Top Ten Films of 2015

Been a bit slow with this one but I wanted to take my time, make a real considered opinion ya know? 2016 was big. Not just a lot of great films and a lot of big blockbusters, but a lot of great blockbusters. MI:5, Spectre, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, all big popcorn movies but all had storytelling at their heart rather than just wham-bam spectacle.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. Whiplash

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

4. Ex-Machina

5. Kingsmen: The Secret Service

6. The Martian

7. Spectre

8. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

9. Avengers: Age of Ultron

10. Straight Outta Compton

Remember when movie titles didn't have colons? Another byproduct of our current age of remakes, sequels and spin-offs. But 2015 was a strong year and other honorable mentions have got to go to - Macbeth, Legend, It Follows, Furious 7, Jurassic World and Ant-Man. 2016 has got a lot to live up to, but with the likes of The Revenant, The Hateful 8 and Captain America: Civil War, no doubt it'll fill those shoes and need a new pair.

The Long-Legged Fly - Book Review

I reviewed James Sallis' The Long-Legged Fly for Crime Fiction Lover way back in September, but totally forgot to update it on me ol' bloggy blog with it. Follow the link below for my full 'A Classic Revisited' review of this sparse but mesmerising debut from the guy who gave us Drive.

Read my full review of The Long-Legged Fly, over on Crime Fiction Lover.

Follow Me Book Review

Angela Clarke taps into our fears of modern technology and the danger's our online presence can have in the real world in this initially gripping but later quite limited debut. I liked this book, I didn't love it. Pairing a digital-savvy young writer with a tough detective this techno thriller updates the classic who-done-it mystery with a meta-modern serial killer that's made for Generation Y, but beyond it's social media premise it struggles to break free of the standard police procedural cliches.

Read the full review on Crime Fiction Lover.