Watching - February 2025

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

The opening scenes and credits of this, set to Propaganda's fantastic "Abuse - Here", are probably one of my favourites ever, and after watching them I can't not finish the film. There's a number of non-sequiturs, occasional over-acting and of course plenty of teen angst but in fairness I have watched it too many times. I still love it though.

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

How do you film something quite so well-formed as the classic play? Well, in my opinion, not by rushing breathlessly from location to needless location, adding unnecessary fantasy and backstory sequences, or including pointless additional sub-plots (although it turns out at least one of these latter is apparently from an earlier version of the play). Nor, for that matter, by making Colin Firth sing. Still, Wilde's genius shines through all the over-dressing.

The Proposal (2009)

Nice easy viewing and (slightly) more nuanced on second viewing than I remembered from last time. I really want to have an epilogue scene though, as it felt like there were a few loose ends that could do with tidying up.

Love At First Sight (2023)

I just love this unassuming romance, it's just so sweet. I might be in danger of having watched it too many times now though.

Roxanne (1987)

My choice of film for Z and I to watch on movie night, and I thought he might enjoy the comedy in this - which he did. And I enjoyed revisiting a film I know very well.

Cars (2006)

Reading Virgin River reminded me that I hadn't seen this for ages. Time was when it was run on heavy rotation by Z so it's not like I don't know every scene, but it was still nice to see it again.

Doc Hollywood (1991)

Having just watched Cars, which has often been accused (sometimes by me) of ripping off the plot from this film, I thought Z should see this too for our film night - and also because I thought he'd enjoy it. And I don't mind watching it again either!

Serendipity (2002)

I can't believe this film is over twenty years old. Not because it looks timeless or anything and obviously the actors look younger than they do now. Actually probably what I'm saying is that I'm getting old - but that doesn't stop me loving the film as a hopelessly romantic fantasy, despite the plot being pure Mills & Boon.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

I think Bob Dylan is overrated, and not just because I'm pretty "meh" about most of his music, which is, of course, just a matter of personal taste. No, it's the mythologising that grates most, started by Dylan himself even before he was famous and perpetuated ever since by lazy journalists. So a film that takes that myth and amplifies it by adding more of its own inaccuracies in the name of "dramatic licence" was obviously going to annoy me immensely.

I was surprised to find then that I actually enjoyed the film a lot. The music is from Dylan's best period and the actors do a very impressive job of reproducing it, while the story carries you along nicely. There are one or two instances of the deathless music biopic clichés ("hey how about we just try this?" <fully formed famous song appears out of nowhere>) but none more than usual.

It's poor that Suze Rotolo's role in Dylan's life is over-simplified (and her name changed), which is problematic, and I think Joan Baez comes across very well despite the part being under-written - but then, it's not a film about Joan, although I'd watch that because I suspect it's a more interesting, albeit less dramatic story. But ultimately the film made me want to go back and listen to the music - of both Bob Dylan and Joan Baez - and so is a success from that point of view.