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.

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. 

Watching - September 2025

The Hard Way (1991)

Not a film often mentioned in discussions of Michael J. Fox's career, I think, which is a shame because it's good - not a classic, but deserving of being remembered, at least. He's great as a spoiled brat of a film star (having a tantrum about wanting to be treated like an adult is hilarious) and if there are a few too many trademark Fox pratfalls, well, that's what he does. James Woods is also good as the "real" cop - although of course, it makes you start questioning what he did to get the performance right! Recommended  - I ended up buying a secondhand DVD because it cost about the same as renting it on Prime or whatever.

He Said, She Said (1991)

Another film I remembered fondly, having not seen it for a long, long time (and coincidentally, from the same year). The dual perspectives results in a fun format and one that would stand revisiting today - even though there are plenty of things that date the film, not least some of the sexual politics, the core story holds up. Elizabeth Perkins is particularly good, subtlely changing her performance to suit the two perspectives. Rather sweetly, the two halves were directed by a man and a woman respectively, who later married.

The Trip (2010)

Long before David Tennant and Michael Sheen played fictionalised versions of themselves in Staged, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon did the same in The Trip. And if Tennant and Sheen were willing to come across as overgrown children in the name of comedy, then what's perhaps more remarkable here is that Coogan is prepared to portray himself as a vain, touchy, womanising and ultimately somewhat lonely man. Without the distance that a character with a different name gives, that strikes me as quite brave. I'm not sure it makes for particularly good comedy though; the show is easy to admire but hard to love. Worth watching, though.

The King's Speech (2010)

I first watched this at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh with my long-time colleagues Graham and Richard. We all loved it, but I don't remember being as moved by the ending as I am now for some reason. Perhaps I've become more emotional as I've aged, or possibly I'm just a soppy old git now. Still, it's a lovely film.

Cousins (1989)

One of my long-time favourite films. As is often the case, I find myself agreeing with Roger Ebert's spot-on review; this isn't realistic, but it doesn't matter because it's a touching celebration of love, and because Isabella Rossellini conveys such a convincing range of emotions and sweetness that it's easier to ignore the fact that in real life this whole thing would be a horrible mess.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Good, clean, escapist fun. George Clooney makes it easy looking smooth even when he's obviously doing something slightly questionable.

Ant-Man (2015)

I just fancied something with Paul Rudd in it, as he has a great, everyman quality (similar to John Cusack, I'd say) that makes watching him great fun. Oddly, Ant-Man's director Peyton Reed has compared Rudd's character in this film with Clooney's in Ocean's Eleven, although I only found this out after I'd seen them both!

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Another choice because I hadn't seen it since - well, probably since it came out. Lots of fun action, occasional humour, bad guy gets killed, all that good stuff. Visually amazing of course, and the rate that the MCU was churning films out at this point was incredible, but fairly simple plot-wise. A good watch though.