Category: Actors

Acting, Actors, Audiobook, Autobiography

‘A Pocketful of Happiness’ by Richard E Grant

by colingarrow • 31/10/2022 • 0 Comments

My Review (5 stars out of 5) Swaziland-born actor Richard E. Grant has been a firm favourite with cinemagoers since his debut in Withnail and I in 1987. When his wife Joan was diagnosed with cancer, he was faced with a challenge that would end in her death in 2021. I’ve long been a fan…

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Actors, Film, Gangsters

‘Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli’ by Mark Seal

by colingarrow • 02/05/2022 • 0 Comments

My Review (5 stars out of 5) Charting the story of how the hit movie The Godfather came to be made, Mark Seal’s book is as exciting as the film itself. From Mario Puzo’s early struggles as a writer, to his creation of a novel that would become one of the greatest movies of all…

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Acting, Actors, Characters, dialogue

‘Actress’ by Keith Dixon

by colingarrow • 23/04/2022 • 2 Comments

My Review (5 stars out of 5) Following her success in a long-running TV show, young actress Mai Rose is in rehearsal on a new stage play, but when the opportunity to star in a major fantasy movie comes up it seems the role is made for her. Trouble is, Mai will be in competition…

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Acting, Actors, Audiobook, biography, comedy, Writing

‘Let’s Do It’ by Jasper Rees

by colingarrow • 05/03/2022 • 2 Comments

My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) In this authorised biography, the life and work of entertainer, writer, actor, comedienne and – in all likelihood – the funniest woman on TV, Victoria Wood, is laid bare in all its hysterical, heart-warming and often poignant detail. The audiobook version includes VW’s hilarious classic, the Ballad…

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Acting, Actors, Autobiography

‘Blowing the Bloody Doors Off’ by Michael Caine

by colingarrow • 30/10/2021 • 1 Comment

My Review (5 stars out of 5) Written in his 85th year veteran British actor Michael Caine looks back on his life with a view to highlighting what he’s learned. Although primarily aimed at those with a yen for performance, his advice is useful for anyone wanting to better themselves. With stories and anecdotes from…

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Acting, Actors, Audiobook, Autobiography, Characters

‘This Much is True’ by Miriam Margolyes

by colingarrow • 23/10/2021 • 2 Comments

My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Known for memorable characters including Lady Whiteadder and Professor Sprout, roles in Little Dorrit and Oliver Twist, and a host of voice-overs for TV adverts, Miriam Margolyes is a national treasure. From her childhood in Oxford and posing naked for artist Augustus John to working with Martin…

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Acting, Actors, LGBTQ

‘The Last Conception’ (Movie Review)

by colingarrow • 09/10/2021 • 4 Comments

My Review (4 stars out of 5) It’s unusual to see a movie representing Indian culture coming out of Hollywood, but The Last Conception has a lot going for it. Savarna Sikand (Nazanin Mandi), and her girlfriend (played by Callie Schuttera) have been dating for a couple of years but so far Savarana hasn’t got…

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Actors, Autobiography, Film, Theatre

‘Anything for a Quiet Life’ by Jack Hawkins

by colingarrow • 14/09/2020 • 0 Comments

***** Jack Hawkins has always been one of my favourite actors, so it was a real treat to read this self-penned account of his early life, his theatre work, movies and his battle with cancer. Though initially only interested in theatre, Hawkins eventually made it onto the big screen and from 1953, his film work…

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Actors, Cozy, Crime, detective

‘The Rock’ by Robert Daws

by colingarrow • 23/07/2020 • 0 Comments

**** Detective Sergeant Tamara Sullivan finds herself exiled to Gibraltar as punishment for disobeying orders during a police operation. Together with her new boss DCI Gus Broderick, Sullivan investigates the suspicious death of a police constable, leading to the discovery of a dark and sinister secret. This is the first adventure in the Sullivan…