As it's been Pride month I have been rewatching a few old favourites - so starting this month’s roundup with some suggestions:
Heated Rivalry - award winning, classy, complex romance set in a toxic environment. Crafted as if it was a 6 hour movie, with fabulous writing, cinematography, soundtrack and performances which absolutely deliver on its carefully structured story arc. It chucks the traditional male gaze out the window in the beautifully shot intimate scenes, and if episode 5 doesn't have you standing on your sofa cheering, there is something wrong with you*. You do need to put your phone away though, trust that the first few episodes are worth the later payoff, and properly watch, otherwise you will miss so many of the subtle layers (s
eries, streaming on Sky/NowTV)
All of Us Strangers - A reworking of a Japanese novel, this atmospheric thriller/ghost story/romance explores grief and loneliness alongside all sorts of love between families and lovers. If you have ever wanted to talk to someone who is no longer with us it will have you in bits. Absolutely gorgeous
(Film, streaming on Disney+ and Prime)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - A historical romance full of lyricism and longing. Marianne is having her portrait painted by Heloise so that she can be married off. Things don't go to plan as the women find that they have other desires. Most of this movie looks like a gorgeous painting in itself, and each time I watch it I admire it more (
Film, streaming on ITVx)
Pride - an inspiring true story about how the miners and gay community combined forces in the 1980s in the midst of strikes and the AIDS epidemic. A worthwhile reminder of what the 'old days' used to be like. And it wasn't all cosy families and jolly neighbourhoods (
Film, streaming on Netflix)
Heartstopper - A long term favourite of mine, this sweet and rose tinted story of young love is full of whimsy, but has a tough underbelly, dealing with mental health issues and homophobia, abusive parents and transphobia alongside all of the loveliness. Amazingly, none of that detracts from the joy. It made stars of its young leads Kit Connor and Joe Locke, and each series leaves me with a silly smile on my face. Three series are on Netflix now, with the final film out in July. (
Series, streaming on Netflix)
Everybody’s talking about Jamie - this is just a joyous story of how Jamie fulfills his ambition to be a drag queen despite the many obstacles in his way. Based on a true story about a 16 year old British schoolboy, this is life affirming and lots of fun, and it's something I will always watch if I am feeling a bit fed up - a guaranteed recipe to bring out a smile. (
Film, streaming on Prime)
I've also been watching some other stuff, a lot of it old, but with a sprinkling of new ....
Aftersun - this is one of my favourite films and it’s currently back on iplayer so no excuses. Sophie (Frankie Corio) is reminiscing about a holiday she had with her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal) in the 90’s when she was 11, looking back through old camcorder footage. It's drenched in sun, nostalgia and love. I was a parent in the 90’s but this recreation of those weird semi-curated package holiday experiences complete with karaoke and the Macarena, mixed with closer family proximity than usual really brings back the memories. Not much happens, but it’s packed full of tiny incidents , mixed with stretches of nothing, just like the holidays. It looks gorgeous with those bleached holiday colours that turn gloriously bright, with a great soundtrack. It's melancholic, as we can see that Calum is struggling with his unexpressed demons but also beautiful, as we see Sophie standing on the cusp of her adolescence, still a child but trying to understand herself and the adult world she will soon be joining. Both performances are fantastic and I love, love, love it although it makes me cry every time. Please watch it. (
Film streaming on iplayer)
The Misfits - Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable's last film from 1961, written by Arthur Miller. The film is a classic Miller exploration of post war American masculinity, with Monroe as the woman who is both the catalyst and the glue that holds the little gang of misfits together. It’s sad to look at the lost potential of Monroe, but the film itself is both funnier and generally more enjoyable than I thought it would be, although to balance that it was also more harrowing than I expected, with an extended scene of animal cruelty. I understand the artistic reasoning for it being there, but I actually couldn't watch it all, and it may be a really good justification for the introduction of CGI
(Film at the cinema - BFI)
Yellowjackets I started this Canadian horror/drama quite a while ago now, mainly because everyone kept telling me that Rose from Heated Rivalry was also Shauna on Yellowjackets. And I have to say after a slow start I am now totally invested in this series. Tha story of a girls soccer team stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash is interspersed with a drama bout their adult selves 25 years later. It’s creepy and gory and occasionally glorying in violence, and it’s also such a lot of fun. I am enjoying Elijah Wood’s turn as a geeky amateur sleuth, besotted with the adult Misty played by a fabulous Christina Ricci . The plot is highly ridiculous in places but because the characters are so compelling I have absolutely no desire to look away. I’m up to date now so I have to wait for the fourth and final season (
Series, streaming on Paramount+)
Ponies - a spy caper/drama set in Cold War Moscow in the 1970s. Emilia Clark and Hayley Lu Richardson play widows of US embassy staffers killed in action, called into service as undercover operatives, known as PONIs (Persons Of No Interest). Adrian Lester plays the spy boss, and it has Harriet Walter too, who is always fun to watch. The cast are generally great, taking the sometimes ludicrous script very seriously. Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows deserve their own listing in the credits though. There’s a lot of British people playing Americans and Russians. Having listened to a lot of Russian accents recently, I think it’s fair to say that there is a fairly wide range of skill from convincing to cartoonish. Regardless of that, it’s authentically giving 1970s vibes in its design. I swear I had wallpaper like this and I definitely had the flicks hairstyle! And it has an excellent 1970s soundtrack, and all of that is really enjoyable. A really uneven tone though - one minute light and caperish, then the next moment, properly dark. Despite that, I did keep watching - it's not as deep as it thinks it is but it's fun! (
Series, streaming on Sky/Nowtv)
Criminal Minds Evolution - this is a startlingly long-lived American crime drama about the FBI searching for serial killers. I just watched a few episodes of the latest (19th) season as Connor Storrie (of Heated Rivalry fame) is a guest performer, but the show overall is truly terrible and I do not recommend. Gratuitous violence, particularly against women, with terrible scripts and strangely over or under emoted performances from most of the longstanding cast. If you want to get a reminder of what bad telly looks like, this is a good place to start. (
Series, streaming on Disney+)
*IMDB rated it one of the best ever single episodes on telly
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