Chatterbox - still talking nonsense

Tip Toe - I had been putting this off because I knew it was going to be a hard watch.  The performances are all great and the message is heartfelt and one that needs to be heard although I suspect the people who need to hear it won’t be watching or listening.  David Morrisey plays Clive, the bigoted neighbour who Leo (Alan Cumming)  is convinced has a good heart.  Leo is an optimistic out and proud neighbour who chooses not to compromise with bigotry, which usually works until it doesn't.  In this time of increasing bigotry and aggression towards people who are different in any way, this was both scary and depressing,  particularly the approach taken by people who choose to hide by aping the people who would abuse them. David Morrissey does a great job of repressed anger and I found him terrifying on many occasions.  Similarly Alan Cumming as Leo is fantastic as the in-your-face loud and sure of himself man, deliberately building himself up and trying...

 My favourite tv of the year,  following my rules which may not make sense to anyone else... Best Drama A lot of female led drama this year which is good news.   The Morning Show:  This show, produced and led by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, but with plenty of other women in leading roles, now in its fourth season.  It has been interesting from the start, taking on different real life topics from the perspective of a US news organisation, starting with Me Too, but also looking at the January 6 riots and the political state of the US nation alongside corporate intrigue.  This season was particularly interested in AI and technology, although there were multiple other subplots and sub-Succession style wheeling and dealing wrapped into this, which made the end result a bit messy as they tried to cram everything in.  This was the weakest season so far, but I will still be watching season 5. (AppleTV+) Film Club: This drama focuses on mental healt...

Down Cemetary Road - Based on a novel by Mick Herron, the man responsible for Slow Horses, I am only two episodes in but it has a great cast, and it's fast moving and lots of fun.  It’s a slightly odd mix of thriller and comedy in a way which actually isn't very different from Slow Horses, but some of the characterisation is a bit too broad, so it sometimes feels a bit clashy with some actors thinking they are in a comedy, others in a dark thriller.  Of course, it can be both, but it isn't quite as subtle as Slow Horses.  Despite some tiny reservations the dialogue is pretty snappy and I am enjoying Emma Thompson as the stylish equivalent of Jackson Lamb.  It’s being released one episode at a time so let’s see how it develops. ( Series, streaming on AppleTV+) Film Club - Romcom vibes, but with the rom being more of a tease rather than any action, this is a well put together family comedy drama written by and starring Aimee Lou Wood as a young woman who holds a film ...

Smashing together some of my favourite TV and film  here's a fairly short list of my best of the year.  As always, they are things I have seen this year, rather than when they first appeared.   If you want to see my fuller comments you can follow the links. Best film drama Putting all the different genres together this year, the nominees are: Past Lives: A story about missed love, what might have been and hope.   Understated performances from the two leads as the characters meet at various times over the years Poor things:  This was such an original film with fantastic performances, particularly from Emma Stone, but from all of the supporting cast too.  The set design and costume was fantastic too, and the whole thing was strange in a good way. A Real Pain:   A quietly funny and moving odd couple movie with Jesse Eisenburg and Kieran Culkin as two cousins meet to join an Auschwitz tour and visit the home of their Grandmother in Poland....

Those dead days after Christmas and into the new year have left me with time on my hands.  I'd usually be reading a lot, but I'm a bit stuck on my current read, and so found myself drifting to the telly instead.  It's a bit scary to think about how many hours I have probably clocked this week. Mayflies A very non-celebratory first watch of the year goes to this two part drama on iplayer. The first episode opens with Tully (Tony Curran) telling his longstanding best friend, Jimmy (Martin Compston) that he has months to live, and then, relying on friendship forged as teenagers, makes him promise that he will get him to Switzerland in time. So, not a particularly cheery start but we are soon in a nostalgic hymn to youth, life, death and friendship, illustrated with instamatic colours, The Fall, New Order and riot police.  I found it all pretty moving, probably because I am a sucker for nostalgia and this has it in spades. The second episode gives us revelations on what actua...