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 September 2023.
Departure: Mystery Recommendation
Whilst today has been a weird and busy day for various reasons, I am really excited to share with you one of my favourite TV programmes. And I know it's a good programme because I refuse to watch it until I've recorded the entire series. So I am happy to recommend the brilliant mystery TV programme "Departure" tonight. The reason why I like this programme so much is because it follows a great British lady as she travels the world investigating crashes. Season 1 focuses on a plane crash. Season 2 focuses on an American train crash and Season 3 seems to focus on a Ferry something, but I haven't watched it yet. Each season is great because you get to know Kendra and her team really well. It is impossible not to like them and the plotting is done excellently because it's a gripping edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. Another aspect of the programme that I really like is the programme always keeps you guessing. These are never simple crashes, these are always fascinating, compelling plots that are far from easy to solve. Nothing can really be trusted and there are tons of red herrings along the way. That aspect of plotting alone makes this perfect for mystery readers. Finally, Kendra is a brilliant lead character and one of the reasons why is because she has a family and a good backstory. Her son was an interesting subplot in season 1 and her love for him and her trying to understand is a great plotline that adds a lot of depth to her character. It makes her human, relatable and you really want to follow along with her. Not only to see what the hell happened to the crashes, but also to see how she's doing herself. I'm really looking forward to watching Season 3 because I know once I start watching it, I will be hooked. So definitely check out "Departure".
Rogue One: Science Fiction Recommendation
One of the many films and TV recommendations I've been wanting to make lately from the early days of Disney buying the rights to Star Wars. Therefore, this week I want to recommend "Rogue One". Personally, this film is a must watch because it follows the story of a young woman who is the daughter of the designer of a superweapon and her journey to try and undercover the way to destroy the superweapon. I am sure every Star Wars is having a heart attack at my description of the film but it will do. Also, I really liked this film because it sets up the events of "A New Hope" perfectly. It covers how the rebel got the plans in the first place, why is this so important and my favourite thing about the film from a plotting perspective is that it finishes exactly where "A New Hope" kicks off. It's the characters that are a lot of fun too and the character writing definitely helps to bring the film alive as you want to follow the characters. You have the criminal young woman in the beginning that doesn't care about anything and her journey into a brave and heroic rebel. You have the brilliant and rather funny droid that everyone loves to end in the end. Then you have a wide range of other cast members that help to feel the story alive. Overall, if you want a fun science fiction film to watch over the weekend, definitely check out "Rogue One".
Feel Good: Romance Recommendation
This week's TV and Netflix recommendation is an absolute favourite of mine and I cannot recommend this brilliant programme enough. Therefore, this week I am very happy to recommend "Feel Good" written by and starring Mae Martin and Charlotte Ritchie. Personally, there is so much I love about this show that I will have to contain myself. But the story follows the "toxic", chaotic and beautiful relationship love story of a fictionalised Mae Martin and their new girlfriend George. It also doesn't help them Mae's a recovering drug addict, has unhealthy ways of dealing with the world and I just love the characters. Firstly, I love the programme it is very different in an extremely good way. It shows the full extent of emotions with queer characters, something that doesn't happen often. It gives the queer joy, the sadness and the ups and downs of a relationship in a very normal way. It also has side plots about their friends and their jobs which help to make the characters even richer and it covers a lot of topics brilliantly. I knew this programme was brilliant when I watched Season 1 in one night and then I watched Season 2 the next night. That really doesn't happen often. Also, this character seriously resonated with me on a deeply personal level. Since I have never ever done drugs and I never will but the addictive personality, the unhealthy relationships and the emotional dependency I seriously get all of that. I understand everything the Mae Martin goes through and I do truly know that this is mostly fiction, because it is semi-autobiographical but it feels true. And it is nice to finally be able to put names to what I'm experiencing so I know what to fix about myself and I have for the most part. In addition, there are so many relatable scenes in this programme that everyone can enjoy. From the uncertainty and joy of starting a new relationship, the pain of having childhood trauma and abuse and the want to improve yourself so you can have the life you deserve. I think the scene that told me I needed to watch and made me fall in love with the programme was when the Mae Martin character set their past life on fire in the first ten minutes of the programme and George said "why do have to be so intense" and Mae said "I am not intense,". That hit home for me because a dear, dear friend of mine had called me intense only a day before. So I think I will always have a soft spot and a love for Feel Good because it allowed me to learn a ton about myself and I have managed to improve myself a lot. Yet honestly, this show is so relatable, so heart-warming and so brilliant for thousands of other reasons that I can basically promise you, you will love it. If you want some wonderful romantic TV this weekend then definitely check out "Feel Good" on Netflix and Channel 4.
The Tomorrow War: Science Fiction Recommendation
I am actually surprised it has taken me this long to recommend this brilliant science fiction time travel film, because this has got to be one of the best films I have watched for ages. So this week I am not pleased to recommend "The Tomorrow War". The film follows the story of a science teacher who is recruited and sent into the 2050s to help fight in a war that will wipe out humanity unless it's stopped because the future is dying. Now I am not properly into time travel things and as much as I love science fiction I am not that bothered by time travelling war stories. But me and my Great Aunt were watching this together on Christmas Eve 2022 and I have to admit it was sensational and the writing was stunning. I learnt a lot about writing, tension and fight scenes from this film because it is that good. Personally, it was the characters that really made this film come alive and it got you interested and really involved in the stakes. Since the main character was a good man who got to see his daughter again in the future and he gets his own redemption arc because from what I was remember he wasn't the best father in HER timeline. But he seriously loves his daughter. And it is that focus on love, family and personal costs that really make this a tense and interesting film. You want to see him succeed so he can save his family and protect the daughter he loves more than anything else in the world. Then the science fiction setting just becomes a great tense, deadly environment for this to happen inside. I cannot recommend this film enough because it is really interesting and it had me and my Great Aunt hooked for the entire length of it. As well as the film doesn't feel slow for one moment, the pacing is that good. So if you want some entertaining science fiction this weekend, definitely check out "The Tomorrow War" available on Prime Video.
Sniper: Assassin’s End: Mystery Recommendation
In this week's TV and film recommendation, I'm recommending "Sniper: Assassin's End" for quite a few different reasons, but mainly because I find it fascinating the different films that mainstream culture forgets. Yet thankfully streaming services like Netflix gives us the chance to rediscover them. The film follows the story of a sniper that framed for a political assassination and the next 90 minutes follows the tense, action-packed journey he goes on to clear his name. I really liked the film because it was such great, easy watching. I actually started watching the film because I was staying round my Great Aunt's the other week and we wanted something to watch in the evening. We strolled and strolled through Netflix and managed to find this film, and we were hooked. The main character is a good man, he's interesting and the actors are really good at acting like snipers in the way they act, do things and their thinking. There are lots of good setups in the early part of the film that come back at the film in really impactful ways. It was fun. I sort of understand some of the criticisms that I saw online when I looked it up later on because this is part of a series. The film isn't filled with dramatic twists, it is fairly standard in the plotting but I didn't mind that at all. It was a really fun film that had good twists, had good characters and had a lot of great moments. It is a brilliant film to watch if you want something easy that won't make you think. And come on, after a long day at work or university, isn't that what we want? I know on Netflix there are a lot of other films in the series but I'm waiting for the newer ones to come out on the streaming service at some point. Overall, if you're looking for a fun mystery, thriller film to watch at the weekend that won't cause you to stress out or panic or watch on the edge of your seat. Then definitely check out "Sniper: Assassin's End".
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.
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