"what if" 2014

Very cute little rom com. Daniel Radcliffe is charming, and so is Zoe Kazan. And it is unashamedly set in TORONTO! Not Toronto trying to look like someplace else.

Belatedly, I just want to agree wholeheartedly with this review.

"The Player" 1992

Well, wasn't that something. One thing I really liked was the way we were always kept a little off balance, with all the cameos - you'd see a familiar face, and not know for a second if they were playing themselves, or if they were a character. Hey, look, there's Cher! Hey look, there's Whoopi! Only Whoopi's a detective, while Cher is Cher.

"Charlie Says" 2019

A different look at the Manson family from that we saw earlier the same year from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"'s revenge porn. This film portrays the women involved as victims of abuse, and, gotta say, that might not be the whole story but it's certainly part of it.

I found this a little disconcerting - I was something of a late-stage hippie myself, and saw enough of the power dynamics in some groups to believe that a charismatic and bad person could indeed get someone without a firm sense of self to do almost anything. This movie shook me up a little, cut a little close to the bone.

The weakest aspect of this movie are the performances, wasn't really impressed by anyone. Still worth seeing, though.

"Mr and Mrs Smith" 1941

Alfred Hitchcock, though you'd never know it. The "married" subgenre of romantic comedy, along with films like "The Awful Truth".

I can't imagine what a 2020 young person would think of the terribly silly plot, probably wouldn't be able to make any sense of it at all. Nonetheless, it's charming, and really pretty funny which these things aren't always. Carole Lombard was so wonderful, died far too young in a plane crash in her 30s.

"Only Lovers Left Alive" 2013

An unusual vampire movie, to be sure. I'm usually not crazy about films that are mostly filmed in the dark, but this one is stylish enough that it was more than OK.

"you Can't Take it With You" 1938

About what you'd expect from Capra at this point - heartwarming and pretty darn socialist. the plot is stupid but the house of the eccentric grandpa is really charming.

The Princess Switch (and its sequel)

Not bad for a quasi-Lifetime movie on Netflix. The woman who plays the two female leads is good - and plays three people in the third movie. Good time waster - watched it with my daughter and we enjoyed it

"Little Women" 1994

Very nice version. A few quibbles - once again, the Professor is a little too young and handsome (I think my image of him was set by the illustrations in the edition of the book I had when I was a girl). The relationship between Beth and Mr Laurence is not given any time or weight in this version, and I think that takes away a lot from our feeling for and understanding of Beth - she never really comes to life in this movie. And Susan Sarandon is far too saintly.

Kirsten Dunst does a great job as young Amy. And Winona Rider is a perfect Jo.

"Miracle on 34th Street" 1947

Watched a colourized version of this, not bad. It doesn't take too long before you get used to it.

I think this is my favourite Christmas movie.

"Death on the Nile" 1978

Angela Lansbury steals the show on this one, which is really saying something, when both Maggie Smith and Bette Davis are in the cast.

"Shaun of the Dead" 2004

What a good movie. Something of a Christmas tradition in our family.

I watched that for the first time in years last week. It was as entertaining as I remember. The kids were enjoying trying to work out whodunnit and, as we had to go out before the end, I had to explain how it all worked out, which tested my powers of memory considerably.

Anyhoo, my most recent watch was "Emma" (2020). Obviously, the source material is quite good but I did very much enjoy this.

Casablanca (1942)

Rewatched yesterday after watching it for the first time a couple of months back. Incredibly good movie. I think when you watch a movie from this era and think to yourself, "this wouldn't be done all that differently if it were made today", then you know you're watching an all time great. Felt the same way watching Citizen Kane. Timeless.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 2003

Mixed feelings about this one. Some parts of it are gorgeous, and I understand it's very historically accurate. However, there's a lot of battle and storm and nighttime action where I found it impossible to understand what was going on. Several quite important bits I only realized what I'd been watching by what the characters had to say about them afterwards.

I don't know if this is a failing in me - I am quite bad with action movies - or the movie.

Two for the Road 1967

Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney in a remarkably mature look at a marriage that's not quite on the rocks. Great performances from both of them, and the clothes, the scenery, the cars.... everything is so perfectly of the time and place. Fun and tricky editing jumps back and forth in time and place as we watch them travel through France on five different trips spread out over about fifteen years. Really glad I stumbled on this one, I'd never heard of it.

Just Mercy (2019)

True story of lawyer Bryan Stevenson and death row inmate Walter McMillian that has made me want to read the book of the same name by Stevenson.

Stars Michael B Jordan, who is fast becoming one of my favourite young actors, alongside Jamie Foxx. Well realised movie.

La La Land (2016)

Saw this for the first time at Christmas and have watched it twice more since. The latest being yesterday.

Something about this beautifully shot movie just works for me. Love it.

The opening sequence made the movie for me - on the whole I thought it was good but not great, but loved that opening!

A New Leaf 1971

Astonishingly funny, in a very different way from most comedies. Elaine May wrote, directed and starred, and I'm going to be checking out other movies she wrote and directed. Most of the humour is in the little side business that's going on while the plot is advancing, though the plot's not bad either. The bit with the nightgown is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in a movie, I think.

Superman II (1980)

Ugh! Nowhere near as good as I remembered and nowhere near as good as the original that I watched the week before. Very average in my opinion.

"The World's End" 2013

I thought I'd give this one another try after a podcast I like did a series on all three Cornetto trilogy movies. But no, it just doesn't do it for me. Yes, there are some great bits, but it just doesn't come together. I think I would have liked it better without the aliens, frankly.

Yeah it’s just nowhere near the standard of the other two is it.

Zulu (1964)

Jack Hawkins, Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. I could watch those three all day. This is a great depicted battle with fantastic photography and use of extras to portray the battle. The early portion of the film builds the tension admirably. Just wish a film like this would spend a little bit of time devoted to the opposition forces motivations. Still very good.

Collateral (2004)

I was surprised how old this film now is!

This was a rewatch. Still enjoyed it a lot. Michael Mann shoots a stylish and great looking night time LA. The action peaks and troughs interspersed with dialogue between Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx characters. It’s like a waltz.

Really good film that at 110 minutes doesn’t outstay it’s welcome either.

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Mixed feelings about this one. Good, but a bit heavy on the joke and the embarrassment. I know that ws kind of the point but I grew tired of it fairly quickly. Still, gorgeous on screen rapport between Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant (who is playing his stereotype yet again). Also nice to see Simon Helberg in something other than Big Bang Theory and I can't get enough of Rebecca Ferguson.

Still not sure this was a film that ever needed to be made!