Watching - January 2025

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Ah yes, the iconic BBC production, with Colin Firth and that look. Sure, it has its faults and it's of its time; the sisters are all clearly too old, Julia Sawalha as Lydia in particular; and too many scenes are unbalanced by allowing Alison Steadman free rein to play Mrs Bennet as, essentially, a pantomime dame. Additionally, a washed out and poorly cropped transfer to DVD (and all widescreen broadcasts I've seen) does it no favours at all. Still, it never fails to charm.

Sky High (2005)

Despite being a slightly lowest common denominator choice for the family pizza-n-movie night, this provided plenty of entertainment all round. Plenty of pre-MCU knowing winks to Marvel & DC style - unexpectedly prescient - and comedy, with a wholesome Disney plot. Definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it before.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Watching this adaptation directly after the previous one is very instructive. Visually, there's no competition: the film looks sumptuous and realistic, with Chatsworth standing in for Pemberley (it turns out Mr. Darcy really was that rich) while the TV series looks dated, even factoring in the poor quality versions now available. That said, compared to the detail allowed by six hour-long episodes, the film is like a speedrun through the plot, and I feel that anyone unfamiliar with the storyline would certainly miss the nuances. Nevertheless, this is probably my preferred version now, possibly just because I've over-watched the BBC version!

Abbey Road: If These Walls Could Sing (2022)

A soft-focus, nostalgic look back at the history of the legendary Abbey Road Studios, featuring interviews from a whole host of famous faces. Not really a complete history though, more a  gentle reminisce, but an enjoyable watch nevertheless.

Cool Runnings (1993)

I bought this on DVD finally and so that was an excuse to watch it again. Great fun.

Yes, Minister (series 1, 1980)

Although this looks dated - filmed in a square format, everything beige, wobbly sets and cameras, all classic BBC sitcom-on-a-budget stuff - there is unfortunately no doubt that the subject matter is completely current. Still, it's funny and watchable.

Beatles '64 (2024)

I'm not sure the world needed another Beatles documentary - but at least this was less than two hours rather then the six hour marathon that was Get Back. It does give a glimpse into the eye of the storm, which is interesting, but overall it was a bit dull.

Summer of Soul (2021)

I fancied revisiting this and the musical performances make it worthwhile. What struck me on second viewing is the points that it makes about the segregation in force - formally or otherwise - for black people in 1969, how a massive event like this made the people of Harlem feel, and what it says that it was subsequently completely ignored.