weekend watchlist: a timely cure for collective cultural amnesia
Plus drone warfare, murder most genteel, and more. (First published May 7th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)
Michael Gambon
Paddington movie review: please look in on this movie, thank you
Adorable. So witty and compassionate and bittersweet and just the right little bit of snarky that you will cry tears of joy from the perfection of it.
Quartet (review)
A lovely film with heartfelt performances from a fantastic cast that focuses on the upsides of getting older…
‘Doctor Who’ thing of the day: Christopher Eccleston’s charity Dalek sketch
It’s part of National Doodle Day, in support of Epilepsy Action, which helps people living with epilepsy. You can text to vote for Eccleston’s sketch (or that of any of the many other celebs who contributed), or bid to buy the originals on eBay…
‘Doctor Who’ thing of the day: Dumbledore as the Ghost of ‘Doctor Who’ Present?
Production started today on the Doctor Who Christmas special, according to a BBC press release, which will also feature some intriguing guest stars: In the grand tradition of Doctor Who Christmas specials, this year the show has once again attracted stellar guest stars as veteran actor Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The Singing Detective) and opera … more…
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (review)
So, is this the fourth Harry Potter movie, or the fifth? It’s the sixth? Really, already? Ah, that’s the one where Harry goes to the magic school, which has yet another new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, right? And Harry fights the evil wizard?
Christmas Carol: The Movie (review)
The voice cast of this animated British kid flick is an Anglophile’s dream: Kate Winslet (Finding Neverland), Michael Gambon (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), Juliet Stevenson (Being Julia), Rhys Ifans (Vanity Fair), Jane Horrocks (Chicken Run). Pity that not a one of them distinguishes him- or herself — the voice performances are so … more…
Gosford Park (review)
Robert Altman’s latest saga is a sprawling yet intimate upstairs/downstairs murder mystery set at a shooting party at an English manor in 1932, a story much concerned with subtle class warfare and how very nasty very proper people can be. But don’t see it for that. See it for the catty gossip, the cheap rich … more…
Longitude (review)
Here’s a three-hour (four, with commercials) movie about clocks: clocks being built, clocks being taken apart, clocks being talked about, clocks being restored. It should be as boring as watching paint dry, but instead it’s a thrilling intellectual adventure about the genius and obsession that drives both scientific discovery and scholarship.
