Reading science fiction, fantasy and mystery books aren’t the only way that I learn about stories and inspire my writing. Films and television programmes play a major part in my fiction writing too. That’s why I love to offer up recommendations to readers and watchers so I can share movies and TV programmes that I love and seriously passionate about. Therefore, I hope you enjoy these various mystery, fantasy, science fiction and occasionally romance films and TV recommendations. The recommendations in this post are the ones I made in June 2023.
Wonder Woman 1984
Apologies for the lateness of today's film recommendation, this is the first time I haven't scheduled it in advance and it's been a great, wonderful, crazy day. However, this recommendation was so worth the wait because I'm recommending Wonder Woman 1984. You might have read in a previous recommendation that the only week of the year I really relax in the last week of December and this is when I start to watch my films, legal Game Movies and other things that I've simply been "too busy" to watch during the year. Wonder Woman 1984 was so one of them on Prime Video so I finally got round to watching it. It was so worth the wait. It follows the journey of Wonder Woman as she tries to save the world from a madman that possesses an Artifact able to give the wisher whatever they desire but the wish gets twisted so it only causes death, hate and destruction. Personally, I really liked it for three main reasons. Firstly, Gal Gadot is a brilliant actress and she plays Wonder Woman so, so well. I really hope she continues to play Wonder Woman for years to come because she is so good and such a talented actress. Secondly, the villain is one of the best-written villains I've seen for ages. He's evil but he has a great reason for why he is doing what he is doing and you don't really want anything bad to happen to him because he is a very real villain. And I think his reasoning is very relatable and real to a lot of fathers perhaps. Finally the plotting is just great and all the other plotlines are balanced so well that everything just works. So if you're looking for a fun fantasy superhero film to enjoy this weekend definitely check out Wonder Woman 1984.
The Lost City
For this week's film recommendation I wanted to recommend a little bit of silly, stupid fun that will make you laugh, smile and just enjoy yourself for two hours. And that is "The Lost City". Let me just admit for a moment that this type of action-adventure film is not what I normally watch, I don't normally like romantic comedies and this sort of humourous action film, but I had to watch it as part of an assignment once and I have to admit it was a lot of fun. The film follows a writer of "trash" romance novels wanting to quit after the death of her husband until she gets kidnapped by a mad millionaire wanting to uncover treasure on an island, and then the man that secretly loves her goes to rescue her. Of course, you never need to rescue Sandra Bullock for long because she's a powerhouse but it is what happens after they escape that makes this film so good. From all the failures, to the silly fights to the other mishaps, you will be laughing a lot, crying even more and this film did actually teach me why Sandra Bullock is so popular. She is a brilliant actress. If you're looking for something silly and fun and laugh-out-loud this weekend then definitely check out The Lost City. You won't regret it, I know I didn't.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
For this week's TV recommendation I want to recommend "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+ because it is fun, it explains a lot and it is a great watch. It follows a self-exiled Obi-Wan Kenobi who is drawn out of hiding to help save a kidnapped 12-year-old Princess Leia and the epic journey they take together to reunite her with her parents. The show is just as much about the character's development and their own arcs as the plot itself. And that's something that makes the series really nice, enjoyable and watchable. It's great to see how Obi-Wan learns to trust himself again and reconnect with the force so he can protect the innocent and become a Jedi once more. Or at least embody the Jedi's values and ideals once more. It is also really interesting to see how Leia learns to take her life and future career in politics seriously so she can become the Princess Leia we see in the later films. And there are a whole bunch of great actors and actresses that bring the show alive too. You cannot beat Indira Varma (she is a great actress and it's a shame that she isn't in more stuff) and Moses Ingram did a great job playing the main villain and the redemption arc is pretty great too. So if you're looking for a fun piece of easy Star Wars watching this weekend, definitely check it out.
The Witcher
When I was checking out Netflix earlier today I noticed that a brand-new "volume" of The Witcher was coming out and that reminded me that I had never officially recommended it before. So I want to now and I want to explain why I like it so much. For a bit of background, I have never read the books or played the video games, I do have one of the books on my Kobo but I've never read it and I might never get round to it. Yet as soon as I got Netflix I devoured the first series in about a week. And for me that is honesty saying something about how good it is. Now I will admit that the first series is great but it isn't told in chronological order but it isn't hard to follow along. And I think similar to Game of Thrones the first series is all about world-building and setting up the later series. That is fine and this does it really well. Especially as the second series is amazing. It is dark in places but it is sensational, I loved it and I was hooked, and it doesn't just have one emotional storyline, it has several. All of them are as brilliant as each other. Also, the actor Henry Cavil and actresses Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan are all great for their characters. I know that Henry has left the show but I doubt his replacement will be worse. So if you're looking for some fun, dark, action-packed fantasy TV this weekend, definitely check out The Witcher.
The Equaliser
One of the best crime programmes I've seen in ages has to be The Equalizer, something I am firmly recommending this week, because it is brilliant. I really like this programme because Queen Latifah is a sensational actress that brings a lot of heart, grit and authority to the role of McCall, a former CIA asset now working freelance to help innocent people. She makes the character really likeable and you want to follow her during each episode because she wants to see how she helps people, how she saves lives and most importantly how she saves the day using her great intelligence and sheer fighting ability. Also, the programme is really worth watching for the side characters. From Harry and Mel who save Robyn McCall save the day, to the daughter and Aunt that helps to keep the character grounded and gives us a lot of depth through her being a loving mother. And detective Dante starts off hunting down Robyn before becoming a love interest. Yet one of my favourite things about this topic is that it tackles racism and the many different ways racism happens in a non-preaching way. From black people getting less money for their houses than white people to black people being "too ethnic" for professional jobs and more. This clever show covers them all in a very heartening way that helps to show all of us the societal challenges everyone faces no matter who they are. But overall it is a lot of fun to watch. So if you want a brilliant, clever and heart-warming show to watch definitely check out The Equalizer. You won't regret it.
I hope you enjoyed these movie and film recommendations and if you want to see some of my own fantasy, science fiction, mystery and romance books. Then please click the hyperlink on the genre you want to explore. You won’t regret exploring these great books.
Comments