Reading - December 2024

Space: The Human Story by Tim Peake (2023)

A chatty, informal jaunt through the history of space travel. I don't think much of this is particularly new - I've read quite a bit about the Apollo missions and so the sections on that were somewhat familiar - but it's presented in a very readable style. An ideal introduction to the subject or, indeed, a perfect summary if what you want is a general reader on the subject rather than excruciating detail (I'm looking at you, James R Hansen).

The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth (1983)

Very convincingly detailed but also rather transparently reflective of the author's own views and prejudices. A great yarn nevertheless.

The Maid by Nita Prose (2022)

A nice little murder mystery, featuring a central narrator - the maid - who is presumably autistic (although this is never specifically mentioned). It feels like a cross between Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and the series that presumably all publishers want to duplicate, Richard Osman's record breaking Thursday Murder Club books. Very readable - I finished it in a day, although I was off work with a heavy cold so I wasn't doing much else - and enjoyable.  However, I did feel that the final "twist" wasn't very believable.

How Not to Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh (2023)

I enjoyed this, a female-centred whodunnit/thriller, but found the characters a bit stereotyped.

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (1964)

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (1953)

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie (1962)

They Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie (1952)

Well, there's nothing quite like Agatha Christie for nice comforting murder mysteries, is there? Very often one of my go-tos when I'm not feeling well. All four novels (here from the Miss Marple Omnibus Volume 2) are classic Christie, setting the template for all future writers by making sure it's the least predictable person who dunnit, thereby making it a little bit predictable - but only from the perspective of seventy years later! 

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie (1932)

Miss Marple's Final Cases by Agatha Christie (1979)

All the Miss Marple short stories (collected in a single volume here), but did you notice the incredible time between them? Yet they don't really read any different: Christie and Miss Marple in particular were always caught in a time warp. The stories themselves are nicely condensed, and don't feel too brief.

Marr's Guitars by Johnny Marr (2023)

For some reason it took me ages to get round to reading this, but once I did it only took me an afternoon. It's a sumptuous document of an astonishing collection of guitars but as a book it's a waste of money for me, and I'm not really sure why I bought it. I mean, you've seen one picture of a '58 'burst, you've seen 'em all, right? I'm not going to get to actually play any of these; I might play something similar and then I'll be interested in that. And I'm not sure what motivated Marr to make the book, as he doesn't come across as the type to just do it for the money. Still, nice to get a glimpse into another world!

The Secret Public by Jon Savage (2024)

Blimey, this was hard work. And I really wanted to like it - a history of how gay sub-cultures have informed and bled into mainstream entertainment over the decades is a story worth telling. But this isn't that story, sadly. It feels like Savage wants to be writing an academic tome for future historians to pore over, whereas I think what the subject needs - and certainly what I was hoping for - is a good summary. What we get is a mess of a structure that prevents any kind of clear narrative emerging, and a wealth of unnecessary detail. But none of it is new information and by including too much, the main point of the book - "How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture (1955-1979)", to quote the over-reaching subtitle (it's mostly about gay men and pop music) - is fudged and obscured. I finished it eventually - over two months after I started - out of sheer bloody-mindedness but I'm not sure I should have bothered.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (1998)

I wrote last time I read this about the possible charge of cultural appropriation and I haven't changed my opinion (but then I am a white middle-aged, middle-class male so what do I know). What I'd forgotten is how filled with pathos it is - it's not just a jolly African Miss Marple. Very readable and with a clear, unique voice, which is rare I think. I didn't realise until today though that there are twenty five novels in the series!

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (2000)

The mix of small mysteries, homespun wisdom and little life choices is what makes these, for me anyway. Nothing really bad happens, nothing really major changes - just life moving along at it's usual pace. I don't know if McCall Smith planned these books as a series but in resisting the temptation to stuff each book with a lot of drama, he has given himself all the space to allow a much more appealingly gradual character and plot development. In hindsight, it's a brilliant idea, if the writing and characters are up to it - which they are of course.

Watching - December 2024

Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)

The Herbie films were a staple of my childhood, and I remember my Grandma taking me to see all of them. They were great children's films - silly and fun, and the formula wasn't significantly changed for this reboot, except that it's set in a recognisable world (NASCAR). Mostly brainless fun for an evening when I was feeling ill and needed something completely unchallenging.

Taskmaster (season 1, 2015)

I started (thanks to K) with season 2, so just going back and catching up. It's interesting to see that most of the elements are already in place, with a couple of differences.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Like Men in Black crossed with James Bond, complete with lisping evil villain who has a lair in a hollowed out mountain, but with perhaps even less pretence at realism. Great fun though.

20 Feet From Stardom (2013)

I love the idea of this documentary - finding out about what it's like to be a backing singer for some of the biggest artists - but in practice it was a bit too focussed on about half a dozen well known singers. I say "well known", but it is relative: if you have an interest in 60s music you might have heard of the legendary Darlene Love but otherwise probably not; if you're a Rolling Stones fan you might know that it's Merry Clayton performing the spine-tingling female vocals on "Gimme Shelter" but I'm guessing that 99% of listeners haven't a clue; and if you're into reading album credits you might recognise the name of Lisa Fischer (who sings the most incredible section in the whole film) but I have to admit I didn't, despite her incredible discography. Their stories are fascinating but I would have liked to hear from a wider selection. The sound of black female gospel-rooted backing singers is fundamental to rock music but there's more to it than that, not least from the UK (off the top of my head I can think of Sam Brown, Tessa Niles and Clare Torry, all industry legends). In fairness though, I think the intent of this film was to reclaim the black, female history elements of the music and history, and in this it succeeds.

The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) (2024)

Even if find Taylor Swift's appeal elusive or you're immune to her music (although I'd say you can't call yourself a lover of good pop and not enjoy something like "Cruel Summer" or "Style" - it's like saying you don't like ABBA, you're basically saying you don't actually like music much ... but I digress), I'd recommend you watch this. The sheer spectacle and scale - it's 3½ hours long - precision and commitment is staggering. But the bits I enjoyed most were the glimpses of the crowd. I'm the wrong demographic to get it properly but seeing the effect on the youngsters in the crowd is very moving. A fitting document to an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

Strictly Come Dancing (series 22, 2024)

Obviously I didn't watch this in December only: C and I were there from the beginning of the series (blimey, back in mid-September!) and we didn't just watch the Saturday shows but pretty much all the It Takes Two episodes during the weeks as well. Despite all the routine proclamations from cast, judges etc of this series being the best ever, I'd say it was ... well, about the same as the others. I mean, that's it's appeal, right? The formula is so well bedded-in now and the whole juggernaut runs on rails. I realise it's an immense amount of work by a whole bunch of incredibly talented people behind the scenes but out front it's incredibly consistent and slick and that's what people want, I reckon. Claudia Winkleman is a fantastic presenter (the way she handles moments like this is brilliant) and an ideal antidote to the slightly robotic Tess Daly, Craig is reliably a baddie with a heart of gold, and the dances are pretty spectacular. That said, after all these years I still don't know much about dancing and I have to admit at least 50% of the appeal for me is the eye candy, but it's easy to get swept up in the stories and, god help us, "journeys". For the record, I would have voted for JB if C hadn't used all our votes on Chris (C says, "all lies, he would have voted for Tasha").

The Matrix (1999)

Still a great film, despite the wooden acting in places and, let's be honest, stilted dialog and plot holes.

Phil Collins: Drummer First (2024)

An admirable attempt at a documentary by the YouTube channel Drumeo, featuring the legend that is Phil Collins. Unfortunately it suffers from being too long and, almost fatally, from not being able to feature any of the music being discussed, presumably due to clearance issues and costs. As a result, it drags quite a bit. Collins' health isn't the best these days, sadly, which does show, and actually he doesn't have that much to say. But there's clearly a lot of affection for him behind this, and not just because his son Nic is doing the interviewing. (Drumeo is a really good channel, incidentally.)

Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible (2024)

I never really got into Simple Minds in the their heyday, possibly because U2 were "my band" in the 80s and there was only room for one celtic-inspired "big music" group in my life. But this is an interesting and nicely paced summary of their career, and I can't deny the power of their big hits. Worth watching, and has inspired me to go back and listen to the albums again, which is surely a good result of any music documentary (and as a side note, if you've never listened to "Theme for Great Cities" before, do - it's great).

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

Family Christmas viewing and lots of fun it was. You can't fault the amount of imagination that goes into the Aardman animations (at one point I noticed that Gromit was reading "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woof), and it was never less than entertaining, but it was perhaps a little bit forgettable.

Definitely Maybe (2008)

With K - I meant to just show the first scenes to tempt her into watching the rest some other time, but we ended up staying up late (for me, not for her) and sitting through the whole thing. I was pleased she enjoyed it though!

The Holiday (2006)

'Tis the season ... for a vaguely Christmas-themed sentimental TV movie. Because despite the presence of heavyweight actors like Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Rufus Sewell, and big US stars like Cameron Diaz and (miscast) Jack Black, that is what this feels like. But sweet, entertaining and occasionally moving anyway. A nice way to pass the time.

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

An amusing but slight farce, very much of its time,  lit up by a luminescent performance from Barbra Streisand.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2023)

A surprising choice by the "kids" for a family film night, but an acceptable plot and plenty of jokes kept everyone interested.

Watching - November 2024

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

It's been a long time since I last saw this, sufficiently so for me to have forgotten much of what happens. I'm quite happy rewatching things I do remember, so it was nice to rediscover this - lots of imagination, great animation and a fun plot.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

And of course we can't not watch the sequel. Almost as good as the original, with plenty of good jokes about, well, the internet - and most of all, and the reason I rewatched both of these films,  it contains one of my favourite scenes in a Disney film: she is a princess! ♫ (this is a running family joke)

Casino Royale (2006)

Saturday night viewing with Z, who it turned out hadn't seen a James Bond film before. I had wondered about starting him at or near the very beginning with something like From Russia With Love but decided that for someone raised on modern movie-making, it would just look dull, dated and incredibly slow. Bond films have of course been instrumental in creating the action/thriller genre but I don't think Z is interested in the history! He enjoyed this and - for a change - didn't spot the twist at the end (which is straight from the book as well).

Nobody Wants This (2024)

The central relationship of this sweet romcom - a rabbi and a non-Jewish woman falling in love - is a great way to show Judaism but I also like and appreciate the way that it's never presented as odd or unusual, despite being "other" for, I guess, most of the audience - at least, I hope this isn't only being watched by Jews! The central couple, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, are excellent, affecting and realistic (although Brody's character is perhaps a little too nice - but hey, he's a rabbi!), you really want things to work out - and, no, it's not immediately obvious it will. My enjoyment is slightly offset by the secondary Jewish characters: the controlling mother, the bitchy sister-in-law and the idiotic brother. Even though they are all types I recognise, unfortunately, I'm just not sure I want to see them on screen (this great review from Jessica Radloff articulates a Jewish ambivalence about this really well). Ultimately it didn't spoil the series for me though - the secondary characters got better and, of course, we want to see this end well!

Boybands Forever (2024)

Despite being partial to a bit of Take That (mk. 1) at the time - I sat behind them on a plane once, so me and the lads go way back - boy bands of the 90s and early 2000s weren't really my thing, and in fairness I wasn't exactly the target market either. Nevertheless, as a lover of good pop (hint: not Westlife) I was always aware of the better singles, but I couldn't have told you much about their stories. Going behind the scenes reveals nothing that isn't a surprise, sadly. In summary: the band members were all young and exploited and the managers were all pretty ruthless; and now the boys are all men in their fifties and seem sadder but wiser, whereas the managers are mostly richer and unrepentant. All of the band members come across nicely: reflective of their time in the limelight and the enormous toll it took upon them, and somewhat critical of the men and the process that exploited them. The managers fare less well: not only do they largely still not recognise or acknowledge the duty of care that they held over what were at the time mere teenagers, they're prone to saying things like "they got what they wanted, that's just part of the deal" (thank you Simon Cowell, a lost-in-showbiz tool in shades) - easy to say when you haven't got to deal with constant gross invasion of privacy. But award for arsehole of the month - decade probably - goes to one Paul McMullan, "former tabloid journalist", who in articulating his perceived entitlement to any information he wants about anyone in the public eye, clearly has no morals ("I don't see anything wrong with a honey trap") and demonstrates why tabloid journalists can be such bottom feeding parasites.

Taskmaster (season 3, 2016)

We started watching season 3 with the family but only K and me seem to like it, so now it's the thing we do once a week (ish) together, remotely now of course. This is the second season I've watched, so the initial joy at the silliness of the tasks is slightly past, but that doesn't stop it being very enjoyable all the same. A bit hit and miss, but that's part of the format. Only another fifteen seasons to go!

Reading - November 2024

The Martian by Andy Weir (2013)

I found this at work and thought a gap of two years was enough to re-read it. Enjoyable all over again.

What to do With a Bad Boy by Marie Harte (2014)

I remain somewhat sceptical that men or women talk or behave like this is real life, but ultimately this is a fantasy ... I'm just not sure whose fantasy. I could have done with fewer "oh no it's all gone wrong" moments, as we all know there's a happy ending in sight - it says something when I start checking how many pages are left in order to know how quickly it's going to resolve itself. That said, it was still mostly enjoyable and seems to be written with affection for the characters and the genre.

A Sure Thing by Marie Harte (2016)

I really am reading other books, but they're all a lot longer - and physically heavier - than this lightweight thing. This is the kind of thing I save for before I fall asleep: easy-reading, straight-forward and, you know, nice. Except I probably won't bother with Marie Harte again. I'm sure the "New York Times bestselling author" (it says here) knows her market, and I'm sure domineering alpha males are a common fantasy but this one is basically a bit of arse and to my mind it's no use having a self-confident, heroine if she basically becomes a doormat when the hero smoulders at her. Add in a couple of uncomfortably borderline non-consensual sex scenes and an ending that feels like it occurred when the author hit her word count, and it added up to a book I wasn't sorry to reach the end of.

Watching - October 2024

Arnold (2023)

One remarkable career would be enough, but three is probably unique. But then Schwarzenegger - only four years younger than my father, I was surprised to learn - is a unique person. This short series was obviously going to portray him in a favourable light, but the facts are largely incontestable and astonishing: from multiple world body-building championships to multi-billion dollar movie franchises to two terms as the governor of California. It's hardly a typical career progression. This documentary was interesting and didn't drag at all. Worth a watch!

The Terminator (1985)

Watched with Z, as I thought he'd enjoy a classic. The special effects probably seemed a little cheap at the time - after all, it was quite low budget - but now some look almost comical, certainly to someone raised on Marvel-grade CGI. But the story holds up and even though Z guessed who John Connor's father was within about 30 seconds of him being mentioned (plot twists of old don't work on media-savvy 2020s teens!) he enjoyed the film. As did I, in the first time I've seen it for a long time.

Shooting Fish (1997)

I won't try and claim that Shooting Fish is a lost classic, but it is a bit of a hidden gem in my opinion. I first watched it on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Boston to London, so probably around 1998 or 1999 (but then again, I also remember a scene in it that doesn't appear in the DVD version I now own, so my memory may not be completely reliable - although Wikipedia mentions that the DVD is the shorter US version of the film, so perhaps I'm right). It's a sweet, funny film with a bit of romance and a great soundtrack. Oh, and it has a young Kate Beckinsale in it, looking cute and being smart, which just adds to the charm for me.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

"Arnie month" concludes with Sunday evening cinema with Z, and this sequel was the obvious choice. I was careful not to mention the first twist - that Arnie is the good guy - and, amazingly, Z didn't guess it in nanoseconds like he usually does. He thought the acting was a bit wooden (while acknowledging that, for a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, this would be appropriate) but enjoyed the film. And so did I - a classic.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

One of the most appealing aspects of Inside Out was it's surprising depth - how it simplified but didn't trivialise real feelings and emotions. Although the sequel is just as enjoyable, with plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, it is perhaps a smidge shallower. Puberty doesn't just get suddenly turned on, transforming a cute kid into a moody teenager overnight (an amusing five minute sketch for Harry Enfield perhaps, but that was forty years ago ...) and the emotions don't resolve over a weekend either.

Reading - October 2024

Phew, Eh Readers? by Tom Hibbert, ed. Barney Hoskyns & Jasper Murison-Bowie (2024)

I remember Tom Hibbert's "Who The Hell ..." columns from Q magazine very well - always the first article in the magazine, always an amusing read. But I was surprised to find that the Q house style, which I would have credited to Mark Ellen, is attributed by Ellen himself to Hibbert. Perhaps that accounts for the superlatives thrown around by many of the contributors here, who all seem to have regarded the man with much fondness. Sad to say, though, the pieces collected here don't live up to the picture painted by his friends; they're somewhat superficial and not particularly funny. Ideal for a ten minute diversion in Smash Hits maybe, but there's no evidence of the "master satirist" here. The book's all right but by the end - the painful "Pendennis" columns - I was just counting the pages until I was finished.

How to Handle a Heartbreaker by Marie Harte (2014)

Ruining Mr. Perfect by Marie Harte (2014)

The next two instalments in Marie Harte's McCauley Brothers series are basically the same as the first - but that doesn't matter really. They are very readable, contain relatable and enjoyable characters, and plenty of hot sex scenes. Not that I care about those of course.

All Gone to Look for America by Peter Millar (2009)

The title's slight - deliberate? - misquote of Simon & Garfunkel's gorgeous "America" is one of a few odd factual errors that I noticed (who is "Karin" Carpenter?), each of which have me wondering just slightly about the accuracy of the rest of the book. Which is a shame, because it's an entertaining journey across the rail network of the US. Millar is not writing with the same level of effortless wit or wisdom as Bill Bryson, but kept me interested throughout.

All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Christopher Brookmyre (2006)

Undemanding fantasy fun. I've said before it would make a great film, but I think the biggest issue with it - for studios - is that the main protagonist is a middle-aged woman, which, sadly, even in this day and age, is not considered to be a marketable proposition. Certainly the plot is no more far-fetched than many thrillers.

In Rides Trouble by Julie Ann Walker (2012)

The second book in the Black Knights Inc series leans even more heavily into the thriller aspect, which has two unfortunate side-effects: firstly, it reduces the romance element to a very simple story arc; but secondly, because it does have the necessary romance, the story is stripped of any suspense, since obviously it's going to end happily. A decent read, but I was starting to lose patience by about two-thirds of the way through.

Awkward Situations for Men by Danny Wallace (2010)

I like Danny Wallace's long-form adventures, but this collection of short columns reads like it's probably culled from a newspaper or magazine and is a bit disjointed. Some decent laugh-out-loud moments but overall a bit disappointing.

Watching - September 2024

True Lies (1994)

Something - I don't recall what - reminded me of this and I fancied re-watching it. Still very entertaining.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

I hadn't seen this, which meant that when Z and I watched Deadpool & Wolverine a couple of months ago, he had to explain half of it to me. So we caught up with it one Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed it, there's lots of funny jokes although it gets a bit too meta sometimes - for example, using Domino's luck superpower as an easy get-of-jail-free card (literally) and then saying, "that's such lazy writing" is amusing but still actually lazy.