That’s right, the Time Warp has been going on for 50 whole years in film format! I just had to go to the cinema to see one of my favourites on the big screen. Now I didn’t go dressed up, even though I do have an outfit. I think only five people in the screening were, probably a shame that and audience participation wasn’t more encouraged. I mean that is one of the big reasons it became such a clut classic.
I don’t think I have actually seen the film on the big screen before, unless I have just forgotten but I am such a geek that I usually remember not only what I have seen at the cinema but who I went to see it with, well how about that!
From London fringe theatre to the biggest cult hit of all time
The definitive story of Rocky Horror featuring Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Trixie Mattel and Jack Black set for UK & Irish cinema release
Celebrating its UK Premiere at Sheffield DocFest on 19th June & Irish Premiere at GAZE on August 3rd ★★★★★ “Deeply Personal” Laughing Place ★★★★ “A heartfelt tribute” The Queer Review “A love letter to the power of cult cinema” Rue Morgue “Energetic and vivacious” RogerEbert “Impressive” The Hollywood Reporter
That’s right today marks the anniversary of Let’s Go To The Movies or blogaversary as it would have once been known. On the 9th February 2009 I made my first post and let’s face it I probably didn’t think that 16 years later I would still be reviewing the films that I have watched at the cinema, now on streaming and catching up with classics of years gone by. But somehow Let’s Go To The Movies is still going and in the past few months I hit that incredible 2 million views and eventually managed to purchase the .com domain I had been after for a long time.
Thank you once again to everyone for the incredible support, as it stands I have 2289 film reviews on Let’s Go To The Movies. Plenty more to come!
By this point everyone should be extremely aware of how much I am a fan of When Harry Met Sally and it should be no surprise that I am now talking about this utterly incredible recreation or update if you will for that truly outstanding scene from When Harry Met Sally. Back at Katz dinner but this time Hellmann’s is involved and let’s face it mayo is the best!
Incredible from Billy Crystal and even more so Meg Ryan to do this all over again, seriously incredible!
“I can’t believe they let us back in this place” “No one remembers that” 😂
Movie-goers are used to seeing casino games on the big screen. From roulette and blackjack in movies such as Casino and 21 to poker in Casino Royale, gambling has become a popular trope. However, there’s one game that’s often overlooked by movie directors, and it’s called bingo. TV scriptwriters and producers are more in tune with the game. Indeed, you’ll see bingo scenes if you watch Better Call Saul and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But when it comes to the big screen, bingo is criminally underrepresented.
We’re not saying you can’t find examples of bingo in movies. Big Momma’s House and Rampage have scenes in bingo halls, but the game isn’t the main focus. That’s interesting, given the renaissance bingo has experienced over the last decade. This renaissance is apparent when you scroll through the gaming lobbies of online casinos.
It’s that time of year again, although I have been a little slow in posting to check out the Letterboxd stats for the previous year. I love these stats and find it very interesting to keep a check on which films I have watched. Something interesting for 2024 is that I didn’t watch many films multiple times, feels strange to have only logged When Harry Met Sally twice!
I actually thought my film watching was a bit lower but it was a few more than 2023 although I don’t think the highs of 2020 and even 2021 with the main lockdown/furlough and then that smaller lockdown at the start of 2021 will ever be beaten.
As you can probably tell from my stats I did a revisit to X-Men and The Hunger Games which sees Jennifer Lawernce take the top spot, some interesting ones in the actors due to that.
What are your stats for 2024?
Did you have a film you watched on repeat and who was your top star?
There are few fictional characters as legendary as Sherlock Holmes, which is why this literary character has enjoyed so many adaptations throughout history. However, not all of these adaptations are made equal. As such, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the popularity of this character in modern times, along with the most iconic adaptations in cinematographic history.
The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes in Different Mediums
Sherlock Holmes was created all the way back in 1887 by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with his first movie appearance being in Sherlock Holmes Baffled in 1900. Holmes is renowned for his somewhat unorthodox approach to his investigations, where he primarily relied on his powers of deduction and observation. Thus, it’s unsurprising that this one-of-a-kind detective is currently the most depicted human literary character in movie and TV history.
However, the popularity of this character has gone past literary and cinematographic, reaching other entertainment sectors such as iGaming. Nowadays, players can even locate online casino wowpots like Sherlock & Moriarty, which feature the persona in question along with his enemy. For those who haven’t heard of such games before, these are progressive jackpots that have four different levels, each starting at a different seed amount.
Even the world of music was inspired by the detective, with a concept album released by Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman. It has the same name as the book it’s influenced by, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Apart from the above, Holmes has been adapted for the radio, stage, and TV shows. All of the above showcases how beloved the character is, warranting adaptations to practically every medium imaginable.
Key Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes Throughout Film History
We’ll start this off with the 2009 Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. This is currently the best-rated IMDb movie on our list, and deservedly so. Downey does a great job at portraying the eccentric detective, and his chemistry with Law, who plays Dr. Watson, paired with the direction of Guy Ritchie is impeccable. And those who want to continue enjoying this depiction of Holmes will certainly enjoy the sequel, along with the upcoming third movie, which is still in the works.
Next up we have The Hound Of The Baskervilles, released in 1939. It is based on the book of the same name, which is typically considered to be one of the best and most popular ones in the series. And this was beautifully translated onto the silver screen, making it a very popular adaptation. Fun fact about the movie, it’s the first known era-appropriate movie set in the Victorian period, as the rest were updated according to the release date of the movies.
We’ll round this list up with Mr. Holmes, with Sir Ian McKellen playing the titular character in the 2015 movie. And let’s be honest, anything he touches tends to turn to gold. While we won’t spoil the plot, just like with the aforementioned options, the unique twist comes not only from the stellar casting but from the fact that it follows an aged-up Holmes, who’s struggling with declining cognitive abilities. This is a unique adaptation that makes it a must-watch for any fan.
With so many fictional detectives out there, it’s quite a feat to be considered the crème de la crème. So, while our list may be subjective, the fact that he is a timeless character is not. Regardless of which option you pick to watch, we’re sure they’ll all hit the spot.
Have you ever wondered what the Hollywood elite do once the cameras stop rolling? While some of them may retire to their mansions in Beverley Hills, others like to relax by hitting the casino. Plenty of movie stars are also poker players. In this article, we discuss six of the most famous actors who also play poker.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck has pretty much ticked all the cinematic boxes possible. He has been an actor, screenwriter, and director, managing to do them all to perfection. He rose to prominence as a poker player in the mid-2000s, taking lessons from professional players such as Amir Vahedi.
Even before his career at the poker table, he was doing well in casinos. In 2001, he won $800,000 at a game of blackjack. By 2004 he had moved to poker, winning $356,400 at the California State Poker Championships. He is also known to be one of the celebrities who would take part in high-stakes poker games at the Viper Rooms in Los Angeles.
Tobey Maguire
The aforementioned poker games at the Viper Rooms were organised by arguably the most fanatical of Hollywood’s poker players, Tobey Maguire. He also started his career around the same time as Affleck, circa 2004 at the height of the poker boom. Like Affleck, he was trained by the very best, hiring Canadian six-time World Series of Poker winner Daniel Negreanu to train him.
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is a Hollywood actress, who has featured in movies such as Bullets Over Broadway, Bound, and even horror thrillers like Bride of Chucky. One of her early movies was Let It Ride, a movie about gambling on horse racing.
Her early life was spent in Harbour City, Los Angeles, where she has said she was given a poker video game by her father. This sparked her interest in the pursuit and this move paid off. She has been coached by player Phil Laak, who she has also been romantically involved with.
To date, her achievements include a World Series Poker winners bracelet and she has won the Ladies No-Limit Texas Hold’em competition. This has seen her net over $1 million in winnings. Despite a few breaks where she has returned to acting, she continues to play to this day.
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth was almost a professional tennis player, before becoming a teen idol in Hollywood during the late nineties and early noughties. Her acting break came when she was cast in the American Pie trilogy.
However, it could be said her poker career has been more successful than that of her acting. She once described it as her second career. Between 2006 and 2010, she played in the main event of the World Series of Poker. She then won a tournament celebrating the opening of a new room at Caesar’s Palace. With a few more accolades under her belt, she retired in 2010 without saying why and has now made a return to acting.
Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart has had quite a career as a poker player. A lot of his income has come from brand associations, being sponsored by some of the biggest online sites for poker players in the US and beyond. They provide a range of games and are part of the reason the popularity of poker has spread so far. Many of these poker sites are ranked on a range of criteria, including the quality of the user experience, and the range of buy-ins catering to all levels of player.
With his “everyman”, funny guy-next-door attitude, Kevin Hart is a great choice as an ambassador who shows that poker can be enjoyed by everyone.
This has meant his tournaments have had some huge buy-ins, including a 2017 super high roller event which had a $100,000 buy-in. After this, he went to another in Las Vegas with a $300,000 buy-in. However, his style is extremely aggressive and sporadic, meaning he either wins gloriously or fails in the same fashion.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon is another veteran of the Viper Room games. Despite being known for this, and even featuring in the movie Rounders which is a classic poker-themed game, Damon shies away from the cameras. Most of his poker playing is done in secret, ensuring only the inside circle knows how good he is and how much he has managed to win.
There are plenty of other celebrity poker players, from game show hosts to sports stars. However, Hollywood provides some of the most interesting characters at the table, with money to spend and the urge to take risks. It can’t be long before a new crop arrives on the poker scene.
Sunglasses have long been a popular movie accessory. They can flesh out characters, help add depth to the story, and add a touch of style to any look. They can also encourage conversations, asking audiences to dig deeper into the character or the themes. For instance, in the recently released Civil War, actor Jesse Plemons dons a pair of bright red sunglasses that stick out against his military fatigues. They capture the viewer’s attention but add to his menace, making them question their presence. He’s one of the more recent examples of how shades play a role in the film, but many other actors before him have also brought some legendary frames to the silver screen. Here are some iconic movie sunglasses worn by leading men:
Tom Cruise has donned many famous frames throughout his career, but his role as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun gave one of the most recognisable and revolutionary sunglasses moments in cinema. The Ray-Ban sunglasses he wore became synonymous with cool and rebellious style. The Aviator model was originally designed for pilots to prevent eye strain and damage from UV rays and glare. They also had a unique construction due to the thinness of the frame that allowed them to be worn comfortably under helmets or headgear. While its use in the film was more for practicality than fashion, that didn’t stop the frames from becoming one of the brand’s most popular models thanks to Top Gun’s cultural impact. Its timelessness and quality have made it a symbol of style and luxury today, as well as other models from the brand like the Wayfarer and Clubmaster.
From acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, Searchlight Pictures’ award-winning Poor Things will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV App and Sky Store on February 27.
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