Rachel Robbins
Bio
Writer-Performer based in the North of England. A joyous, flawed mess.
Please read my stories and enjoy. And if you can, please leave a tip. Money raised will be used towards funding a one-woman story-telling, comedy show.
Stories (170)
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The Testaments of Ann Lee and If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You
We are all busy people. Thank you for finding the time in your lives to read my film reviews. I’ve seen two films this week and I’m reviewing them together, in part, to save myself some time. So, let me save you some of that precious resource too and say that they are both good films, with excellent central performances. The Testament of Ann Lee got more stars (4.5) than If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You (3.5) on the spreadsheet I’m keeping for this year’s viewing. This means I would recommend them both, but as time is short for all of us, if you only have time to see one, make it The Testament of Ann Lee. But, for those who want to know more, please read on and you might discover which film would suit you best.
By Rachel Robbins3 days ago in Geeks
No Other Choice (2025). Top Story - February 2026.
It is only February, so other films may well surpass “No Other Choice”, but I think this is the best film I’ve seen so far this year. And that surprises me, because, it is a subtitled film and while I am pretentious enough to choose to watch foreign-language films, I was also very tired and that was an extra commitment from me. But more importantly, let me warn you, this film is gruesome and violent. There were times I had to turn away from the screen to avoid the worst of it (including some self-inflicted dentistry).
By Rachel Robbins25 days ago in Geeks
The History of Sound
The History of Sound is a well-made, beautiful film with fine, touching performances. I defy anyone to disagree with that. It is a film that is difficult to fault. But it is also difficult to love. Ironic given that a central plot line is the difficulty of love for two young men, who should be made for each other.
By Rachel Robbinsabout a month ago in Geeks
Rental Family
Set in modern Tokyo, Rental Family is a drama-comedy following an American actor, Philip (Brendan Fraser) who lands an unusual job working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ company. It is co-written and directed by Japanese actress and director Hikari and is an international co-production between Japan and the US. But here in the UK, the critics hated it. The Guardian described it as ‘mawkish’ and The Independent as ‘treacly’. So, what does it say about me, that I liked it?
By Rachel Robbins2 months ago in Geeks
Hamnet (2025)
Hamnet is an historical drama, directed by Chloe Zhao, adapted from the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell. It is an imagined, fictionalised account of Agnes Hathaway’s life with William Shakespeare, with the action centred on the death of their son from the bubonic plague. It has received critical success and Jessie Buckley recently won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama.
By Rachel Robbins2 months ago in Geeks
What I learned about Vocal Challenges from.... Top Story - January 2026.
The first cinema visit of last year was to see A Complete Unknown, with Timothee Chalamet playing Bob Dylan so well that it became one of my films of the year. It even won The Rachel for best musical biopic.
By Rachel Robbins2 months ago in Writers
The Rachels - 2025. Top Story - December 2025.
Much to my surprise, I have kept a list of the films I‘ve seen this year. I daresay it isn’t complete. There will be films that snuck in on a late night in front of the TV that I would’ve forgotten to note. Or others, that I went to watch at the cinema, but then had a red wine and promptly forgotten about. But it’s not a bad approximation of the films I’ve seen this year. In total, there are 53 films listed, so an average of one a week and one for good luck.
By Rachel Robbins2 months ago in Geeks
Jay Kelly (2025) and Blue Moon (2025). Top Story - December 2025.
As a writer I have been given mountains of advice, solicited and unsolicited. Some of it useful, some to be discarded and some of it contradictory. (Here, I just followed the advice about the "rule of three").
By Rachel Robbins3 months ago in Geeks
