The Beautiful Game (2024)

If there is a sub-genre that is sure to put smiles on faces and often fit for family viewing, it’s a sporting underdog story. This one focuses on the Homeless Football World Cup, which has been held every year since 2001 and involves seventy countries--which is the ultimate underdog story, people who have no permanent housing getting together to play soccer. Bill Nighy is the star of the show--he plays Mal, an experienced Football Coach and talent scout who now oversees the England homeless football squad. The movie opens in a park in London, where Vinny catches his eye with some deft moves (albeit against a group of kids). Mal invites Vinny to join the squad with Vinny living out of the back of his car and struggling to find shift work. The bulk of the action revolves around the World Cup itself taking place in Rome with a ragtag mix of players, who do not seem to be able to work especially well together. This blend of hopeless players, inspired by their coach, feels reminiscent of other feel good movies in the genre. This tackles some deeper themes like addiction, with comments on belonging and cultural differences highlighted by some players from the competing teams being refugees. While, for the most part, there is plenty to admire in The Beautiful Game, it gets bogged down in some of its subplots, which can at times meander. Streaming on Netflix.

The Miracle Club (2024)

Here is an overall tip for watching movies you never heard of on Netflix--the higher percentage shot is to pick one with a cast of people you have heard of before. This one includes Laura Linney as well as Kathy Bates and the newly departed Maggie Smith, so hard to beat that line up. The story is less exciting than the cast. Set in 1967 in Ballygar, a hard-knocks community in Dublin, four friends have on tantantalizing dream: to win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes, that place of miracles that draws millions of visitors each year. When Maureen dies, leaving her closest friends to mourn: Lily, Eileen, and Dolly, they skip the funeral and try to win a trip to Lourdes instead. The actual service in the actual church is therefore occurring unattended, save for Chrissie (Linney), Maureen’s long-estranged daughter, fresh from America and not at all on good terms with Maureen's neighbors. The story unfolds as to where the bitterness originated, and as is almost always the case, there is a misunderstanding and an assumption that is flat out wrong at the center of the dispute, and while the whole thing is fairly predictable, it is also a cautionary tale, because there are quite a few people in present day America who want to see a return to the morays and choices that women had then. This is a good watch in your living room movie, not something to seek out, but enjoyable in a quiet way.

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

This is it, the best Kenneth Branagh Poirot movie. It's also a good Branagh movie, period, thanks to the way Branagh and screenwriter dismantle and reinvent the source material (Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party) to create a relentlessly clever, visually dense "old" movie that uses the latest technology. The original Christie novel was published in 1969 and set in then-present-day Woodleigh Common, England. The adaptation transplants the story to Venice, sets it over 20 years earlier, gives it an international cast of characters thick with British expats, and retains just a few elements, including the violent death of a young girl in the recent past and the insinuating presence of an Agatha Christie-like crime novelist named Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who takes credit for creating Poirot's reputation by making him a character in her writing. Ariadne's sales have slumped, so she draws Poirot back into sleuthing by pushing him to attend a Halloween Night seance at the aforementioned home, hoping to produce material that will give her another hit. Instead they get a murder, and Poirot is off and running to solve it. There are lots of touches that set this firmly in post WWII Italy and overall it is both fun and atmospheric.

David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived (2024)

This is an emotional documentary about David Holmes, now 40, was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double on the Harry Potter movies until he broke his neck during the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The two were children when the filming began and as the filming of the books was more or less continually over a decade, the cast and crew knew each well, and some formed friendships. This is a look back over how that happened and then a sobering look at what the present holds. First, there are the extraordinary good times, when a short kid from Essex found his way, via youth gymnastics, to movie stunt work. Holmes was a few years older than Radcliffe when they began work on the Potter franchise, so he became a cross between an elder brother and a personal trainer, schooling Radcliffe on how to make his physical work more convincing, while also teaching him and everyone in earshot how to enjoy life to the maximum by hurling yourself at it at full speed. The side-by-side footage of Holmes performing a stunt, then Radcliffe doing a safer version of it, is a fascinating insight into how action sequences come together. Then disaster strikes and Holmes has a severe accident on set and is left paralyzed. The film then shifts to the relationships that Holmes’s has maintained since then. Radcliffe is open and articulate on the challenges of rebuilding a relationship when the shared experience it has been built on has not just been brought to an abrupt end, but has been tainted too. The film is neatly wrapped up, but it also doesn’t shy away from the reality of what happened, and what the aftermath brought. Well done.

My Sailor, My Love (2023)

I watched this on a flight from Sydney to Queenstown, which directly followed a transpacific flight that was brutal, so consider the source. I thought this was a very nuanced film, quiet and yet beautiful in tone, that depicts how trauma ripples across generations and messes everything up if it isn't dealt with. The movie is filmed on Achill island off Ireland’s west coast, and has at its core grappling with the rough currents of late-in-life regrets and resentment. Cranky retired sea captain Howard –who was once content with shutting himself off from the outside world – is forced to open his disorderly home, and subsequently his heart, to Annie, a housekeeper hired by his overworked daughter Grace. What begins as a lighthearted autumnal romance gradually evolves into a thorny study of familial grievances. Grace is unable to stop herself from ruining anything good in her life, and it turns out, in the lives of others as well. She is troubled by her own unhappy marriage, and grows increasingly bitter about her father’s new relationship. The reasons for her disturbing, self-destructive behaviours spring from a traumatic childhood, the details of which are revealed too late to fully flesh out, but she cannot stop herself. It leaves you with something to think about, and is beautifully done.

Empire of Light (2022)

This is the year for directors to look back on the things that influenced them in thier youth, it seems, and this is Sam Mendes's contribution to that genre. The story is set in the fall and winter of 1980-81 in the seaside town of Margate, Kent, around a palatial two-screen Art Deco theater that shows films that were new back then, and when films were actually on film that played on reels. They were also movies that fed the imagination of young Mendes, who based parts of the script on his youth. The homage to what was then is on display. There's a projectionist who demonstrates how a projector works and talks about the persistence of vision and how light can shut out darkness. Various characters keep urging the heroine, the lonely, workaholic duty manager Hilary Small (Olivia Colman), to go sit in an auditorium once in a while, and let cinema transport her away from her miseries--which doesn't actually work it turns out. The plot follows a then taboo affair between Hilary, who is sexually harassed at work and alone at home and the new hire Stephen, who is black and harassed. The plot doesn't quite hold together, but close enough, and the cinematography is brilliant, enough so that I was transported by the beauty of it.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

This very dark movie is something that I am not entirely sure I get. I read a review that no one does self loathing better than the Irish and that might well be the case. The film is in the region of the Danes when it comes to gruesome being almost expected. Another compared Colin Farrel and Brendan Gleeson to the modern day Laurel and Hardy, based on this film and their previous work together, In Bruges. To me, this is not comedy of exasperatio so much as it is desperation. The place is the island of Inisherin, just off the coast of Ireland, but insulated from the Civil War that is raging in 1923. Colm and Pádraic are feuding, but Pádraic knows not why, and Colm is not about to expand on his wish to be left alone. What follows is both horrific and inevitable, and we are glued to it even though we do not want to watch. The scenery, the cinematography, and the score are all pitch perfect backdrops to the tragic comedy that unfolds.

Slow Horses (2022)

I read a review that subtitled this ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Failure’, which is a hilariously accurate depiction of what I think is a great spy show. It is flat out amazing, and in my memory at least, better than the original, a series that is written by Nick Herron. It is a smart, witty, cleverly plotted show that has at core a group of sidelined spies who are not quite fired but no longer part of the main show due to varying degrees of failings who end up being essential to MI5’s headline-grabbing operation that is unfolding behind the scenes in a very different way than the public is privy to on the evening news. Gary Oldman demonstrates yet again that he is a consummate actor who can take on any role with the gusto that it deserves, and he clearly revels in the material that the Jackson Lamb character offers up for him. There are two seasons available and you are definitely left wanting more, and we watched them one at a time because we found them so adrenaline pumping, but they should also be savored rather than binged

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

This is a Cinderella story, if Cinderella was a middle-aged war widow who makes ends meet by cleaning up after lordsand ladies. This is a fairy tale that Leslie Manville in the leading role pulls off seemingly without any effort at all. Ada is a do-gooder, a woman who works tirelessly, and yet maintains her sunny disposition and her warm hearted charm despite all, which includes finding out once and for all that her husband, previously lost in battle, is indeed dead. Shebecomes star-struck by a dress. It takes her breath away and while she doesn't understand anything about the pomp and circustance of the House of Dior, she does know qulity when she sees it and vows to have one for herself. The story starts with her getting the money together, and then it takes on it's fairy tale quality, where a Marquis invites her to be his guest at the fashion show, and he explains the process to her. The staff are all so awe-struck that someone like themselves would try to own such a dress that they stick by her and make such a dress possible for her. It is sweetness and light, with predictable and unpredictable elements, but the whole package is quite lovely to behold, and you should not miss this.

Death on the Nile (2022)

I have to say that I continue to be disappointed by Kenneth Branagh's adaption of the classic Agatha Christie character Hercule Poirot. The reason is two-fold. First, his depiction of Henning Mankell's Wallander is so pitch perfect. He clearly got inside the character's head and did a beautiful job in the setting and staging of the series. Secondly, he can make an excellent film--his retelling of his childhood in Belfast in the movie of the same name is just beautiful. So what goes wrong here? There are excellent actors here--Gal Gadot, Annette Benning, Arnie Hammer, and Branagh himself, but everyone comes off in a wooden and unnatural way from start to finish, much in the same way that Murder on the Orient Express felt. The reason I liked this better is because I loved my trip to Egypt and some of the iconic places we visited are depicted, and the memories are strong and pleasant for me. It is also a one and done place for me, and so lovely to be able to revisit it in another way, but as a murder mystery it falls flat, and is probably worse even if you are not a fan of the genre.

Spencer (2021)

This movie is about Princess Diana, but not an overview of her life, but rather focuseing on one extremely painful moment in it. Much like Jacki focused on Jackie Kennedy's response to the assasination of her husband, this film zeros in on the end of Diana's marriage to the Prince of Wales. It is Christmas 1991, which Lady Diana is spending with the royal family in Sandringham even as her loveless marriage is unravelling. There is a protocol, there are expectations to be met, and nothing is her own, not her choice of clothing nor her husband, who is now known to be having an affair. She is humiliated and spied on from every corner of her day. She is close to a nervous breakdown with bulimia attacks and episodes of self-harm. From the beginning, where she deliberately arrives late to trying to entering her family home and picking a jacket off a scarecrow, Diana feels like a barely tolerated stranger in Sandringham, where the Royals are celebrating Christmas. Apart from her sons, the rest of the royal family are largely indifferent and cold towards her. Only the help, and we the audience, are rooting for her--but it is a painful thing to watch.

Belfast (2021)

Kenneth Branagh was born in Belfast and lived in a neighborhood much like the one depicted in this film. His family emigrated to England when he was a boy to escape the surging violence and this is a story very much like his own. It is a story beautifully told and acted, all of it seen through the eyes of a nine year old boy, filmed in black and white, wtih a score written by Van Morrison. The actors are largely Irish, and the depiction of escalating violence that evolves along the lines of religion, but at heart it is aided and abetted by bullies who are looking for a cause. The result is to fracture people into one of two sides, and then wreck havoc on them all. The movie is lovingly rendered, and so amidst the senselessness of it all, there is a sweetness, a love song for a place that was worth saving, with the kids from all different backgrounds playing in the streets and in each other's yards, getting into trouble, sometimes serious trouble, but nothing like what followed. Everyone should watch this, regardless of your politics, and see if we are in fact perpetuating what is depicted here, judging people based on something that is one dimensional, and whether it has to be that way.

No Time To Die (2021)

This movie is way way too long. This is practically a mini-series because while it is just under 3 hours, it seems longer. I recommend two sittings. There is a changing of the guard at MI-6, with James retired and a new agent inhabiting the 007 moniker. This is Daniel Craig's swan song in the role, and so the plot harkens back to old enemy's and new ways for bad guys to wreck world-wide havoc in their diabolical plans for control and revenge. Rami Mallek is the bad guy, and he looks about the way he did in Pappillon, when he was in a jungle prison (ie. not good), and there is an elaborate sub-plot for revenge that he is intent on carrying out. What makes this worth your time is the visual and sound effects (for which the movie is on the short list for an Oscar nomination for). The opening sequence is tightly framed and almost poetic—even just the first shot of a hooded figure coming over a snowy hill has a grace that Bond often lacks. The shoot-out in Cuba moves like a dance scene with Craig and Ana de Armas (a Cuban born actress) finding each other’s rhythms. There’s a riveting encounter in a foggy forest and a single shot climb in a tower of enemies that has a one-shot scene that is beautiful and suspenseful.

Enola Holmes (2020)

I have to admit that while I haven't read a Sherlock Holmes story in probably close to 50 years and I never read the whole ouevre, I have almost always enjoyed the knock off versions based on them. One of our pandemic favorites was watching the series Elementary, which has Sherlock as an edgy Brit living in New York City, and Watson as Lucy Lui, a great pairing. This one is based on a young adult novel with Sherlock's previously unimagined younger sister as the budding detective. Her first case drops into her lap as she is slipping away from the grip of her elder brother Mycroft. She is smart and likeable and solves the various crises that she encounters with ingenuity. There is a backdrop of the early days of women's suffrage, which we know took quite some time to get off the ground. I very much enjoyed this version.

Supernova (2020)

Two immensely talented actors, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, portray a couple in a long standing relationship who are on a real as well as a metaphorical journey. THey are driving around in a camper visiting places and people that hold a lot of meaning to them for one last time as the couple they now are. Tucci is already in the early stages of dementia, and they both realize that soon they will not recognize each other, for different reasons, but the sadness of this realization is palpable. They are entirely believable in these roles, and they are also both quite believable as men, in that they talk almost not at all. The layers of the future losses are unfolded as the movie progresses, and the options that they might consider are also laid out, mostly without dialog. I almost watched it on a trans-Atlantic flight, which would have been a mistake, but it is a well done film on yet another of the sad realities of aging.

A Little Chaos (2014)

Oh my gosh I loved this movie, which is direected and acted in by Alan Rickman. I found it filed under period pieces on my Netflix home page, and hesitated slightly because the lead actress is Kate Winslet, who I just saw play Mary Anning in Ammonite. This is a totally different character. She plays an independent, slightly damaged, complex, compelling, captivating, strong, and creative woman. She is stunning in this, and I loved having her at the center of the entire story. Rickman - may he rest in peace - was so very respectful of women and women characters, and it really shows in this small and quiet movie. The period it is set in is the reign of Louis XIV and the time is the building of Versailles. Rickman is the king, Matthias Achoenaerts is his landscape designer and Winslet is the woman he hires because her designs are more radical and less balanced than his. He respects her before he loves her and the romance between them is light and organic, kind of in the usual British fashion. The outdoor spaces are gorgeous (I am a non-gardener--there may be thiings that are totally off kilter if you acatually know what they are talking about) and it was a really lovely movie to watch.

Hampstead (2017)

I am a fan of Diane Keaton, who I think often plays the same character with different life circumstances. So I am predisposed to enjoying this movie, and frankly even Poms and The Book Club did not set me off of her, and this movie predates both of them. I read that this movie has a small but recent fan club in England, where it is set, and they may explain why it has been shuffled up to the top of the Netflix algorhythm. Keaton plays Emily, a widower of American extraction who runs, with little success, a vintage clothing shop for charity. She has a bunch of snooty semi-civic-minded friends who live in her building and try to manipulate her, but seem anything but warm, even by British standards. And she has dwindling resources since her newly discovered to be cheating husband has died and left her with debts. Her adult son, of Grantchester fame, is both worried about her and planning to move away. She doesn’t avoid talking about her situation in order to tie the apron strings tighter; it’s just that she doesn't even know where to start. She meets Donald, a long time squatter on an abandoned property near her after saving his life. Having observed him, through binoculars, from her back window, bathing in the nearby river, she then sees him being assaulted outside of his makeshift (but, we learn, cozy and utilitarian) shack. They converse in the local graveyard. He’s gruff but smart and an unlikely romance takes hold. Supposedly based on a true story it is mostly in the romantic framework of storytelling.

Love Sarah (2020)

First and foremost, this is a British romantic comedy, and if that is appealing to you, as it is to me, it starts pfoff with the sudden death of a woman who is dear to all the remaining characters in the movie. Overcoming that is a tall order, and while it is not the structure that is ideal, I did enjoy this. The movie revolves around a project to open a bakery, and I am a little bit more forgiving of a plot that includes some exceptional baking than one that does not. The business has all sorts of impediments to being successful, but the route that they pursue is one of inclusion, of making the newcomers to London feel a bit more at home, and in the meantime making that who are native born more multi-cultural, and that is a message I can enjoy however it is delivered.

The Dig (2021)

This is a beautiful film, with a great story, well told, and the cinematography is brilliant. It is quiet, but really satisfying. The front of the house story is this. It is set in May 1939, as Europe lurched towards war and Hitler on the brink of invasion of Poland. A widow, Edith Pretty (played by Carey Mulligan) hires an amateur excavator/archaeologist Basil Brown (played by Ralph Fiennes), to dig up the huge mounds on Edith's property in Suffolk. She and her now deceased husband bought the property with the intention of finding our what was underneath them and for various reasons that becaome clear later, she doesn't feel like she can wait. Brown is kind to every one. He speaks to the precocious young son of Mrs. Pretty, a boy whose head is filled with stories and fantasies about the cosmos, in such a way as to educate him and make him feel heard. He is a serious excavator used to being taken advantage of, and while he underestimates her at first, Mrs. Pretty does right by him. As he dug, mostly on his own with little help, he came across the skeleton of an 88-foot ship dating to the Anglo-Saxon period. This was the first phase of what has been called one of the most important archaeological discoveries in British archeology. The next phase was discovering the burial chamber within the ship, filled with a treasure trove of almost perfectly-preserved artifacts, made from gold and garnet: a stunning helmet, shoulder clasps, a golden belt buckle. A king must have been buried there, for all the effort to bury him in his ship and all the wealth they left with him. This is a great story of how Pretty sponsored the dig and then donated the artifacts to the British Museum, where they sit to this day, known as the "Sutton Hoo find."

The Father (2020)

This movie is hard to watch but brilliantly done. There is nothing about getting old that goes smoothly. All the senses decline and the mind goes too. What Sound of Metal does to put the viewer in the shoes of a person losing their hearing this movie does for depicting the experience of dementia. We enter the world of Anthony and we are as disoriented as he is. We experience his confusion as if it were our own. The film also offers the perspective of the caretakers and loved ones who try to settle his volatile temper and organize his jumbled memories. We never know what’s true—or who, for that matter, as characters come and go and take on various names and identities, depending on his recognition of them. Which person is the daughter? The carer? His apartment? It takes a while to figure that out, all the while experiencing the sense of loss and confusion Anthony feels. Everything is fleeting and yet each specific moment feels urgent and real. Very well done.