Reading - December 2025

State of Emergency: Britain, 1970-1974 by Dominic Sandbrook (2010)

It's taken me four months to finish this (and I've read 26 other books during that period); like Sandbrook's previous books in this series, it's fascinating, entertaining and sometimes saddening, but it's not meant as criticism to say that it's also hard work - there's a lot to take in. This instalment is the first one that covers events within my living memory (just), which is what I was most interested in when I started these books. Again, what stands out is the sensation of history repeating itself: for example, change the word "permissiveness" to "political correctness" or "woke" and chapter 11 here could be describing the same reactionary bullshit from the 90s or today. And so unfortunately, one is left with a depressing feeling that no-one learns anything - there are as many people interested igniting fires for personal gain, now, as there were fifty years ago.

Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques (2025)

I discovered Questionable Content in 2022 and have been reading it ever since. There's a comic every weekday, but because each is a four (or so) panel comic telling a tiny part of an overall story, an elapsed year in comics amounts to maybe a couple of weeks in the QC universe. It also makes it a smidge hard to remember what the hell's going on. So I re-read all this year's comics. It's a sweet, amusing and gentle soap opera that has amazingly been going for over twenty years.

Bedlam by Christopher Brookmyre (2013)

Probably my ninth or tenth time of reading what is (clearly) one of my favourite books and at this point, if I'm honest with myself, I'm probably skimming it in places. But I love it and its world, and it's good to go back to something familiar.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

Bedlam and this go together in my mind, being based on very similar concepts. Although I've read this fewer times, it's probably the better book and I'm a bit embarrassed by my first review of it, which was somewhat dismissive. Safe to say that now I think it's brilliant and hugely enjoyable.

Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace (2025)

In her acknowledgements (yes, I really do read them), Hannah Grace says thank you to her readers, for giving her "a chance to try something new". Which is ironic because unlike her previous novels, which were something new (to me at least, possibly because I'm not a teenage girl), this is essentially a completely standard Silhouette romance (or a Hallmark Christmas film, if that's your reference - same thing, basically), albeit slightly longer than their guidelines would allow. That's not to say it's not a good one: I enjoyed it a lot and although the requisite last minute falling out between our heroine and hero felt a little out of proportion, the whole festive season in small-town America is done well.

Watching - December 2025

Taskmaster (season 5, 2018)

Dependably amusing and enjoyable.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

I'd never heard of Mister Roger's Neighborhood until very recently, which is odd given how much US culture gets at least some airing over here. And it's a shame, because although this film is a sweet and affecting story, it relies heavily on being able to evoke the special childhood nostalgia of a beloved TV programme, and without it I feel there's a missing dimension. I can't see Fred Rogers because I don't know him; all I can see is Tom Hanks, dressed like my grandpa and sounding a bit like Forrest Gump sometimes but mostly being a bit weird, really. The film would have been better with a less well-known face, although I suspect without Hanks it wouldn't have been made at all.

Larry Crowne (2011)

You'd think a romcom starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts would be a big hit, or at least better known, but this is neither - nor, really much of a romcom. Sweet enough, but a bit pointless and somewhat implausible. The truest sounding part of the film is, sadly, the beginning, where a middle-aged rank-and-file employee is fired for, basically, being too old, and given some bullshit management crap about why.

Love Always, Santa (2016)

One of the better Hallmark Christmas films I've seen, this wasn't as good as I remembered but just about bore a second viewing and helped pass a quiet afternoon.

Anyone But You (2023)

I can't believe it took me a whole thirty minutes before I realised this was based on Much Ado About Nothing, despite the main characters being called Bea and Ben. In the end it was the random quotes scattered around the set (for example, as a mural or as a book title, a cute touch) that tipped me off. However, I think it could have done with following the original plot a bit better, because although there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, it didn't quite hang together right - there wasn't a clear reason why these two should end up together. Unfortunately I also don't quite buy Glen Powell as a romantic lead: he does sardonic and smug brilliantly but can't quite pull off sincere. Still, enjoyable stuff, and a long way from being the worst film I've watched this month so far.

Palm Springs (2020)

Watching this on Prime again while I have it! Such a great film.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)

And the other thing I always watch on Prime! Still lovely.

The Beatles Anthology (1995/2025)

I remember this series coming out in the nineties, along with the new Beatles tracks "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" (which I thought were disappointing and too obviously produced by Jeff Lynne). So I'm staggered to learn that more time has passed between then and now - 30 years - than had passed at the time between The Beatles breaking up and the original broadcast. Put it another way: when the original series was shown, I was about the same age as George Harrison was when The Beatles broke up (26, incredibly); now, I'm roughly the same age as Ringo Starr was when Anthology was released. I grew up with The Beatles' music in a way that I think is unlikely to have happened for any subsequent generations and in my experience, today's twenty-somethings don't consider them anything special, if they've even heard the music (although I once put this to Mark Lewisohn, Beatles historian extraordinaire, who strongly disagreed, so make of that what you will). So while this freshened up release on Disney+ is a fascinating, vital look into a different world, not just of mind-blowing fame but of other times, it's not going to really be of interest to anyone much younger than me, I suspect. Still, there's clearly enough old farts to make it worth releasing all over again and this old fart enjoyed it.

The Martian (2015)

Just re-read the book, just got Disney+ for the holidays, so a natural choice. A really good film with great visuals and drama.

Strictly Come Dancing (season 23, 2025)

I'm not sure I would have persevered with Strictly if I was watching by myself, but I enjoy the fact that it's a joint watch (mostly just with C these days, of course). So cue the usual selection of people I've never heard of and won't remember past the new year - put into unfortunate perspective this time around by the astonishing array of stellar celebrity fire-power assembled for Traitors earlier in the year. And cue being surprised at who goes out and who ends up being quite good actually. Passes the time nicely enough.

Ready Player One (2018)

I've just started re-reading the book and wanted a more immediate immersion into the world, which this film provides superbly, even if the story is somewhat (albeit necessarily) changed. A great film, huge fun, and the animated CGI sequences still blow my mind (there's a great in-depth article on how they did it - the detail and effort involved is just as incredible as the final result).

Taskmaster (season 6, 2018)

As usual, some great moments, and watching on Netflix without adverts makes each episode feel much shorter. Liza Tarbuck was the surprise to me from this season - all I really know her for is the Radio 2 show she does, which is a bit boring, but she was very funny.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

I like the Knives Out films (even though it takes me about half an hour to adjust to Daniel Craig's accent every time), but this is nearly an hour too long and the actual solution too complicated and too reliant on motives that don't really stand up (although in fairness, no different from the classic era whodunnits, including the several Agatha Christie novels cheekily mentioned at one point). Not sure that the slightly heavy-handed side-swipes at organised religion and politics really belong here either, even though I agree with them. Still, an entertaining enough watch with the kids, but of course easily surpassed by the first of what I hope will be a new series, Forks Out.

Zootropolis (2016)

Watched - as last time - accompanied by family and pizza, albeit this time with a couple of extra friends of kids. Everyone enjoyed it very much. I hope the sequel will be just as good.

Die Hard (1988)

Having just watched this for the first time in decades - just as gripping as I remember - I can now definitely say that this is not a Christmas film, just a film that happens to be (inconsequentially) set at Christmas. And now that's all settled. You're welcome.

12 Dates of Christmas (2011)

Cute Christmas film that served as an alternative to the well-worn usuals (although I have seen it before anyway). And I do like a time loop plot.

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

In which Emma Thompson plays ... Emma Thompson, just like she always does. In this she's no different from many male film stars, from Clint Eastwood to Tom Cruise (and, you could argue, Tom Hanks, although I would disagree - he's very good here). The problem is, it's a character I've seen too many times and the fact that you could transplant her acting - flicks, ticks, looks and all - from something like Love Actually into this (or vice versa) takes away from the impact of the film, for me. Still, despite this, I enjoyed the story, even though it's not historically particularly accurate, neither with respect to the actual relationship between Travers and Disney, nor with the sometimes glaringly obvious modern day phrases. And although I almost gave up about half way through, I was moved at the end.

Not Another Happy Ending (2013)

Small budget Scottish romcom, and the small budget shows, sadly - mostly with the patchy plot. But Karen Gillan is good and it was a passable watch.

Bugsy Malone (1976)

First time seeing this in ages and the first thing that strikes me is, just how good is Jodie Foster? Thirteen years old, and already head and shoulders above everyone else in the film. But that said, the whole thing is fun and engaging, and the occasional wooden performance actually adds to the charm. But for me, it's the songs that are the real star. Great stuff (and fun to introduce it to K too).

High School Musical (2006)

Easy fun viewing for New Year's Eve. The contrast with Bugsy Malone is interesting, because this is also mostly starring kids - only this time, they're mostly 17 and 18, and what a difference it makes in acting ability. A firm family favourite in our house, not even spoiled by having K do the entire performance, from memory, next to me on the sofa.

Watching - November 2025

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

I'd not watched this before for some reason, but it looks to me like a clear attempt to reproduce the success of Harry Potter - and it should have been a slam dunk, right? But Disney only made this and two more, before the rights lapsed, and I can see why - despite being visually impressive, it just lacks a certain spark. Entertaining enough for a Sunday afternoon though.

The Celebrity Traitors (season 1, 2025)

We hadn't watched previous seasons of The Traitors as it didn't seem particularly appealing - a bunch of reality show wannabes arguing with and bitching at each other? No thanks. But the stellar line-up on the celebrity version was too good to miss. And the fact that, firstly, they all sort of know or know of each other, and, secondly, no-one was actually going to win any money, took the sting out of it and made it much more of the game it actually is. And so we were comfortable watching the mild intrigue and whispered discussions, and really enjoyed it. Still don't think we'll bother with the main show though.

The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked (season 1, 2025)

A great follow-up to each episode: just enough extra information from the participants without getting too into the weeds with pointless speculation and repetitive gossip (the contrast between this and the Traitors episodes from the normally excellent The Rest Is Entertainment is notable). The only thing that annoys me is that although it's clearly a very professional TV production - lavish set, lights, multiple cameras etc - they insist on presenting it as if it's a podcast that just happens to be being filmed, hence the annoyingly visible microphones (the ubiquitous podcaster's Shure SM7B), which seems like an odd and unnecessary conceit.

Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight (2025)

I've always loved the Asterix books and so when I came across this on Netflix, I couldn't resist it. The animation is really good, bringing Albert Uderzo's illustrations brilliantly to life and the little jokes are all in place, but brought nicely up to date (my favourite is a character at the end, a story-teller called ... wait for it ... Netflix). The plot's been updated too, not quite as successfully in my opinion, but the whole thing was great fun anyway.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Not my usual sort of thing but a great story. I never really felt like I understood what was going on until near the end, which perhaps was intentional - this is about spying, deception and uncertainty, after all - but I think it left too many gaps and made the whole thing a bit disjointed. But it was still gripping. I'd really like to watch the original BBC series with Alex Guinness but then again, while the film unquestionably shortens some things a bit too much, I suspect seven episodes of very slow 1970s TV might be a bit much.

The Running Man (1987)

I honestly didn't realise that the new version of The Running Man is about to be released until after I'd watched this and I started searching for information. But this original version is an old favourite and I just fancied it. Quite a few liberties are taken with the plot (apparently Schwarzenegger wasn't entirely happy with the way the film turned out) and it's less plausible as a result, whereas the original novel is brutally believable. Still, despite being firmly rooted in the 80s (even though being ostensibly set in 2017, the crowds are all big shoulder pads and hairspray), it's kind of fun. And now I might go and see the new one!

Bank of Dave (2023)

The mood as a feel-good film you can relax into is set immediately with some soothing music, an idyllic local pub and a good old karaoke night - and it doesn't really change after that. So we know everything is going to work out right. I love the story as a fantasy - northern (where people are real, of course) businessman takes on London (where no-one talks to each other) fat-cats and wins. It's no different in basic set up from other bucolic fantasies like Waking Ned, but what's great is that this is, to a surprising extent, a true story. The real story was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary which is on the Burnley Savings and Loan's web site!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 6, 2019)

Nine nine! Very silly in places, and I'm not really a fan of the twists at the end of each season (although at least this one isn't a cliff-hanger) but the mileage they've got out of the characters is great and I don't feel it's tiring yet. Still don't miss Gina at all.

Taskmaster (season 20, 2025)

The number of Taskmaster seasons they crank out is pretty impressive given how much preparation the whole thing must take - I mean, it must be a full time job for Alex Horne (less so for Greg Davies who just has to turn up for a few days). Anyway, this latest season was as amusing as expected; there's always some good laughs in every episode and I really like the little chat section at the beginning between Alex and Greg - I find Alex Horne's persona really funny. Watched mostly virtually with K as part of our weekly catch up, which is a lovely little tradition we've developed.

Taskmaster (season 8, 2019)

Still trying to catch up with K! Can't remember any particular highlights but still very enjoyable. Possibly a bit too long at ten episodes though.

Arena - Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem (2024)

"What was it like in the politically incorrect 90s, daddy?" See full review.

Girlbands Forever (2024)

While British 90s-onwards boy bands tend towards the anodyne (hello Westboyzlifezone), the equivalent girl bands have featured some genuine pop marvels. So it's a bit odd that while Boybands Forever got really quite deep into the dysfunction of the music industry treadmill, this felt rushed, lacking in key players, and generally a little light on detail. Obviously the same themes come up - exploitation, overwork, lack of control, media intrusion - but with oddly less emphasis. There's also good examples of the kind of unpleasant sexism and sexualisation that's (still) added to the girl group's lot: the execrable, idiotic Piers Morgan takes centre stage here, but there's also a clip of Vivienne Westwood, hilariously lacking any self-awareness, criticising the girls for being - wait for it - deliberately pushy and vulgar. But there's nothing of the real dark side of being a woman in the industry: rampant sexual harassment. I can't believe it didn't happen, sadly, so to leave it out completely seems to be avoiding it. And no mention at all of Girls Aloud - genuinely, wtf? Overall, diverting and interesting but too incomplete to be definitive.

Metro-Land (1973)

If asked where I grew up, I sometimes say the home counties and I sometimes say London. But it would probably be the most accurate to say I come from Metroland - for the first eighteen years, my life was almost completely centred around the Metropolitan line. So John Betjeman's classic film about the towns that grew up around it is incredibly nostalgic for me. It's not really a documentary about the area, but a tribute, a mood piece perhaps. For some reason I'd never seen it before, so it was lovely to not only be transported back to the trains I remember but to hear Betjeman's gentle verse over the top.

Cracked Actor (1975)

The classic BBC documentary about David Bowie. For some reason, I've never seen this before, so although I'm reasonably familiar with Bowie's 70s output and personas, I'm coming to this fresh. It's obviously of interest to Bowie fans - seeing him touring Diamond Dogs but starting to develop the Young Americans style and music is fascinating and really points up the connection between the two that hadn't been as obvious to me before. But as a general piece of TV, it must have seemed as bizarre and impenetrable when originally screened as it does now.

Taskmaster (season 9, 2019)

So wait, is three seasons of Taskmaster in one month too many? Easy and entertaining watching, it's a great format, and varied enough that it still doesn't feel like it's wearing thin and therefore I need a break. But I probably should!

Educating Yorkshire (season 2, 2025)

Every episode's introduction starts "Ten years ago, the nation fell in love with a school in Yorkshire ..." - but not us, because we'd never heard of this until I happened to hear it mentioned as "feel-good TV" somewhere and thought it might be something C and I could watch together (most of what I watch is very much not of interest to her). Thankfully that proved to be the case. The series doesn't shy away from discussion of some of the more thorny issues facing secondary school kids these days, but it also keeps them in perspective: most kids are just kids. And so each episode resolves pretty nicely, which some might say is artificial but I'd be inclined to say is actually more realistic, and certainly much easier viewing!

American Made (2017)

A lesser known Tom Cruise film, certainly a lower budget one ("only" $50m). Not actually a true story, but very broadly based on the real life of one Barry Seal. The film paints Seal as a pilot who becomes an involuntary pawn of the CIA, whereas it seems the man himself was a smuggler first and later became an informant (for the DEA) to avoid prosecution - something of a difference. But Cruise can't play a common criminal, he's a hero, right? The film is entertaining but a little disjointed - not unexpected for a film based on real life I guess.

Reading - November 2025

Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre (2007)

I hadn't read this for a while, so it was very enjoyable to come back to it. You might think that a satire of psychics, mediums and other related charlatans, idiots and idiocies would be too obvious - I mean, talk about shooting fish in a barrel - but as Brookmyre points out, the real problem is that belief in this kind of crap persists regardless. So if the satire is a bit heavy-handed occasionally, well, it's nothing these fraudulent con-artists don't deserve, and the plot motors along nicely as always.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (1952)

I'm not certain, but I think this was the first Narnia book I read, and it's definitely the one I re-read the most as a child. Coming back to it now as an adult, decades later, is a slightly odd experience. It's clearly a children's book (duh), somewhat simplistic, unexpectedly episodic (which perhaps is a nice way of saying it doesn't flow particularly well) - and dated too (in fairness, it's 70 years old). But it was a nice read on a Sunday afternoon and I enjoyed experiencing it again.

31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell (2007)

I was a big fan of Lisa Jewell's first six or so books, this and One Hit Wonder in particular, so it's nice to read it again. A nice romcom, with some interesting characters and several intertwined stories as well as the central relationship.

Treachery at Hursley Park House by Claire Gradidge (2021)

A thriller rather than the whodunnit I was initially expecting, enlivened for me by its setting in the very local area. A good balance of plotting and character, with some nice period details, but a slightly unsatisfying ending.

How to Art by Kate Bryan (2025)

The use of "art" as a verb gives me childishness amusement ("blimey, has someone arted in here?" never fails to get the desired eye roll from K) and honestly, it was mostly on the strength of the title that I bought the book. But it's a brilliant tour through the (deliberately) elitist world of art, aimed at someone like me, who would like to view more and own more art but is put off by the pretentiousness and snobbishness around it (even if, to be fair, at least some of this is more my perception than actual fact - we visited an art gallery for the first time the other day and the owner was very nice). I'm not a fan of the illustrations (by David Shrigley) but as Bryan emphasises, that's fine - they're just not my kind of thing. It is nice to have colourful pictures though and overall the book is highly recommended.

Unruly by David Mitchell (2023)

Based on my description of this entertaining run through the the kings and queens of England, C said it sounded like "Horrible Histories for grown ups" and that's a good summary (amusingly, The Times reviewer said the same thing, so C has clearly got an alternative career available). There's plenty I was woefully ignorant of, but it's an easy read and yet Mitchell easily conveys some fairly sophisticated concepts about the notion of monarchy alongside the never-ending soap opera that was and is our royal families.

Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Enjoyably spicy but otherwise a bit teenage-angsty, despite the ostensibly adult, science-based environment it's set in. It's described right at the beginning as "more of an erotic romance" than a rom-com, so I'm not quite sure why some reviewers were so surprised.

Arena - Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem

What was it like in the politically incorrect 90s, daddy?

I remember the 90s! Whew, what a time! When everyone was drunk all day and out all night! When lads were real lads who knew that too much is not enough, and girls were real girls who were a good laugh and didn't take the hump at silly little things - blimey, it's a compliment love! Good times, good times.

Oh no, wait, that's not what it was like. As this entertaining documentary shows, a few immature idiots lucked into the fact that behaving like clowns and writing about it would sell magazines and newspapers, and so the amoral money men funded them. They legitimised loutishness and tried to sell a lifestyle, but it was fundamentally a lie. And if you take "lie" out of "lifestyle" then you're left with "festyl" which sounds a bit like "fester". Which is what the ideas they promoted did to our culture. Yeah, that's right. Cower before my scathing rhetoric.

It's odd how some moments in social history - like the swinging 60s - are used as shorthand for some big cultural reset when it's obvious that despite being widely reported, they are not widely experienced. As Dominic Sandbrook points out in White Heat, his masterful account of the 60s, the majority of people then were too busy trying to get on with their lives to indulge in whatever modern silliness was going on amongst a few over-privileged boys and girls.

And so it is with the new lad era of the mid-90s; I was there, I was exactly the right age and target market, and I duly bought a couple of issues of Loaded (and FHM and Maxim iirc), but even at the time, it was clear that they were hyping up something that was restricted to a relatively small number of people.

What actually happens - in my entirely unqualified opinion - is that these kind of ideas seep gradually into the social consciousness. Despite the tabloids' hypocritical shock horror headlines, they're not actually revealing widespread moral corruption but, ironically, they are normalising behaviours for the future. So did Loaded contribute to the lad culture or just highlight it? Well, both, kind of, in the end. So if it's a bit unfair to blame the writers for subsequent sexism in the media then we also can't excuse them for it either. James Brown, in particular, sounds fed up of being asked about it, because in his mind, that wasn't the main feature of the magazine. But it was present regardless and as Miranda Sawyer points out, it was quite obviously sexist at the time. Trying to excuse it as "of an era" like it was the 16th century or something ("I'm nearly 60," he whines at one point) is disingenuous, at the very least.

Watching this was nostalgic for me and it was nice in a way to be taken back to the days of my twenties, but it can't quite decide whether it's just documenting what happened or exposing the dark underside of the lads' mags. As a result I felt like it kind of fudged any point it was trying to make. But perhaps the producers just wanted us to make our own minds up.

Reading - October 2025

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (2025)

I've been meaning to read an Abby Jimenez novel for a while - she seems to live in the same category as Ali Hazelwood, Emily Henry et al. And I'm pleased I did! I'm not sure if this is typical of her work (this is her latest and she seems to be at the point in her career - several books in - where she might try something a bit different) but it's a really sweet story, although possibly a little more drawn out than I would have liked - although perhaps that means that once our central couple finally work everything out, it's more satisfying. The overall tone reminds me of a good Silhouette romance. Good enough to make me find more.

Bit of a Blur by Alex James (2007)

All I know of Blur is the records, mostly those from the mid-90s when they were inescapable for anyone in the UK, let alone someone who read about and bought albums as much as I did. So the tabloid-level excess and rock'n'roll lifestyle revealed here is something of a surprise to naive old me. It's a mad life, told in a surprisingly matter-of-fact way and if it's hard not feel a little jealous, it's worth remembering that possibly the book focuses less on the downsides of such behaviour. Certainly there's not an awful lot of reflection on the damage caused to other people. Still, a classic of the genre and an incredible story.

A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyre (2001)

Still great!

Taxtopia by The Rebel Accountant (2023)

First off, I think everyone should read this, because it lays out a lot of important information that's perhaps not as widely known as it should be, and in an entertaining and very accessible way. Tax laws are ludicrously over-complicated and heavily weighted in favour of the wealthy. Clearly this is all very unfair and sorely in need of complete reform - although equally obviously no government will ever do so. Is this because actually the situation is deliberately confusing and a sign of how corrupt politicians are? The Rebel Accountant thinks so, and he's in a better position to know than I am, but I'm still unconvinced. As a result of a working life in big corporates and observing big corporate stupidity, I'm a firm believer in Hanlon's Razor and I think that applies here. As such, I don't think the tax laws are the result of a worldwide conspiracy, just decades - centuries - of self-interested idiots.

Watching - October 2025

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Not as funny and irreverent as I remember, but still great fun - the opening title sequence with Groot dancing to ELO is surely one of Marvel's best. The crew meet a "celestial", who can manifest anything into being but chooses to represent himself as a paunchy, aging Kurt Russell for some reason (come on, he could have looked like David Hasselhoff!) and there's some silly sentimental family stuff which doesn't quite hit for me (and I like sentimental), but the film never stops being amazing to watch.

The Trip to Italy (2014)

Another sequel and another example of something that perhaps wasn't quite the equal of the first instalment. The faint elements of plot seem at odds with the overall feel of the series, although it's nice to have characters other than "Rob" and "Steve" to look at. Funny in places but either I'm missing something (there's a number of film references I am not familiar with) or it's just a bit rambling. 

Good Will Hunting (1997)

For a long time, about the only thing I knew about Good Will Hunting is that William Goldman jokingly claimed to have written the whole thing (he was only asked to provide some feedback, as he confirms in his book). The persistent rumour that he did is probably because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck rose without trace to win an Oscar for their first screenplay (Affleck remains the youngest winner of the Best Original Screenplay award) but haven't since really repeated it, becoming film stars instead. Which in fairness is probably more lucrative. Anyway, the film is all right. I felt that the progression through the plot was uneven, some of the dramatic breakdown scenes came somewhat out of nowhere and Matt Damon was decent in the lead role, no more. Robin Williams deserves the accolades for his performance, though, which was (unsurprisingly) more mature and complete.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Impressive but a bit too full of its own importance. See full review.

The Thursday Murder Club (2025)

An enjoyable Sunday afternoon murder mystery, with plenty of opportunity to guess whodunnit (C, watching with me for a change, guessed most of it) and also copious chances to spot the stars in larger or smaller roles. Some of the casting was a bit odd (Pierce Brosnan is not really plausible as a trade unionist - surely Ray Winstone would have been perfect here) but perhaps intended more for entertainment rather than to be taken seriously (I assume that's why Richard E. Grant appeared briefly). Of course the plot was simplified, which made it a little less plausible to my mind. And Bogdan was arrested, which makes you wonder about future films, since he's a big part of the next books.

Love At First Sight (2023)

Fifth time of watching! Still moving and lovely. Special mention this time (which I should have before) for Sally Phillips and Dexter Fletcher, who are both superb.

Paddington in Peru (2024)

It's unfortunate that the film's last words (apart from a brief and pointless end credit scene) are "that's disappointing", as they pretty much sum up the film. It's just trying too hard to capture what was so successful in the previous instalments in the series. We kept watching until the end for some reason, although I am not sure why now.

I Used to be Famous (2022)

Chosen purely on the basis that it was broadly based around music, this turned out to be a sweet coming of age/journey of self-realisation film. I enjoyed the fact that it was mostly set in and around London (although I'm also reading Taxtopia, which makes you wonder how much the decision to base it here was for the tax breaks), for including an autistic main character (played by a neurodivergent actor too) but not overplaying it as a part of the story, and that they used Portishead's fantastic "The Rip" for one of the scenes. The ending was a bit ambiguous though, as we don't find out whether Vince actually turns away from empty success and chooses his new-found community instead.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Implausible, but plausibly so, if that makes any sense. And super stylish - Pierce Brosnan is very good here. Mention this time for the excellent music throughout, culminating with the final scene in the music being sound-tracked by Nina Simone's incredible "Sinnerman". Shame it ended with Sting's so-so cover of "Windmills of your Mind", which didn't match the rest of soundtrack at all.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 5, 2017)

The first thing I have to say is that Gina is absent for the first half of the series, and I honestly didn't even notice until she came back. You could say that's a sign of good writing, but I think it shows that the series doesn't actually need her at all - she's the only main character that is so one-dimensional. Everything else is as good as usual: the Backstreet Boys cold open (episode 17) is an absolute classic, Jake and Amy's relationship develops nicely (spoiler: they get married in the last episode) and Rosa coming out as bisexual is handled nicely, albeit a little heavy-handedly initially. Great stuff.

Knight and Day (2010)

Preposterous nonsense, but Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise are likeable enough together to carry it. Honestly not sure what made me pick it.