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.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, et al

Impressive but a bit too full of its own importance

Making biopics must be really hard. Not only do you have to try and carve a coherent beginning, middle and end out of material that almost certainly doesn't have something so convenient, but you have to fit it within about two hours. So above all, credit to everyone here for attempting it and making a set of pretty complex subjects - both Oppenheimer himself and the work he was doing - accessible. I enjoyed the film: the staging was superb, Robert Downey Jr was particularly good, and the switching between different eras was very effective at breaking up a long story. 

That said, unfortunately there's more to complain about. Apparently Christopher Nolan gets final cut on his films, which probably explains why this is about an hour too long. Sure, it's an important subject but Nolan - who wrote, directed and produced and so must also take responsibility for any issues - includes too much detail and loses his way a few times as a result. The contrast with Barbie was of course much remarked upon at the time, and for me the notable difference is not just in tone but the fact that both films are making serious points but only one wants to beat you into submission with them (which was also the one that won all the awards - I'll let you draw your own conclusions about that).

Minor gripes: I thought Cillian Murphy was a bit one-note, I could have done without Kenneth Branagh popping up yet again (as before, he's too recognisable and unbalances his scenes), and Tom Conti was apparently reprising his cod-Greek accent from Shirley Valentine. And did Florence Pugh really need to be naked for most of her scenes? It was completely out of place (and don't tell me someone as capable as Christopher Nolan couldn't have achieved exactly the same effect without it, particularly given an actor of her calibre).

But still, an admirable achievement and I'm pleased I finally watched it - even though I'm unlikely to bother again.