Movies

Disney's Cinderella and "that dress"

2015’s shaping up to be a big year for Disney.   It started with box office and Oscar success for Big Hero 6 and Feast.  Now the attention turns to live action, with the arrival of Cinderella this coming Friday, 27 March.  But it’s not the film alone that’s been attracting attention.  When its director, Kenneth Branagh, and star Lily James were in town last week for its press…
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Movies

Film Review: X + Y

Coming of age films are a favourite at the cinema, from this year’s Boyhood to Stand By Me in 1986 and all points in between and before.  This Friday sees the arrival of another twist on the same theme, British movie X + Y, certificate 12A.  This time, there’s a double twist: maths and autism. London Mums’ film critic, Freda Cooper, finds out if it all adds up. The story Like many…
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Movies

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: The next biggest sitcom after Friends is now on Netflix

Comedy is certainly the most difficult genre to write and perform. It is easier to make people cry than laugh. I love comedy but after the end of the best sitcom of all times, Friends, I was left there wondering whether I would find another funny and yet engaging TV comedy series again. After years of watching many dramas, thrillers, crime stories, hospital and family dramas, I was longing for a…
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Movies

Film Review: Still Alice

The winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Actress had been predicted for months – Julianne Moore in Still Alice.  The performance had come in for plenty of praise, but there was also a general feeling that it was about time that Moore got the trophy.  It was her fifth nomination, after all. But an Oscar-winning performance isn’t always set within an Oscar-winning film.  London Mums film…
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Movies

Film review: Disney live-action Cinderella & new short Frozen Fever

I don’t know anybody (boys included) who hasn’t watched the classic Disney animated film Cinderella at least twice. The expectations for a live-action feature movie were very high and have not been disappointed. The new Disney live-action Cinderella is the truest adaptation to film and more traditional retelling of the classic cartoon fairytale. Here is why London Mums’ believe…
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Movies

How to support and encourage budding screenwriters

When I was ten years old I was determined to re-make Jaws. I knew the film backwards, and had a brilliant plan to shoot it with a papier-mâché shark in Brighton. All I needed was a cast and a crew. Oddly, my fellow classmates were less than enthusiastic as I lacked a camera, film, props… in fact I had no film making equipment of any kind whatsoever. And, more importantly, I didn’t have any…
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Movies

Film Awards: Oscars results

The early hours of Monday morning saw the culmination of this year’s movie awards season – and the end of a fiercely competitive race for the top trophies.  The two front runners were Boyhood and Birdman.  But who won on the night?  London Mums’ film critic, Freda Cooper, has the low-down. After a disappointing showing at the BAFTAs earlier this month, the team behind Birdman had…
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Movies

Film Awards: Oscar predictions

After all the build-up, the main event is nearly here.  The Oscars will be handed out in the early hours of Monday morning and, with the votes well and truly in, the only thing left to do now is speculate. So who’s going to walk away with one of those coveted little gold men?  London Mums’ resident film critic, Freda Cooper, has given her crystal ball an extra polish so she can predict…
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Movies

Future films heads up: HOT PURSUIT

Brace yourselves London Mums! Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara are soon going to delight us in a movie filled with Girl power. I personally love Reese’s recent choices in films she is choosing to be part of (like Wild). Hot pursuit is a comedy and she is playing a strong female character but not the type of Legally Blond strong. Watch the trailer below and you will understand what I mean…
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Movies

Film Awards: BAFTA results

It was the British film industry’s big night and hopes were high that home-grown talent would be among the winners.  And they were – but one much-fancied movie turned out to be the big loser on the night.  London Mums’ film critic, Freda Cooper, has the low-down. Everybody had expected Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman to be fighting it out for…
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