consumed. Both projects are about immersing yourself in a medium, soaking up the general love and enjoyment of the genre, learning, growing, and, dare I say it, being in the moment.

I have to start this with an explanation of the journey we went on watching this film. About twenty minutes in, I said ‘This is reminding me so much of another film, boarding school, bratty teen, learns her lesson.’ We thought, we couldn’t remember, we kept watching. As the movie continued, I just felt like it was so familiar, some scenes I recognised, some were totally new to me. Then just before the fire broke out, Mr C and I both knew what was going to happen and realised we had, in fact, seen the film before. How, when, where and why we don’t remember it better than we do is a mystery.

This audiobook is read by Zachary Quinto, who did a fantastic job. But he had great source material to work with. The great thing about Scalzi is that these situations are incredibly fantastical, and yet they are so gritty and grounded, you’re immediately invested in them.

I was worried about this one, after the endless reports about having to re-edit it and change the tone of the movie and stuff, but thankfully it delivered. It was a difficult challenge, I think, to create a story with just the guidance of ‘stealing the plans’, and knowing you have to fit in between two already existing films.

Gets off to a slow start, but picks up speed and the brilliant Somewhere In My Heart is the turning point. Great eighties pop, not sure it’s aged particularly well but is very of its time and therefore great for a bit of nostalgia.

This is not really my cup of tea at all. Good voice and superb musicality, it reminds me of modern day Elton John. But it doesn’t grab me, it’s all a bit of a drag, and when your single average is almost six minutes, I’m always going to struggle.

I’ve not seen this one before, but am always glad to catch up with Tom Hanks’ back catalogue. This one didn’t really stand up to the test of time so well, but it was a mixed bag of a film that was entertaining at the very least. I liked Hanks’ character, but found the dog far too drool-y to truly enjoy what was going on. Having said that, I did laugh a lot, and found the non-drooling sections surprisingly good - it’s fun to watch Tom wrestle with a giant dog.

Incredible film. Great story, both the intergalactic side of things, and the more drama-based human story too. The way they intermingle, the sudden twist when everything becomes clear, it’s all just incredibly well done.

Very interesting and unusual film this one. At first, it felt like it was really good, and it was certainly a bit weepy towards the end. I’ve got a new-found soft spot for Jason Sudekis, so seeing him as a grieving widow tugs on the heart strings. And Maisie Williams did a great job as the rough, tough kid with an attitude problem that covers a broken heart.

If you’ve watched tennis for any extended period of time, particularly outside of the main grand slam events, then you might have seen the moments when coaches come on court to have a chat to the players mid-match. It only happens on the women’s tour, and isn’t at every event, nor does every player choose to do such a thing, so it can be a blink and you’ll miss it type of event.

A beautiful piece of work this, highlighting what it is like to live with cancer in all its stages - terminal, in remission, and developing rapidly. The story follows Hazel as she finds friends at a Support Group and develops relationships that ebb and flow and change as the story goes on.

Loved this album. I knew the main Jam songs but anything outside that was lost to me. I was amazed at listening to a full album, the songs haven’t really aged at all. You can picture The Libertines or similar doing all these tracks and more. Great stuff.

I pre-judged this album, as many have, so was pleasantly surprised by it. It’s a good, modern, pop album, and you can really feel the influences from Ryan Tedder and Ed Sheeran – both on the songs they wrote and throughout. The lyric “I’d say you’re beautiful but I’ve used that line before,” is fab.

I’ve read this before but had to zip through it again as part of the Big Read list I’m working through. It’s a super quick read, aimed at adventurous young children, and it tells a pretty good story. It’s in the same vein as Enid Blyton - a group of kids end up on an adventure that they hadn’t really planned for, and often end up thinking how hungry they are along the way.

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 was wary of watching this for too reasons: Firstly, I have that Marvel fatigue where I’m nervous of not remembering all the things required to enjoy a MCU film, and secondly, I had heard it was Inception-like, so expected it would be complicated. Both those concerns were unfounded. It stands alone as a Marvel movie at the moment, and although there were Inception moments, it wasn’t a confusing concept. In fact, there weren’t just Inception moments, it felt like there was barely an original thought in there.

This is a fantastic album – it’s grungy rock but with a melody, epic guitars but with good purpose, I love it. Great songs, starting with Celebrity Skin which is a proper choon, and could threaten to overshadow the rest, but thankfully the full album stands up to the challenge.

A perfectly pleasant album but nowhere near as good as I was hoping. A bit plodding in places, but mostly a feel good hour of tracks, unfortunately for the most part instantly forgettable.

Love this film. I was really looking forward to it, being a fan of the lovely Haiz, and it didn’t disappoint. There are so many wonderful things about it, but the over-arching one is that it reminded me exactly what it was like to be a teenager - all the aching pains that come with despising your teenage self - it was like watching my previous life unfolding on screen.

Oh wonderful Carrie Fisher. I wish I had known more about her writing earlier, but there is still plenty of time to catch up on her works. This is a sort of memoir, sort of companion book to the stage show of the same name, an open and honest portrayal of what it’s like to be the woman who portrayed Princess Leia.

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!

This ended up being a lot better than I thought it was going to be - was after something slightly mindless just to chill out to, and it delivered that in spades. It wasn’t as good as some of the more classic teen rom-coms, but it was still totally watchable and entertaining.

It feels like Taylor really had some things to say with this album, a lot of the songs sound more personal and meaningful than previous efforts. There are some great songs on here, I love Story of Us, but some of the slower ballad types didn’t really do it for me. I like the increased amount of storytelling, though, you really can get invested in the songs.

Good album this, I knew more of the songs than I thought I did and it’s a fine pop album – lots of catchy songs that will make you dance. It’s reminiscent of Rihanna, so some of the tracks I wasn’t so keen on, but overall the balance makes for a strong first international album.

This film was broadly quite similar, Reacher doing what he does best, righting wrongs and sticking up for the little guy. I quite liked the dynamic between the three, Reacher’s no-nonsense, Turner’s military strength and the kid’s street smarts. They made a good team.

It felt a bit odd watching a Harry Potter universe film that I wasn’t already totally versed in, but it was easy to get totally immersed in the world again. Eddie Redmayne was brilliant, of course, but I thought the rest of the cast were up to the challenge. And it was believable as being in the 1920s, great graphics, wonderful costumes, and perfect dialogue.

At first, I thought this was just going to be another book about a taciturn Scandinavian man - an older gentleman, grumpy at the world but with a strong moral fibre and deep down a good heart. It was that, of course, but it was so much more. The way the story is structured, gradually filling in the back story of Ove’s life, whilst also gradually giving him reasons to keep going in the future, was perfect.

I wasn’t sure I’d like this album, Pet Shop Boys are great but a whole album could have been too much. Thankfully, there’s a mix of songs: slow and fast, meaningful and just fun, catchy and forgettable. It’s not one of my favourites but certainly a listenable 50 minutes of music.

I was expecting better things from this, if I’m honest. It’s a perfectly pleasant album but it’s just not memorable. It’s got a very laid back, relaxed, California beach vibe to it, which is nice, but the best songs are the first and last one, bookending the album. Everything in between is instantly forgettable.

On the one hand, I feel bad for having got to almost 750 films without watching Titanic, but on the other hand, have you seen the length of this film? When is there time to watch a 3+ hour film and really give it the attention it deserves? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s when you’re sick and don’t have anything to do other than sit on the sofa and weep at the fate of Jack and Rose.

Tricky one this. You can’t really argue with Sandy and Bradders being in a film together, and I liked the overall message - never worry about being different, find your own normal. That’s always a good thing to hear.

There are so many fundamental issues with this film, it’s impossible to enjoy it. The first half, until the IT guy goes rogue, is quite good - upping the suspense, wondering how it’s all going to come crashing down. But once he starts to exact his revenge, things go really wrong plot-wise.

The only word that can be used to describe this film is ‘random’. Whitney Houston produced it! Why? Stan Lee made a cameo appearance? How odd! The basic premise of having to get married in 30 days? Weird. Proper baby Abigail Breslin as one of the kids? Ace! Julie Andrews mattress surfing down the stairs? Things I never thought I’d see.

Difficult read this one. Grisham embarks on a non-fiction tale of wrongful conviction, a bit of a departure for him as he’s far more well known for criminal/law fiction instead. But this still reads something like a Grisham novel - establishing the characters, detailing the crime and then walking through the stages of law that follow - in particular the trial.

Really loved this album. I’ve spent plenty of time listening to Haim’s Beats1 show but not really paid much attention to their own music – and I’ve been missing out. They have a brilliant, unique sound, full of bass notes and guitar riffs and stop/start moments. Definitely a highlight of the year so far.

I’ve not been a huge Ed fan in the past, but gradually his evident talent and good songs have mellowed my stance a little. This is a good album, far better than I thought it would be, with the singles as stand-out songs and the rest doing a good supporting job. The end is a little melancholy and left me feeling depressed, but overall a really good job – even if I still don’t totally get the hype.

I’ve loved A Little Respect forever so was prepared to love the album that followed it. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say I loved it, but I did enjoy it. The songs are cheesy in places, and it’s a certain kind of dance pop that is hard to explain, but still somehow quite compelling. And A Little Respect is still awesome.

I knew this was a slightly different album from Lady Gaga, but it was far more intense and introspective than I’d anticipated. It’s good, some incredible vocals with well-crafted songs and I particularly liked the duet with Florence Welch. It’s not to be taken lightly though, this album, you can tell it’s more personal and meaningful than other efforts.