It was surprisingly good, lots of great characters, a fun story, and some excellent CGI. I did get a bit confused towards the end what exactly the big bad plot was, but it didn’t matter because it was all fun and games and actual details were unimportant.

I had anticipated making a big deal of the 500th film, picking an epic classic, but in the end I wasn’t feeling well and in those cases you just want to watch what you want to watch. So, we took in the second adventure of Harry Potter and his pals, in which the shortest book is made into the longest movie.

It was actually a lot better than I’d thought it would be, but it left me a little baffled. It wasn’t the stupid comedy I’d anticipated, although did have some hit or miss jokes that you expect from the genre. But it was a bit too serious to be the normal comedy, and yet not quite serious enough to be a full on drama.

I was happier going into the book and I quite enjoyed how the stakes were raised, and the morals of the situation analysed. I wasn’t totally sure why we had that week of difficulties with the faux family at the beginning, but once Rider got to the school things really heated up.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book and was drawn in immediately. The way it’s told, as though you’re just having a conversation with Alex himself as he reminisces, allows the information to be drip-fed, not always in chronological order

It’s that time of year again (a little late actually), the one where I force Mr C to decide on his top five songs and films from the year just gone. Usually, this is a fun process in which we discuss music and movies and have a bit of a laugh. This year, it’s been less enjoyable because there have been so many good songs and films that it’s been a bit of a wrench to cut the list down to just five. Nevertheless, we begin with films.

I probably would never have given this a second glance if it hadn’t been on my reading list. A young adult adventure story, about a boy who is recruited to be a spy for MI6. You sort of have to get over the concept of them putting a boy through everything Alex goes through, because although it does get referenced occasionally, it’s mostly glossed over how unlikely it all is.

I’ve talked before about how much I liked Crashed Ice, the sport is simple and pure - four guys on skates racing to the bottom of a tricky ice course. You have to have skill, but there’s enough luck involved to know that every single trip down the course is unpredictable and unmissable. This year, the sport is taking in four spots around the globe including Belfast, which is tantalisingly close. They’ve also ramped up their promotion tools with a great video series following three of the well-known racers through the season. The first was released this week, with the inside story on what makes Marco Dellago, Cameron Nasz and Scott Croxall hungry to win in 2015.

Just as with the Nativity film series, we only watched the first one to be able to watch the second. The ‘shut the hangar door’ line in the trailer was enough to convince us we wanted to get involved, despite concerns about it being Disney taking on the Pixar mantle. So, Planes was good, this one was on the same level but didn’t quite live up to its predecessor.

I bought the bundle of Harry Potter films on iTunes but have spent a very long time getting round to watching them. That’s partly because Mr C wasn’t sure and it’s a rare time I Film Watch by myself these days. It’s also because I was a bit in awe of starting what is clearly an epic series of films, and finally a bit worried about the adaptation because I do like the books and don’t want them ruined.

This appeared in an iTunes collection of Christmas films, and I couldn’t really remember it being particularly Christmassy. Of course after the first scene you see it’s snowing and it definitely is the festive period, so that goes to show how good my memory is. I had seen it before, but not for a while, and couldn’t really remember what occurred - aside from the general chaos.

Actually a bit of a disappointment. Considering we only watched Nativity so we could get to this one, the first film was leaps and bounds better. There wasn’t the same sort of story here, rather than a nice somewhat simple tale of a lie spinning out of control, instead we have David Tennant chasing kids across the hills and valleys of rural Wales. Very odd. The danger levels were much higher, and there was far more yelling and screaming.

It was actually a lot better than I’d expected it was going to be. The trailer for this one hadn’t looked all that good but the film delivered. Sweet and saccharine, with an overemphasis on the cuteness of children, but with plenty of heart and an actually interesting story. They also played out most of the nativity at the end which I thought was good - usually, films gloss over the end performance of a story like this.

This was an odd one for me to read, because I haven’t ever seen Hamish Macbeth before and only really knew it was about a Scottish detective. The story didn’t grab me to start with, particularly with all the foreshadowing. It felt like a nice, sedate murder mystery rather than the high tech crime thrillers nowadays. But that did mean a slow pace. Setting up the murder victim as being nasty to everyone so there were motives left, right and centre was a bit tedious but it paid off in the end.

This felt very much like watching Transcendence - a unique idea that had to be handled correctly to get the best out of it. Transcendence almost managed it, going a bit wonky only towards the end. Lucy went wrong almost from the very start. Aside from the fact that the science is a myth, and thus the whole premise is a bit off, there’s not an awful lot going on in the film.

This dystopian book takes place after a supreme electrical storm wipes out the infrastructure of humanity and leaves everyone vulnerable. A plucky bunch of scientists are studying at one of the poles, and thus escape the brutal nature of the storm, only to find themselves thrust into the horrific world of the survivors.

This was the first non-Harry Potter book that JK Rowling released, and it‚’s taken me a long time to get round to reading it. I’m glad I eventually did, because it has all the hallmarks of Rowling’s ability to set up a world and immerse the reader in it.

I really enjoyed this one. Previous books have introduced a myriad of characters from the 87th Precinct and now we got to spend a dedicated amount of time with a handful of them. Trapped in a siege situation, it was fascinating to follow the thought process of the cops trying to get themselves out of a sticky situation.

Having seen the Miranda episodes far too many times to mention, the actual scripts weren’t that interesting to me to read, although I do love a good script book. It was the introductions by the author, the snippets about what it was like to record and the production notes littered throughout each script that made it fascinating.

This is a classic book, that I picked up partly because it was on my big read list and partly because it’s such a part of culture and referenced on so many occasions, that I felt I was missing out. I’m not sure I was, really. It’s short and to the point, a clear shot at communism that is barely masked by satire.

I was catching up with some recent Desert Island Discs episodes and the most recent conversation was with Julie Bentley. Ms Bentley is the Chief Executive of the Guide Association and she spent much of the talk with host Kirsty Young defending the concept of Girl Guides. Are they still relevant? Should they be modernising and discussing sex education as they apparently have recently, or rather preserving the youth of today?

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover but if I’m honest, the covers did put me off reading this for a long time. I picked up the first book in the Area 51 series in a sale, and finally got round to giving it a read. It was really good, far better than I’d imagined.

It took me a while to get fully on board with the Bridget Jones character, I can relate to plenty of her self-conscious spiralling, but not always with the obsessive relationships about men. I was surprised that a new book came out, given the gap since the last ones, but I knew I wanted to see how it all worked out.

Neither of us had realised there’s a new entry in the Terminator series coming soon, but after watching the trailer to Genisys, we realised we had some work to do to catch up. I watched the first film a long time ago, and although I liked the film, some dodgy CGI ruined it for me. We watched that one again before moving on to this, the second.

I hadn’t really wanted to watch this one. It was clearly Disney cashing in on the success of Cars, and they were making fast and loose with the connection even though there’s clearly no Pixar going on here. But the trailer for the second film looked a lot better, so we thought we’d start at the beginning. Also, it has Crofty in it and that has to be seen!

I’ve been working my way through the 87th Precinct series, but slightly read this one out of order, missing the previous book. Regardless, they can be read perfectly well in their own right, and this one was a great entry to the series. The police department receives a warning about a murder that will take place later in they day, giving them a ticking clock to find out whether the letter is real, and who the perpetrator (and the victim!) is going to be.

If you listen to podcasts in any capacity, you’re unlikely to have missed hearing about the new spin-off from This American Life called Serial. It’s a documentary series focusing on one story and following it for as long as it takes, rather than the multi-storied This American Life style episodes. And whereas TAL is all about the radio with podcasts attached on the side, Serial is designed to be a podcast first and foremost - variable lengths, both in individual episodes and potentially seasons as well.

I’ve read a couple of Donna Tartt books and enjoyed them. They’re very much of a type - detailed descriptions and evocative prose taking precedence over the story. That’s not to say the narrative is disappointing, although The Goldfinch did seem oddly far-fetched at times. It was a really good read, captivating and moving. You could feel the cloying heat of the desert and the refreshing busy city in New York.

Despite this being an advert (although it’s for free popcorn so who can argue?), it’s worth sharing because the minions get all Christmassy and start singing carols. If you watched their last attempt at singing and were put off, understandably, then do give them a second chance. I’m so glad the minions have their own film coming out, although do wonder if they will be required to communicate better and thus lose just a little bit of their charm.

I waited until after I’d finished the TimeRiders series before diving into a new series from Alex Scarrow, but they aren’t really comparable. The first book in the Ellie Quinn series introduces the central character - a girl stuck on a boring planet, hoping for more from life - and the situation - that there is something special about her to the point that people are starting to hunt her down.

Like most of the Marvel Universe fans, I wasn’t sure about the Guardians. Hadn’t heard of any of them, and my tolerance for the more off-the-wall things isn’t as high as it probably should be. When everyone suddenly said it was the best film ever, that raised my spirits, and seeing as we were always going to watch it anyway, I couldn’t wait.

I really, really enjoyed this. It was hard to watch at first, sad of course, and I felt bad for really envying the guy in his previous life and not so much how he lived afterwards. However, as a story it was well-paced, with a couple of good twists, and more than anything, it had Morpheus trying to manoeuvre an RV. There’s really not a lot to dislike about it.

The first trailer for Jurassic World was released yesterday, and I hadn’t realised I was going to be excited about the film until I saw it and gasped. A lot. The music! Chris Pratt! The gates! The shark! When I first heard about another Jurassic Park sequel, my heart sank because, let’s face it, they already ruined it enough with the second one. But then watching this trailer - which is both brilliant but with all the cheese of the first one that makes it a classic - I realised that it already being ruined wipes the slate clean. They can’t do any worse, so why not try?

The connected life. Wearable tech. Automated homes. The internet of things. All these names cover the next wave of technological interest and advancement, and whilst they may all be less than desirable monikers, the actual concepts and gadgets that are being created are absolutely fascinating. I’ve been a keen gadget hunter for a long time, particularly over the last few years, and having barely scratched the surface of research regarding wearable technology and digital home products, I think the next few will be particularly expensive!

U2 were due to perform a week-long guest slot on Jimmy Fallon’s nightly chat show but of course Bono went and fell off a bike and broke himself. (BTW, why do people keep cycling when all I ever here from cyclists is tales of woe?) So, rather than drafting in someone less good, last minute, Jimmy upped the stakes and decided to become Bono himself. Video no longer available.

After the first couple of chapters of this, I was determined not to read on. It felt like a Sherlock wannabe, but more obnoxious and less likeable. Somehow, something in the story kept me reading, and by the time I got to the end, I found I’d quite enjoyed it. The nod to Sherlock helped a little, and once I embraced that there really wasn’t that much redeeming about our central character except his ability to be right, I was on board.

I’ve found the exams I’ve taken this year to be really quite intense and it turns out that the closer it gets to the day itself, and the more intense the revision is, the less room I have in my head for anything else. Whether that is writing on my own blog, connecting with people on Twitter, keeping up with news online, or listening to podcasts, everything comes to a grinding halt.

There are so many conflicting feelings to be had about this movie. It’s inherently sexist given the premise, but on both sides and completely openly, so you sort of know what you’re signing up for. It’s annoying, pretty much everything he says, but it does all unravel in the end, I guess. He’s irritating, but also right, and kinda fun too.

So bad. So, so bad. I’m not sure I was hugely excited going into the film, Godzilla is something that has mostly passed me by up until this point. But I love a blockbuster as much as the next person, so hey, bring on the big monster. What a terrible film it turned out to be. It actually made Transformers seem a lot better. Whereas Transformers had all the right ingredients but the wrong method, Godzilla didn’t have too much stuff going on and mostly made sense… it was just badly done.

My efforts to make headway in the 87th Precinct series have taken a step forward after the books (all of them, I think) were made available via the Kindle Unlimited subscription platform. I’m only testing out whether I get much use out of this subscription at the moment, but with so many of these books to get through, I might just!

It’s no secret that I have a fondness for submarines, but I actually know precious little about them. The odd movie here or there is about the limit of my expertise, but I’m keen to start righting this wrong. This book chronicles the true story of what one of our submarines was really doing during the Cold War, and also details some of the coverup that occurred to hide its actions.

Pitch Perfect 2! A trailer! So much awesome! Fat Amy continues to steal the show, but I can’t wait to see the group back together. And bonus Hailee Steinfield who appears to be in every film ever these days.

Loved this film, but potentially for all the wrong reasons - the fact that Iron Man made a cameo appearance, and the little Iron Man noise in the cinema. The bit where the kid uses Vine and becomes their social media director just for being awesome.

It was beautiful. Moving and well crafted, miserable and joyous at the same time, predictable but refreshingly new. The blurb describes it as a comedy, which I wouldn’t necessarily agree with, it was more of a drama with plenty of music and singing involved. Mr C loved eyeing up all the music production side of things, and I mostly just enjoyed the simplicity of it all. Lovely film.

I had reservations going into the first movie but my doubts were quashed and I ended up loving it. Exactly the same thing happened with the second, and it turns out that’s an echo of the majority of the film itself. They unashamedly repeat a lot of what happened in the first, in fact they take time to point out just how many similarities there are.

To recap, I quite liked the original three Transformers movies, enjoying them for what they were. They were all identical, of course, full of explosions and Megan Fox and stuff like that. I was quite happy for that trilogy to end, and intrigued to see what a new set of films would be like, particularly with Marky Mark involved!

Unwind adds to a long list of young adult dystopian fiction, but there’s something different about this one. Rather than there being a cataclysmic event that forces the world to think differently about life (and usually it’s teenagers), this is a realistic portrayal of what could happen if those that make the law take a wrong turning somewhere. Based around the thorny area of right to life, the story tells the tale of a couple of plucky heroes who attempt to change a world that could see the end of them.

One of our favourite things to do on Sidepodcast is look back at the stupid things we said a year, two years or more ago. Because you can’t search an mp3, that often means scrabbling for what is in the show notes, or better yet, looking back at the transcript for our word for word conversation. Transcribing is a lengthy process, however, and when it comes down to it, we don’t have time to record podcasts at the moment let alone sit down and write them out in prose.

The world is currently going mad over Gone Girl, but I happened to have this Gillian Flynn book hanging around instead. I’ve not read her work before and this was her debut novel, so for the both of us it was a first! I thought it was so well written, it really drew you in with evocative prose and snappy dialogue. Each paragraph made you feel exactly what those involved were feeling, particularly the sticky, prickly, sickly feeling that grew and grew towards the end.

Obviously, as a novella, I was expecting this to be short. I don’t know if it’s the genre or just the style of writing in this particular one, but it took a while to get used to how fast the action moved. It was like diving in and out of this family’s life only occasionally, usually when something really important was happening. You sort of had to fill in the rest yourself, which is fine because it stretches the imagination.