English Without End

On the lookout for a non-mainstream film in English? This is the film I saw yesterday at Renoir Princesa (V.O.S.) which is an adaptation from the book The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by French writer, Romain Puértolas .  The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (original title) is a colourful, feel-good movie, the perfect fit for those who want to practise English with little stress. A delightful crowdpleaser!

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice. The King's Speech movie trailer Hear the...

You know, sometimes, just by chance, you find a film that makes you feel something special. This film is usually not a blockbuster so the fact that you see it is just fate. A friend of mine told me about Once , an Irish film I had never heard of, and I realised that I have to pay more attention to the not so famous and popular films we are usually encouraged to go to the cinema to see. This 2007 Irish musical film is set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames", it tells the story of a busker (street musician) and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story. Once received enthusiastic reviews and awards such as the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film. Hansard and Irglová's song "Falling Slowly" received a 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack as a whole also received a Grammy nomination. To know more about t...

The boat that rocked ( Radio Encubierta in Spanish) is the last film I've seen ( original version , of course). It is a comedy about a pirate radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s in the UK. At this time, the BBC was the only UK mainland licensed radio broadcaster playing little more than two hours of any kind of recorded music each week. In the story a pirate station called Radio Rock began broadcasting rock music twenty-four hours a day from a boat anchored off the coast of England in international waters. Hosted by a colourful band of disc-jockeys, it soon gains an audience of millions and angers the government in the process. What else can I say? Made by the creators of Four Weddings and a Funeral , Notting Hill and Love Actually , it's full of humour, good music and references to other films that you'll immediately recognise.