Watching - May 2023

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Exuberant and fun take on the Shakespeare comedy. I've seen it so many times that some bits do irritate me, but Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh are really good together and it mostly makes up for it. Special mention for me also goes to Michael Keaton, who I think is funny. Too many of the other casting choices are ... odd. But it doesn't spoil the fun.

Soul (2020)

Bought recently to pad out an Amazon order, but I think this is a bargain for a few quid - it's a really good film.

Free Guy (2021)

A bit silly in places but I'm a complete sucker for the ending

You've Got Mail (1998)

Casting around for some easy watching one Sunday, I noticed this and enjoyed it, yet again. I really should watch the original, The Shop Around the Corner, some time. This is sweet but a little forced, and too obviously trying to be a re-run of ...

When Harry Met Sally ... (1989)

Obviously an all-out classic, and unusually for me, one almost entirely without scenes that I now find annoying (which is what normally happens for me when I've seen something too many times) - a sure sign of its quality. (Also today I just found out about When Harry Met Sally 2.)

Reading - May 2023

Heating Up by Stacy Finz (2016)

As formulas go, it's a good one. The characters are mostly believable and sympathetic. Nice bedtime reading.

Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids? by Nige Tassell (2022)

Another "where are they now?" book, like Exit Stage Left from the same year. Despite never having heard the original NME tape (I was a Melody Maker reader, and at the time I was mainly listening to pop), this was an interesting tour of life on the edges of the music industry. A surprising number of those interviewed are still involved in music somehow.

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom (1986)

Having watched this a couple of months ago, I thought it would be interested to read the source novel - in fact, re-read, as I bought this book when I was working the US, so over 20 years ago. It strikes me now as very dated in some respects, and it's kind of hard to see how they got to the film from the original story. It certainly couldn't have been filmed as-is - it's supposed to be comic, I suppose, but mostly it's just ridiculous. Still, a quick read on a Sunday.

Riding High by Stacy Finz (2016)

Another bedtime read, a little less satisfying than previous Nugget outings, and the slight tensions resolve very easily - I mean, we knew they would anyway (who wants unhappy endings? Only weirdos, that's who) but it could have been done a little more believably. Anyway, nice enough.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich (2002)

Apparently not as much of a non-fiction book as you might expect from a book ostensibly telling a true story, but very entertaining nevertheless and based on enough fact to make it interesting. Read because I watched 21 last month, which is even less based on truth.