Film Round-Up 2015

It's been a pretty good year for film, yet again.

As I seem to have spent the majority of 2015 in the cinema, it seemed only appropriate to pull together a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly released in the U.K. in 2015.

I think I've covered everything, from my top 10 films of the year to mini-awards for 'The Film That Made the Best Over-Dramatic Use of a Waterfall'; 'The Film That I Wish I Could Experience For The First Time All Over Again' and 'The Film That Blew My Mind (and not at all in a good way)'.

I hope that these lists will provide you with inspiration for a cinema trip over the next few days, or give you some ideas for hidden gems to look for on Netflix and Sky Movies when they arrive next year. Make yourself a cup of tea: it's a long post!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 79

Well, Christmas was fun!

Gingerbread Biscoff Cake

As it's probably clear from all of my baking posts: I'm really scared of taking risks in the kitchen. I know what I'm good at - and what I'm comfortable making - and generally stick to it. Yes, I'll branch out on the odd occasion (Technical Thursdays are definitely the exception and not the rule!), but on the whole I have a very narrow repertoire.

I don't quite know why I did it, but when my turn came to provide a cake for Cake Club at work, I decided to take a chance on a recipe I'd stumbled across on the BBC Good Food website instead of sticking to something I was confident with. It ended up being one of the best cakes I've ever made, sparked a bizarre debate on the score (Cake Club is very serious, and there was a lot of discussion as to whether it was a 9.8 or a 10, but I'd have been delighted with either!) and I knew I had to make it again the following week so my family would have the opportunity to try it.

Behold, the Gingerbread Biscoff Cake: a three layered monster of light gingerbread sponge and decadent caramel biscuit cream cheese icing. It. Is. Amazing.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 78

I love Christmas.

The Ciné File Vol. 38

It's been an awfully long time since my last set of film reviews for The Ciné File, so this is a pretty long one I'm afraid!

Instead of full reviews I've grouped films together by their defining characteristics - be them strong central performances, cinematography or set design, for example - and made a brief comment on each. I felt that'd be much better than a never-ending list of reviews!

From Brooklyn to Burnt, The Intern to The Program, Anomalisa to Bridge of Spies, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Sicario I've seen a wide range of films over the last few months: so much so that it's pretty helpful to have them all finally written down!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 77

Buddy the Elf, what's your favourite colour?

Coming Soon: December 2015

How on earth is it December already?!

It's a funny month for film: we may be in prime territory for awards worthy films but as everyone's excited for Christmas and probably spending the majority of the month watching Elf on repeat, frantically doing last minute shopping, and indulging in Netflix binges indoors with a mince pie rather than heading to the cinema, the recently released films are a bit of a mixed bag.

Christmas films are in abundance, from the comedy-horror Krampus, to multi-generational family caper Christmas with the Coopers, to festive lad's night out The Night Before. I haven't seen Krampus - I still refuse to watch horror films - but I can say that although the other two are wholly unremarkable and will be forgotten as soon as the season ends, they're perfect if you've not quite embraced the festive spirit yet and need a nudge towards finding your Christmas jumper, decorating your tree, and singing Christmas songs extremely loudly in the car on your way to work (surely it's not just me that does that?!).

Angelina Jolie makes her bid for a spot in the awards conversation with By The Sea, written, produced and directed by her, filmed on her honeymoon and starring her and her husband Brad Pitt as a troubled couple. Unfortunately it's been met with mixed reviews so far, just like Ron Howard's epic In the Heart of the Sea. It's not all serious dramas though: Lily Tomlin is making waves in Grandma, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play warring fathers in Daddy's Home and the unrivalled duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler retain their crowns as the Queens of Comedy with Sisters. It's a hysterically funny film, with a scene featuring a misplaced ballerina figurine that made me cry laughing.

Oh, and there's a new Star Wars film out, not that anyone's noticed at this stage...

Transformation Tuesday: Week 76

I think I like Slimming World.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 75

This week went well.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 74

As expected: I don't have too much to report this week, and that's a really good thing.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 73

In an effort to be significantly less boring than normal, I made a decision yesterday with regards to weight loss. Woop woop!

Coming Soon: November 2015

It's official: awards season is upon us. Brace yourself for the constant talk of Oscar winners, potential snubs, controversial campaigning and press tours that seem to last a decade...

Kicking off the month is the beautiful romantic drama Brooklyn. I saw it twice before it hit cinemas (thanks to the London Film Festival and a Times+ preview screening) and plan on seeing it again at the weekend: it's a truly lovely, funny and genuinely heartwarming film, and leading lady Saoirse Ronan deserves all of the praise - and future nominations - that are coming her way. Michael Fassbender shines in the electrifying Steve Jobs, and the eponymous biopic of the Apple founder boasts an astonishingly good script from Aaron Sorkin that ensures all 122 minutes race along with an enormous amount of sharp, cutting dialogue. The awards contenders don't stop there: later in the month Jonny Depp's comeback performance as notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass finally arrives, and while it's a pretty disappointing and largely messy film it's hard not to appreciate how intense Depp is as the violent crime kingpin. Steven Spielberg reunites with Tom Hanks in Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies, but from what I've read Mark Rylance is most impressive as the captured Soviet spy and could be a serious contender in the Supporting Actor categories. Finally, Carol - the achingly good 1950s romance that's been making waves at virtually every festival it's been featured at - is released. It's been met with widespread critical acclaim thus far, and while Rooney Mara won Best Actress at Cannes she'll be campaigning in the supporting category this season, leaving Lead Actress open for co-star Cate Blanchett. The trailer looks wonderful, and I think it's safe to say that this is one to mark in your calendars.

November also boasts a number of fascinating looking documentaries. Malala Yousafzai isn't given the film she deserves with He Named Me Malala, but it makes for interesting and vital viewing all the same. A Death Row inmate tells his story in The Fear of 13; the war in Afghanistan is told through the eyes of the Afghans living through it in Tell Spring Not to Come This Year; and Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans depicts the esteemed actor's attempts to make a movie about the 24-hour car race at Le Mans. Furthermore, What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy delves into lives of two men whose fathers were indicted as war criminals for their roles in World War II.

If documentaries and series dramas aren't really your thing then there's the Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse; horror The Hallows; disgraced rockstar chef comeback narrative in Burnt; Maggie Smith's turn as The Lady in the Van; and Pixar adventure The Good Dinosaur. Plus, concluding the ridiculously popular young adult series is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, with Katniss and co. going out with a bang.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 72

I am rapidly becoming the most boring person on Earth.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 71

This week's proved to be another difficult one to write about, mainly because there really isn't much to say...

Halloween Rocky Roooooad

Halloween has crept up fast this year, and as I've been pretty busy this week any attempts at difficult, impressive or bonkers themed bakes has unfortunately had to go out of the window. However, I wasn't willing to let the day pass unnoticed, so I had a rummage around in my hampers of ingredients and came up with this deliciously simple and insanely quick to make variation of a family favourite, Rocky Road.

These chocolatey-marshmallowy bites are significantly more treat than trick, and are the perfect homemade addition to any Halloween celebrations (particularly if you're strapped for time tomorrow!).

Transformation Tuesday: Week 70

It's a bit of an odd one this week. Life is ticking along, and as I said last week I've started looking into having a helping hand with this whole transformation.

My first port of call was a visit to a dietician this week, and it was honestly one of the most pointless and disheartening decisions I've ever made. Be warned, it's a bit of a lengthy post...

Transformation Tuesday: Week 69

I miss therapy.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Raspberry Millefeuille

How quickly have these 10 weeks gone?!

I can't believe that the Great British Bake Off is actually over, and by extension that I've survived 10 Technical Challenges (I'm counting the pitta breads in that as even though I didn't blog about them I did make them, promise!). I'm beyond thrilled that Nadiya stormed to victory in the tent - even though I'm a little bit in love with Tamal - and I loved that the final challenge tested the bakers on a skill they'd all struggled with previously: pastry.

Under normal circumstances I'm not too bad at making pastry, but this challenge had me wrapped in knots... For some reason it all fell apart slightly and I had to make my rough puff twice, plus it all went a little wrong in the oven (melted butter everywhere: such a disaster!). Somehow I managed to pull it back with the presentation, and when the time came for people to try them all previous panic was forgotten as they tasted incredible. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to pull this off, but these Raspberry Millefeuille were pretty spectacular indeed!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 68

Life is good. Woop woop!

Technical Thursday: Mary's Hot Chocolate Soufflé

Well last night was a little exciting, wasn't it?! I've been routing for Nadiya for weeks so was predictably thrilled with the results (although not overwhelmed with excitement about having to attempt pesky raspberry millefeuille at the weekend...).

In a stark contrast to the up-coming Technical, last week's chocolate challenge was largely stress-free, fuss-free and unobtainable-fancy-ingredients-free. Aside from a slight faff finding the right dish, Mary's Hot Chocolate Soufflé was a definite success. In true semi-final style it was a recipe none of the bakers had attempted before - me included - but after carefully reading the instructions and working through them slowly and methodically it all came together pretty smoothly indeed. There was no panicking, no swearing in vain at my KitchenAid, and no frantic restarts of the whole process from the beginning. It all sort of slotted into place, and while the end result isn't half as neat as I would have liked, I'm pretty proud of my first ever soufflé!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 67

I have plans! Well, sort of...

Coming Soon: October 2015

To say there's a varied selection of films hitting cinemas this October as the transition to awards season continues would be a bit of an understatement...

The month kicks off with The Intern, the charming tale of unexpected friendship between high-flying business woman Anne Hathaway and Robert de Niro, her 70-year-old intern. I saw it last week and it's as heart-warming and full of immaculately dressed Pinterest-worthy sets as every other Nancy Meyer film... Visionary director Guillermo del Toro scares the bejesus out of the world with classic horror Crimson Peak: the trailer looks terrifying (I wish I hadn't seen it!) so horror fans should be extremely pleased! The latest origin story of Peter Pan - the imaginatively named Pan - has been met with mixed reviews, but the giant CGI crocodile and Hugh Jackman's dodgy facial hair are more than enough to make it look vaguely intriguing. Plus, documentaries are having a moment, with The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution and Listen To Me Marlon screening towards the end of the month.

Then there's the more serious awards contenders. Since premiering at Cannes in the summer tense thriller Sicario has been collecting universal praise and has often been dubbed with the title 'film of the year'. Macbeth - which I saw this past weekend - is an absolute triumph and an example of masterful film-making: it's brutal, visceral and has astonishing central performances from Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Furthermore, there's Lance Armstrong doping film, The Program;  vitally important feminist film chronicling the early fight for votes for women Suffragette; and bonkers dystopian film The Lobster, about a world where single people have 45 days to find a romantic partner before they are transformed into animals and sent off into the woods. Finally, the true story of Frenchman Philippe Petit's dream to walk the void between the Twin Towers in The Walk has had everyone talking recently. Apparently people were sick in press screenings from vertigo, so if you're not a fan of heights then maybe give the IMAX 3D option a miss!

Oh, and 007's back, not that anyone's really noticed!

The Ciné File Vol. 37

As far as The Ciné File goes, August and September were clearly a total right off.

While I may not have had time to write about every film I saw I did manage to fit in multiple cinema trips (obviously), really putting my Cineworld Unlimited card to good use and finally discovering the joys of my local Curzon. There are too many films for me to go back and review in full - sadly there just aren't enough hours in the day - but as I've been making a note of star ratings after each film in my phone I thought it might be best to assemble them all in a quick post.

A number of these films from August/the start of September are no longer widely available in cinemas, but they may have a second wave in the coming weeks (places like the Prince Charles Cinema in London are excellent for this), or might still have odd random showings in the middle of the day. As such, I've included trailers so if you see something you like then go seek it out! If you can catch the likes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., 45 Years and Straight Outta Compton then I'd seriously recommend it: the downloads/DVD releases seem too far away and they absolutely deserve to be seen!

Technical Thursday: Mary's Mokatines

These were awful: so truly awful that I will happily never make a Mokatine ever again.

I hate to blame the recipe, but there were more holes in it than a sieve. The official recipe from the BBC Food website - where I download them every week - had dodgy quantities, vague instructions and the method was so full of grammatical errors that it seemed apparent that no-one had thought to proof read it before publishing. I think it's meant to be a variation of the Mokatines in Mary Berry's Baking Bible, but I couldn't make much sense of either one. It could just be me, but it was a nightmare!

I suppose it didn't help that I was on a time limit this weekend so really could have done with it going a lot smoother than it did. For the first time it felt almost like a real Technical Challenge and I hated it! Obviously I had a lot longer on the clock than the bakers to account for photographing/tidying up etc. but it was still ridiculously stressful!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 66

Another week, another seven days of faffing...

Technical Thursday: Mary's Tennis Cake

It seemed rather fitting this week to be making Mary Berry's Tennis Cake while Andy Murray stormed into the final of the Davis Cup at the weekend. The amount of time I spent waiting for the sponge to cool allowed for plenty of time to watch the tennis, and it really helped to calm my annoyance at how stupidly long this cake took to make.

I felt it was a bizarre bake given how largely uncomplicated and boring it was at this stage of the competition, but at least it fell at a topical time! Plus, it looks pretty and tastes divine, so I can't really complain...

Transformation Tuesday: Week 65

I can't seem to get my head back in the game at the moment.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Flaounes

Another episode of Bake Off, another opportunity to make a recipe I've never heard of and have absolutely no clue how to pronounce... Pastry week saw the bakers tackle Paul Hollywood's Flaounes - Cypriot cheese-filled pastries flavoured with a mix of decidedly difficult to find Greek spices.

This week really confirmed for me that I'm going to have to become creative with these Technical Challenges in order to actually make the best version of them I possibly can. The previous episode called for Gluten Free-Pitta, but even after searching in multiple health-food shops and enormous supermarkets several crucial ingredients either eluded me (Nigella seeds were a mystery despite now being readily available in both my local Tesco and Waitrose) or were way too expensive (Psyllium powder in Holland & Barrett cost around £15 and I only needed to use a tenth of the pouch). As a result I decided not to make them, instead going for normal pitta. A work trip meant that I didn't have time to blog my results last Thursday but needless to say they were a success. However, they weren't exactly within the specific remits of the challenge.

Thus from now on I've decided to definitely alter the recipes so that I can feasibly complete them and simultaneously not use up all my savings in the process. This will mean finding alternative ingredients when others are too expensive/impossible to locate and essentially making do. Hopefully this will work out well!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 64

For me, there's nothing worse than the feeling of total helplessness and overwhelming panic that my head seems to default to whenever I start to minutely veer off track. It doesn't take much to make me believe that I'm going to drown in my head and that there's no conceivable way out of the abyss - it's my fault that I feel like this (I've failed again) and I deserve to suffer. However, as awful as I felt last week in the throes of a complete meltdown, I think I needed it in order to push my head back in the right direction.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 63

I don't really know how to approach writing about this week.

I've had much better weeks in the past that have really concerned people when I've written about them, so I'm a little uncomfortable going into too much detail about the current state of my head for fear of unnecessarily worrying anyone...

Coming Soon: September 2015

It's September (how?!): the month of transitions and new stationary. Summer is (almost) over, leaving behind the bland remakes, superhero movies and epic action blockbusters that seem to have characterised the last few months. In their place are Sundance hits and IMAX extravaganzas: the sorts of films that bridge the gap between the pure entertainment of the summer and the upcoming seriousness of awards season.

Achieving the perfect blend of charm, humour and emotion this month is Sundance darling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, opening today. I was lucky enough to see a preview screening last week and spent the first half of the film laughing and the final twenty minutes ugly crying with mascara running down my face. It's sweet, tender and will hit you right in the feels: it should be at the top of your September film list! Offsetting that this weekend is stoner comedy American Ultra, reboot of the Transporter franchise - sadly without Jason Statham - The Transporter Refuelled, Meryl Streep's ageing rockstar movie Ricki and the Flash, and tense thriller No Escape. September kicks off with a pretty diverse selection of films, so there's definitely something for everyone!

Other notable movies this month include Woody Allen's latest creation featuring Emma Stone and Joaquin Pheonix, Irrational Man; Bill Bryson comedy A Walk In the Woods; and Tom Hardy seeing double as the Kray twins in Legend. Towards the end of the month there are a number of critically acclaimed films: Oscar-nominated Estonian war drama Tangerines, eviction drama starring Andrew Garfield 99 Homes, and the based-on-a-true-story Captive.

Plus, there are the IMAX epics of Everest and The Martian, both of which look like they should be seen on the biggest screen possible! As ever, click below for trailers and synopsis of the best films hitting U.K. cinemas this month...

Technical Thursday: Mary's Spanische Windtorte

I've made meringue a couple of times before, and each time I've ended up with a brown, dry mess that I've had to jazz up with sprinkles or crush into a pudding to disguise the fact that it's a total disaster. Therefore, when this Technical Challenge was revealed it's probably understandable that I panicked slightly! It had the potential to go extremely wrong, but luckily for me it did the exact opposite! (If it's not already obvious, I am beyond thrilled about this!)

I'm not sure if it's my new oven or if I've finally mastered meringue, but either way this ended up being one of the prettiest challenges to date, and one that's really surprised me. Mary's delicate layers of French and Swiss meringue filled with a strawberry/raspberry/cream centre were basically heaven on a cake stand. *insert heart-eyed emoji here*

Transformation Tuesday: Week 62

This week I completed Cycle 1 of the 90 Day SSS, and to say I have mixed feelings about it would be a bit of an understatement.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Baguettes

If I was on The Great British Bake Off, last week would undoubtedly have been my last in the tent. Bread really is my nemesis, and Paul Hollywood's Baguettes almost defeated me this week. After two days in the kitchen I emerged downtrodden, baffled and quite frankly bored with the whole process.

And, to add insult to injury I was left with 8 loaves of ciabatta that looked nothing like the intended baguettes. What a disaster.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 61

From a blogging point of view I really dread these weeks  - the ones when everything plods along as normal - as such uneventful weeks really do translate to horrendously boring posts.

Apologies in advance...

Technical Thursday: Paul's Arlettes

Last week was biscuit week on The Great British Bake Off, and the weekend in the tent was bookended by variations of biscotti in the Signature Bake and intricate biscuit boxes in the Showstopper. In the middle though, was the humble Technical Challenge where the bakers were tasked with creating 8 of Paul Hollywood's Arlettes - "classic" French wafer-thin cinnamon biscuits.

I thought this would be particularly tricky as I really don't have the patience for waiting for dough to chill in the fridge repeatedly, but it ended up being reminiscent of last year's Schichttorte - lots of relatively easy steps that lead to a striking yet simple bake.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 60

Surprisingly (not really) I’ve continued to take to Cycle 1 extremely well, and have continued in the same manner as last weeks post… Who am I?!

Technical Thursday: Mary's Frosted Walnut Cake

Guess what's back...

Technical Thursday, woop woop!

Admittedly, it's not half as original this time around as everybody in Britain seems to be doing exactly the same thing and baking along with the new series of The Great British Bake Off too... I don't mind though: I think it's fantastic that baking has become so popular!

I love the Technical Challenges, and I'm hoping this series has just as many bizarre, fiendishly difficult and beautiful concoctions as the last. I'm definitely a better baker because of my previous attempt at these, so fingers crossed the coming months provide even more of an education into all things bread, pastry, biscuits, cake and everything in between.

So, without further ado: here's my version of the very first Technical Challenge of the series, Mary Berry's Frosted Walnut Cake.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 59

Now I have the first week of The Body Coach's 90 Day SSS plan under my belt, I think I can admit that I'm feeling pretty fantastic about it all. What is happening?!

The Ciné File Vol. 36

After an unexpectedly long absence, The Ciné File is back! Woop woop!

As it's been nearly a month, reviewing absolutely everything I'd seen would make for a pretty lengthy post, so instead I'm just sticking to films currently in cinemas this week. Plus, as life seems to be constantly getting the better of me, The Ciné File is going to be a little different from now on... all will be explained below!

The films reviewed this week are:

Ant-Man (4*) // Self-Less (2*) // Eden (4*) // Slow West (3*) // Southpaw (3*) // Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (5*) // Fantastic Four (2*)

Transformation Tuesday: Week 58

This week went well!

I'm now officially no longer doing LighterLife, and I've started The Body Coach's 90 Day SSS. If that's not progress then I don't know what is!

Coming Soon: August 2015

Summer - if you can even call it that: the north is freezing - is in full swing, and with it comes a slew of blockbusters, quirky indie films and yet another nail in the coffin of Adam Sandler's career... Whether the cinema is the ideal place to hide from the heat or take solace from the rain, it's definitely the place to be this August!

Continuing with this bizarre new tradition of unnecessary reboots, Fantastic Four hits screens next week with a stellar new cast; the Griswolds go on holiday yet again even though I think at this stage everyone wishes they wouldn't in Vacation; and Guy Ritchie brings the Cold War back with a stylish and action-packed remake of the classic 1960s espionage series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

However, all is not lost as August also offers a number of brilliant original films (hooray!). In a controversial twist, The Diary of a Teenage Girl was granted an 18 rating last week by the BBFC, thus alienating the majority of its intended audience. It's been met with widespread critical acclaim, so if you're lucky enough to be over the age limit then it looks like it's well worth a watch. Two fearless American comediennes steal the spotlight this month, writing and starring in vastly different yet equally unmissable movies: Greta Gerwig in Mistress America and Amy Schumer in Trainwreck. Then there's the latest John Green young adult adaptation featuring model of the moment Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns; and the birth of NWA in Straight Outta Compton.

Plus, most excitingly, 45 Years is released both in cinemas and on demand. The moving martial drama won Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay the Silver Bears for Best Actress and Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, and with an overwhelming positive reception it's safe to say that it's the must-watch film of the month.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 57

I said I'd have news to share this week, and I wasn't lying!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 56

I know I said I'd have news to share about future plans this week, but unfortunately that's not the case...

Instead, let's talk about exercise, and how I'm now obsessed with podcasts about film. Yay!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 55

In many ways, I feel like this week has heralded the start of a massive turning point.

The Ciné File Vol. 35

Only two films reviewed this week as life is really getting in the way of my regular film watching habits, but hopefully once I'm in a routine normal service can resume!

For now though, I have 1* for the disappointingly bad Terminator Genisys and 4* for the return of the Kings of Tampa in Magic Mike XXL.

With so many amazing films out in July I'm really hoping for many more cinema trips over the coming weeks!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 54

I've rewritten and deliberated over how to start this post for what feels like hours, mainly because following on from last week is a task and a half to say the least.

Week 53 ended up being more or less the same length as War and Peace, and while I'm extraordinarily glad to have both wrapped everything up and vaguely outlined a new plan of attack, it's sadly not left too much to say today.

There is something - don't fear! - but it's not as revelatory! I'm back in a routine and it's business as usual, except I'm ploughing ahead with more motivation and positivity than I know quite what to do with.

Coming Soon: July 2015

It's Sunday, which means I should technically be uploading the latest bunch of film reviews for The Ciné File, but as I've only seen Terminator Genisys this week (and it's so bad it's not exactly going to be a long review...) a round-up of the best films to see in July seemed more appropriate.

July (July! It was March a few days ago!) is a month of summer blockbusters, from an unnecessary reboot of the Terminator franchise; to the latest Marvel superhero to hit the big screen, Ant-Man; to another dose of high octane Tom Cruise action in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. It's also a month of sequels, with the return of the Thunder Buddies in Ted 2, and six-packs and stripping galore in Magic Mike XXL.

From the wildly entertaining to the critically acclaimed, there's also the Sundance success Dear White People; the hotly anticipated Amy Winehouse documentary, Amy, from the director of Senna; Jake Gyllenhaal beefs up in gritty boxing drama Southpaw; and Pixar hits another home run with the highly intelligent, funny and ultimately touching cerebral tale, Inside Out. I saw a preview a few weeks ago and it's fully deserving of 5*, so if you only see one film this month then make it this one!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 53

Here it is: the big one!

53 weekly blog posts, 12 months (to the day) of hard work, and over 70lbs gone.

Brace yourselves: it's a biggun'...

Wimbledon Cake

To mark the return of Wimbledon today I figured a spot of baking was in order, and there's nothing more on theme than a Mary Berry Wimbledon Cake. I've wanted to try making it for ages but refused to let myself even assemble the ingredients before the championships began!

This orange-infused semolina sponge is sandwiched together with whipped cream, sliced strawberries and passion fruit, and is the perfect accompaniment to the tennis over the next fortnight.