Five must-see films of summer 2013

The weather may be predictably unpredictable, but British summer can always be relied upon to bring us a host of decent films. Here are five to catch for when the rain is pouring and you've tired of tennis.

Monsters University

Friday 12^th July

Director: Dan Scanlon

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi

It’s been twelve years since Sulley and Mike first appeared on our screens in Monsters, Inc., allowing young fans of that film to grow up and reach a new life stage scarier than any monster: university. In Toy Story 3, Andy’s departure for university was timed just as those of us who grew up with the series were packing our bags, books and saucepans and leaving home ourselves. The result was cinemas full of weeping eighteen year-olds, nostalgic adults, and young children still laughing at Mr Potato Head wobbling about as a tortilla wrap. Hoping to draw a similarly diverse audience, the new prequel goes back to Sulley and Mike’s university days, where their initial impressions of each other are anything but favourable as they learns the tricks of the scare trade. By resorting to familiar characters in a situation now relevant to their old audience, Pixar are playing it safe in a bid to move on from the relative failure of Cars 2 and Brave. Will it be a roaring success or just scarily bad? With Finding Dory in the pipeline, let's hope this new run of sequels live up to expectations.

Despicable Me 2

Friday 28^th June

Director: Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin

Starring: Steve Carrell, Ken Jeong, Kristen Wiig

Unlike Pixar, Universal waited only three years to release a sequel to their surprise hit Despicable Me, in which super villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) found himself adopting three orphans in a bid to outdo his arch nemesis Vector (Jason Segel) by becoming the most notorious force of evil in the world. The whacky plot, witty script and fabulously memorable characters produced one of those rare films that makes you laugh more than is strictly appropriate in a public setting, and leaves you wondering what happens next. Now Gru and his dysfunctional crew are back, including the scene-stealing, dungaree-clad minions, but this time he’s using his evil skills for good, working with the Anti-Villain League to save the world. It’s a tall order, but if the sequel can produce the same high quality, quirky humour, we’re in for a treat.

Man of Steel

Friday 14^th June

Director: Zack Snyder

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon

Following Chris Nolan’s moody Batman reboot, superhero films are no longer just fast, fun, quip-filled epics. Now, it’s all about the angst and burden that comes with having awesome powers. Traditionally, Superman has always been the ultimate good guy, unfailingly moral and bordering on indestructible, so naturally everyone scoffed at the thought of this primary-colour-clad icon as a troubled, isolated figure. And then the trailers came out, and we all stopped laughing and stared open-mouthed at a stubble-bedecked Superman apparently working on an oilrig. We may even have drooled a little. But we certainly put aside our doubts and got on board. Let’s hope it’s as tough as the name suggests.

The Bling Ring

Friday 5^th July

Director: Sophia Coppola

Starring: Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard

If the plot wasn’t based on real events, it would sound too ridiculous for a film. Fascinated with the hedonistic celebrity lifestyle that surrounds them, a group of wealthy LA teens decide to literally bag themselves a piece of it, by burgling the homes of the rich and famous. Having proved she can actually act in last year’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Emma Watson continues in her mission to shed her Harry Potter image as one of the bad girl burglars. However, early reviews are commending the performances of the relative unknowns who make up the gang, particularly Katie Chang and Israel Broussard. The gang’s obsession with fame, and their use of social media and the internet to target their victims makes for a pertinent look at the attractions and issues of modern celebrity culture.  

Now You See Me

Wednesday 3^rd July

Director: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson

Let’s forget that Movie 43 has conclusively proved that a talented cast does not guarantee a great film, and ogle what has got to be one of the best line ups this year. The dream team includes rising stars Isla Fisher, Dave Franco (James’ younger brother), and Jesse Eisenberg (yes, he’s definitely there somewhere behind the beard), alongside reliable regulars Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo, and acting heavyweights Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Apparently burglars are the fashionable profession this summer: this gang relies not on the magic of the internet, but of, er, magic, to rob banks, giving their ill-gotten gains to their audiences in a charming Robin Hood-esque gesture. A weird meeting of The Prestige and Hustle, don’t expect subtlety, but marvel instead at the sorcery on offer in this summer blockbuster.

The World’s End

Friday 19^th July

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike

The third and possibly final collaboration between Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright sees a group of old friends reunite in their home town to finish off a bar crawl started years before. However, judging by the huge explosions and glowing blue eyes observable in the trailer, all is not what it seems. Former collaborator Nick Frost is back, along with Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marson, who head a stellar British cast. Judging by previous offerings, we can look forward to loopy characters, brilliant humour, true bromance and plenty of melodramatic action sequences.

Does Gru make you grin, or do you like Mike? Magic fan or man of steel? Share your thoughts and the films you're looking forward to in the comments below. Make sure that cinema trip happens, and send a subtle hint to your friends by sharing this post on Twitter or Facebook, and follow the blog for more film articles, summer posts and general snippets of joy.

Banana and Chocolate Muffins

You'd be bananas not to try one.

Finishing your degree can be kind of bleak. After months of living, breathing and occasionally fighting the urge to shred your dissertation, you are left with nothing, kicked out from the comfort of the education system and marooned on an island with only a bit of paper and better-than-average knowledge of American literature for company. There’s a whole wide world out there, but you can’t reach it, and no one seems to care that you’re jumping up and down in the sand, waving your paper and shouting insightful facts about Hawthorne, Twain and Franklin.

And then there’s cake. You gather the ingredients, you mix them and mash them and bake them, and then, when the timer bleeps, you are left with a tangible, edible product of your labours. Cake is calming. Cake is reliable. Cake won’t desert you. Well, that’s not true. I can name three baking disasters that have happened to me in recent history. The point is that when it comes to cake, if you focus, work carefully and follow the magic (or rather, scientific) recipe, you are guaranteed to get out what you put in, except that it will now be delicious, and people will certainly take notice.

Muffins are a nice kind of cake to make. They are versatile but aren’t complicated, and they offer a no-nonsense hit of satisfying richness that delicate cupcakes just don’t match. Also, as with deep fat fryers and pancakes, if you put fruit in muffins, you can pretend they’re healthy. With this line of argument in mind, I put a lot of extra banana into these banana and chocolate chip muffins.

Until recently, I hated bananas in their original form, but it turns out that I love mashing them up. There’s something disturbingly satisfying about squishing bananas into a squidgy pulp, and it should definitely be included in any form of stress therapy. Aside from looking for an excuse to indulge my new hobby, I remembered that the last time I made these muffins, I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t a strong banana flavour, which is sort of crucial. I also added extra vanilla essence to really make sure the batter wasn’t bland.

The original recipe was for cinnamon and banana muffins, but that seemed far too grown up, practically bordering on healthy. Therefore, instead of two teaspoons of cinnamon, I replaced it with three teaspoons of cocoa powder. I also added a big bag of Cadbury Counters, and when that didn’t look like enough, I chopped up two tubes of Rolos and added those for good measure. The mix ended up being a pretty brown and yellow combination, a bit like a brownie uniform (the small girl, not the cake – cakes are morally opposed to uniforms), and looked almost split. To finish off, I topped each cake with a generous sprinkle of chocolate sugar, partly because I thought it would work well with the flavours, but mostly because that two word combination cannot be wrong when applied to cake.

The sugar didn’t burn, like it usually does, but became a slight crust on the top. The extra banana and vanilla extract made the sponge really moist, almost sticky in your hands. On my third attempt (I’m a dedicated tester), I managed to find a muffin that had no chocolate in it, but I’m hoping I only short-changed myself. The caramel in the sweets went gooey when it melted, adding another sugary flavour to the banana and chocolate.

In the midst of uncertainty, these muffins came out just right, despite the liberties I took with the recipe, and the bad luck I’ve had with the baking gods recently. Let’s hope my academic future is just as sweet.

For more banana-based foods, check out this recent recipe post.

Got a brilliant banana recipe, fact or experience to shout about? Don't burst (it can happen), write it in the comments section instead. Feel free to share the banana love by sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook, and to follow me for more posts on food and other important life stuff.

They're so appealing: simple and delicious banana recipes

I have recently had a food epiphany. For the first twenty two and a half years of my life, I thought bananas were an evil joke. This was due mostly to that horrible texture: not quite mushy, not quite rigid, sort of creamy but not runny, and with tiny seeds you can taste but not see – this has to be an alien food sent to confuse us. However, after trying them in smaller portions and mixed with other ingredients, I found that they are more like a friend with a great sense of humour and good heart, once you get past the fact they like Avatar and occasionally wear corduroy. In short, it’s worth overlooking that funky banana texture in order to access that exotic, classic, versatile flavour. If you’re still a sceptic, here are some simple recipes to embrace banana.

Blended

Probably the easiest way to enjoy a banana without having to deal with the texture, blending removes this problem by breaking down the confused mushy stiffness into a recognisable liquid state that only gives you the flavour. If you’re feeling virtuous, make a smoothie by mixing your banana with your favourite fruit and apple juice, and blending until it is fairly thick but looks like something you could drink without choking. For dessert, add banana to a generous portion of ice cream and a splash of milk (or the other way if you like it runny) and blend. For extra indulgence, use chocolate ice cream, or add chocolate sauce or peanut butter before blending.

Banana and Nutella toasty

Bangers and mash, peanut butter and jam, cheese and toast: some flavours are just meant to be together so we can eat them and be filled with joy. If you have yet to introduce bananas and Nutella into the same dish, this easy breakfast is a good place to start. Spread the Nutella as thick as you like, add thin slices of banana on top and toast in a toasty maker, or with one of those toasty bags. For extra fruity goodness and more sugar, add strawberries. For extra nuttiness, peanut butter makes a good alternative to Nutella.

BBQ Banana Split

The forks are out, the gloves are on and the air is filled with smoke. Barbeque season is hopefully beginning (cue rain), but meat is no longer the only option on the menu. Leaving the skin on, carefully slice your banana open lengthways without cutting all the way through. Chop some dark chocolate into small pieces, or use dark chocolate chips, and press them into the slit in the banana, making sure not to let your banana split completely. Wrap it up in foil and put it on the BBQ for about five minutes, or until the chocolate is melted and the banana is gooey. You can use milk chocolate if you prefer, and add marshmallows for extra sweetness. Eat straight from the foil, or serve with ice cream.

Pancakes

As we’ve seen, bananas tend to taste better when they’re sliced, heated and surrounded by a dessert-like substance. When it comes to pancakes, you can either go thin and French, adding the sliced banana as a filling and wrapping it up, or thick and American, adding slices to the batter itself. Personally, I prefer the latter, since the bananas get really gooey and sweet. Unfortunately, despite my love of baking and making all things sweet, I have cook’s block when it comes to American-style pancakes. From many experiments, I have found that the best way to achieve those big, fluffy pancakes you see stacked up in American films, such as that adorable scene in Matilda, is to go to Selly Sausage or swallow your pride and any pretention of actually cooking, and to use a readymade pancake mix.

On a side note...

According to this Betty Crocker mix, only girls can make pancakes. Must be something to do with our soft fingers, delicate sensibilities and love of staying in the kitchen. Or maybe it’s to do with gender stereotyping.

Back to the recipe. Ladies and gents, begin by thinly slice your bananas, then follow the instructions on the box to make the mix. Once you’ve added the batter to the frying pan, quickly press the banana slices into the pancake as it fries, obviously being careful not to burn yourself: don’t be a hero, it’s only breakfast. The pancakes taste better if you keep them flat, as this makes them cook more evenly, so use two frying pans if necessary. Once they’re golden brown and cooked through, transfer to a plate, cover in Nutella (if you wish) and gorge. Alternatively, you can put chocolate chips in the mixture with the bananas, but again add them once the batter is in the pan, since mixing them in beforehand makes it harder to get the pancakes flat. Best served with a sea of maple syrup, a hot coffee and a lazy Sunday morning.

Banana Brownies

As this post explains, I am a bit of a brownie fiend. Quick to make, easy to get right and fun to eat, these are the ultimate indulgence with minimum effort. They are also great to experiment with, whether that’s adding marshmallows and/or peanut M&Ms, or making a cheesecake brownie or Smores brownie, like those clever folks at the Hummingbird Bakery. For my banana brownies, I used their basic brownie recipe, mixing in 100g of roughly chopped dark chocolate and three mushed up ripe bananas right at the end.

Have them finished no more than two hours before you need them, and leave them in the tray until right before serving for a warm pudding that goes well with a splash of cream or scoop of ice cream. They also taste great when they’re cold, with that gorgeous gooey centre. Although I’m tempted to play around with the recipe a little more, this is a rich, dense dessert that’s been a favourite with my family.

Banana Cake

Cake makes everything better, including bananas. If you’re looking for something slightly exotic, hummingbird cake is one of my favourite desserts both to make and eat. It contains pineapple, pecans and bananas, and is best finished off with a cream cheese icing and a fork. No hummingbirds should be injured during the making of this cake, and if you do manage to hurt them, you’re doing it wrong.

If you’re craving dessert but not feeling that adventurous, banana muffins are moist, flavoursome and almost healthy. Ahem. They can be flavoured with cinnamon or chocolate, depending on your taste, and a bit of sugar sprinkled on the top creates a slight, sweet crust. Tantalising teaser: expect a future post with a more detailed description of my post-uni adventures in banana muffins. 

A Crime of Fashion: Five trends that need to be arrested

Clearly a terrible idea. 

Everyone knows that fashion is supposed to be a bit obscure; like a hipster’s music taste, the whole point is that only a few understand and recognise genius, while the rest of us are confused. However, while I am generally willing to defer to the experts, there are some popular fashion trends floating down the street and in fancy photo shoots that someone needs to question.

Clear bags

A fascination with the hidden workings of daily objects has a lead to a whole load of transparent merchandise, from clocks to remote controls and even this toaster. However, while watching the cogs turn or the toast brown bright might be considered legitimately interesting, at least for five minutes, providing the same access to the contents of your handbag is asking for trouble. For starters, you’re putting your valuables on display, effectively showing potential thieves the exact net worth of your possessions, and their location, saving them from rooting around and coming up with an old piece of gum stuck to a nail file.

On this note, there’s a reason that handbags have long been considered an intensely private space, into which no one may enter without a stern background check and written permission. Suddenly the old chocolate bar wrappers, hairclips and random pieces of paper that clutter bags everywhere are on display, not to mention anything you would usually shove in a discreet sidepocket. My problem is not a 1950’s-esque need to protect men’s delicate sensibilities, but rather that I don’t feel the need to make the contents of my bag, and by extension my life, public knowledge. On the bright side, you’ll never have to rummage blindly for your keys again, since you and everyone else will be able to spot them, nestled between the tampon, the banana peel and the empty Canesten box.   

Leather

Suddenly a trend formerly reserved for sofas, car seats and Hell’s Angels has become mainstream, with everyone donning chic cow skin creations, or at least cheaper imitations. With the introduction of this fabric into the fashion fold, pretty designs were transformed into something resembling alarming, squeaky bondage gear. Making a leather skater skirt is like building a castle out of marshmallows; both have their place, but mix them together and you’ve got a sticky mess that serves no one’s purpose.

Speaking of sticky, let us consult the faithful guide that can always be relied upon in times of crisis. No, not Google, Friends. Surely anyone who witnessed Ross’s desperate struggle with his leather trousers should have been warned off the demon fabric forever. Granted, a leather jacket can look pretty cool, although there’s still a risk that you’ll end up looking like a Neo-wannabe. Leather may seem like a good idea, but if we’re really honest, cows taste better in burgers than they look as trousers.

Leggings as trousers

Never acceptable, particularly during yoga. Like nose picking and masturbation, if you have to do it, do it in the privacy of your own home. For further ranting on this topic, indulge some shameless self-promotion and see my previous post here.

Flip flops

Undoubtedly the comfort shoe of choice on those special days when the sun makes a tentative appearance, sending temperatures dangerously close to ten degrees, and us palid, sickly-looking ones scurrying to the nearest patch of grass. However, while they may be fine for padding around the pool, walk for more than thirty seconds and the pain begins. The strap digs into your poor, unsuspecting foot, viciously slicing the tender skin between big toe and, er, index toe. In an effort to alleviate the pressure, you instinctively try to grip on to the flimsy fabric with your toes, giving your foot the appearance of a gargoyle’s claw, but in vain. Meanwhile, your ankle is thudding against hard concrete with no support, feeling every slight bump in the pavement like a piece of Lego left on the floor.

Twenty eight minutes later, you’ve arrived at a destination that normally requires a ten minute stroll, with deformed toes, bleeding feet and sore ankles. What’s more, every painful step is accompanied by a sound similar to that of a pancake being thrown against a wall, which, while initially charming, now sounds like a mocking laugh, taunting you for buying into this painful fad. To add insult to injury, you’ve just noticed how pale and extraordinarily hairy your ruined feet are. When you’ve finally hobbled home, the devil shoes go straight in the bin, only for you to spend the rest of summer watching others look blissfully summery with their smug tiny tan line and ventilated feet. Next year rolls around, and you find yourself standing in front of the latest batch, thinking ‘These ones will be different.’ Run far away, while you still can.

Onesies

Effectively a babygro for adults, these monstrosities are possibly the most inexplicably popular trend of all time. In a move that would surely interest Freud, everyone is reverting back to childhood in their search for comforting, all-engulfing warmth. I understand comfort: I have a pair of Ugg-style boots that make Crocs look classy but which fit like a glove, feel like a furry sleeping bag, and were sent straight from heaven via the ugly tree. However, the warmth factor is greatly reduced as an excuse when you realise that upon arriving in the arctic conditions of the bathroom in the dead of a snowy March night, you will have to remove half of your protective layer of clothing in order to get down to business, thereby rendering it not only ugly but pointless.

The only plausible explanation for these creations is that they can feasibly serve as a cheap fancy dress costume. Why spend money on an overpriced wig and an eye patch when you can buy a pirate onesie for the cost of a small Starbucks beverage? Put this little thing called dignity aside, and there’s no reason. Just don’t ever be tempted to wear it beyond your front door.

Film Review: Populaire

Directed by Régis Roinsard

Starring: Romain Duris, Déborah François, Bérénice Bejo

Let’s all forget our unspoken agreement to lie through our teeth in an effort to appear cultured, and admit that if there’s a choice between a subtitled foreign film and one in our native language, the latter will probably win out. It’s not just laziness; subtitles can be problematic from an artistic point of view. Having to constantly read subtitles distracts you from the visuals of the shot, sometimes revealing critical information before the images have had a chance to catch up, and it is often difficult to connect the tone of voice with that big mush of unfathomable words, meaning subtleties of the dialogue go over your head. Ultimately, through no fault of the filmmakers or audience, this disjointed feel means it can be hard to immerse yourself in the world presented by a subtitled foreign film.

Into these reservations blew the trailer for Populaire, showing a well-dressed boss meeting a ditsy secretary with a talent for typing, and promptly entering her into a typing contest. Will-they-won’t-they romance plot? Check. Misfit leading lady waiting to shine? Quirky scenario? Glamorous 1950s period setting? Big, bright, beautiful dresses? Check, check, check, and check. Oh, and Bérénice Bejo from The Artist is in it too. While many film fans will be groaning into their snobbery and horror collections at the thought (hi Matt, thanks for reading), these ingredients compromise everything I would look for in a fun, easy film, and so I overlooked the groaning sensation let loose by my inner heathen at the mention of the S word, and got ready to read.

As the trailer suggests, the plot revolves around Rose Pomphyle (Déborah François), a modern woman trapped in a small French town, who dreams of leaving it all behind to make it big, starting with a job as a secretary. Enter dashing but gruff Louis Échard (Romain Duris), an insurance man who is fed up with always being second best, both in the eyes of his father and of Marie (Bejo), the woman he once loved who went on to marry his best friend. Échard begins training Rose for the typing championships, but the gruelling schedule and their emerging chemistry complicate their feelings about each other and themselves.

So far, so predictable, but there’s more to this romance than meets the eye, and the characters are not simply allowed to fall into each other’s arms in typical Hollywood style. Despite his generosity, Échard is no Prince Charming, often seeming cold and rude, while Rose is alternately sweet, tough and maddeningly selfish. Both undergo some thorough self-examination as they try to tangle out their places in the world, a theme that reflects the mood of the 1958 setting, which sees France caught between the memory of the war and the new generation’s desire for modernity.

And that 1958 setting looks good. The visuals are awash with the glamour that pervades fifties and sixties period films, with the vast difference between Rose’s sleepy town and the vibrant, modern city emphasised by scenes bedecked in candy colours, fancy cars and snappy dressers. Everyone has their hair styled to perfection, make up looking flawless, puffy dresses, sharp suits and big, shiny houses: in other words, everything you would expect from a retro rom com, but transplanted to France and revolving around a typing competition.

It this plot detail that really lifts this film out of the ordinary and means it would be entirely fair to classify Populaire as a sports movie. It employs a fairly standard formula: an underdog with raw talent and ambition to be great undertakes intense instruction from an expert coach in order to try and win a competition. There are training montages that are surprisingly entertaining, mid-competition disasters, and the tension of whether or not victory will be achieved. The quirky twist, of course, is that the sport involved is speed typing. Populaire does for this what Whip It did for roller derby, in that it brings a frequently derided activity and shows a competitive, gutsy, challenging side that requires discipline and skill. Ultimately, it is this sporting plotline, rather than the romance, which drives the narrative of the film, pushing Populaire from an average rom com to a mix of sports film, love story, drama and comedy.

Like those subtitle sceptics, Populaire is not pretentious in its ambitions, offering light-hearted but moving entertainment rather than hard-hitting drama. While the pervasive screen of retro glamour threatens to posit it firmly in the territory of frothy, mindless love story, the quirky premise, sporting plotline and well-developed main characters takes this from run of the mill and make for a charming, whimsical film.