TMTW August 2014 Review

This month I watched 23 films, which includes 5 rewatches. Of the 23, my recommendations would be anything I rate 3 or more out of 5. For me, 3 stars is a good film, worth watching once. The best new release I watched this month was Guardians of the Galaxy. Read my full review here

Films

5 star films

Warrior (rewatch)
Groundhog Day (rewatch) 

4.5 star films

Star Trek Into Darkness (rewatch)
Kingdom of Heaven (rewatch)

4 star films

Calvary

Guardians of the Galaxy
Insomnia (rewatch)

North by Northwest
The Shining

3.5 star films

Lucy (review here)

Out of the Furnace

Homefront

Misery

The Book Thief

Man on Wire (Documentary)
Predestination
Not Suitable for Children

3 star films

Safe
The Expendables 3 (review here)

Dog Day Afternoon
Sleeping Beauty (2011)

Below 3 star films

The Other Woman (2.5 stars)

In The Cut (2.5 stars)

I usually write a short review for most films, with major blog entries for some. My short reviews can be found here on letterboxd.com

TV

This month I finished a great show - True Blood. This show has been such fun to watch. Caters to my love of vampires, with more than a dash of sex. I've been a fang banger wannabe since day one, and it was sad to see this show come to an end. The final season was quite a slow one, plodding along and closing off the character's stories. I was mostly happy with the overall ending. Can you ever have the perfect ending to a tv series? Goodbye True Blood. I have very fond memories of you. 

Finished season 2 of The Following. I have to say, although I like and enjoyed the season, I probably won't be back for season 3. It's just not as gripping as when it first started. I find I am being a lot more picky these days. I finished season 1 of The Americans. Again, I did enjoy it, but I just don't feel the pull to come back for season 2. I haven't made up my mind on this one, so we'll see. 

Started and finished the miniseries Top of the Lake. It's a mystery thriller cop show set in New Zealand. Beautifully filmed, and well acted. The story is pretty engaging, and the ending will leave you a bit like......fuck! Probably a little odd in places, but it had an authentic small town story vibe going on, which was quite good. Definitely check it out. 

Said goodbye to another very much loved show - The Killing. This show hit the chopping block after season 2, but it got a reprieve. season 3 had a blow you away ending, and then the show got cancelled - again. I recently found out it got a 6 episode season 4 run to finish it off properly, which was extremely satisfying. This show actually ended perfectly. 

Finally got started on season 5 of The Vampire Diaries. I know what you're thinking - "really, you watch this show?" It's the real guilty pleasure amongst my line-up. It has a fast pace, and is just so cool. Again, I love vampires, so it is catering very nicely. Another show about vampires I am continuing with is The Strain. It has gotten better each week, but I feel it still hasn't reached an addictive level for me. I'll definitely continue with it though, as I would at least like to give the first season a complete go. 

Thanks for reading. Share your thoughts and/or recommendations below.