Critical Week: Anger issues

It's a busy Valentine's Day weekend for new movies, as British audiences have the hers-and-his double whammy of Bridget Jones and Captain America to choose from. I caught up with Captain America: Brave New World this week, and enjoyed it more than expected. It's a bit more focussed than previous Avengers movies, grittier and less bombastic, so of course most critics are complaining that it's not big enough. It's all very blunt, but I enjoyed the more nuanced performances from Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford (who red-hulks out!).

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
To a Land Unknown • Bonus Track
Memoir of a Snail • Desire Lines
ALL REVIEWS >

I liked the slightly pushy comedy-drama My Dead Friend Zoe, which stars Sonequa Martin-Green as a veteran grappling with trauma. Solid acting all around, plus knowingly complex characters bring it to life. I also really enjoyed Bonus Track, a gentle British coming-of-age drama about two outcast teen boys who find each other. It has some terrific stars in side roles, including Josh O'Connor, who came up with the story. 

The Sloth Lane (aka A Sloth Story) is a lively Aussie animated adventure about a family of Latin American sloths. It's silly but sweet. From France, Holy Cow is a wonderfully loose, full-of-life comedy drama that follows a tearaway teen as he tries to become a cheesemaker. And from Greece, To a Land Unknown is an engaging and powerful drama about two Palestinian migrants trying to catch a break. I also caught the hilarious stage show Miss Brexit at Clapham's Omnibus.

The Bafta Film Awards take place this Sunday, the biggest precursor to the Oscars two weeks later. I have rather a lot going on around that event, but also a few films to watch, including the British vampire movie Drained, the Dutch action thriller Invasion, the Chinese animated epic Chang'An and the documentaries Ernest Cole: Lost & Found and I Am Martin Parr.

Screen: June TV roundup

There's been rather a lot to watch lately on episodic television, handily filling in some free time between watching movies. These are the shows I've followed over the last month or so, and another handful of series are coming to a close in the next few weeks. Basically, there's always something to watch...

Mare of Easttown
Skilfully written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Craig Zobel, this murder mystery is much more about its small-town Pennsylvania community than the convolutions of the murder/kidnapping case(s). At the centre, Kate Winslet delivers another textured powerhouse performance as a local police detective whose life seems is not so quietly unravelling. She's absolutely riveting: engaging, tenacious, compelling and, as an actor, generously allowing ace costars like Jean Smart, Evan Peters, Angourie Rice and Guy Pearce to steal their scenes. Best of all is that it doesn't matter whodunit: this is a story about resilience, connection and healing. It's rare to see a TV show produced at this level of quality across the board; this is essential viewing. (Sky)

Hacks
The fantastic Jean Smart continues to subvert every genre on television, triumphing in a range of dramatic roles (see Watchmen and Mare of Easttown). And now she reminds us that she's a queen of comedy too with a storming, scene-chomping role as a veteran Joan Rivers-style Las Vegas stand-up. She's so good that you hardly notice that the cast around her are experts as well. Co-lead Hannah Einbinder is solid in an oddly thankless role, but others are more likeable, most notably Carl Clemons-Hopkins. Meanwhile, Smart continually surprises us with her on-point delivery of devastating punchlines. And the writers keep quite a lot going on in this show, with emotional undercurrents and sharp commentary about show business. (HBO)

Halston
Ewan McGregor is terrific in this glossy series about the iconic American designer who rose to fame in the 1970s and then vanished in the 1980s. It's beautifully produced, creating intriguing characters with seriously spiky interaction. And it certainly never shies away from the darker angles of the story, including Halston's turbulent relationships, rampant drug use and a stubborn streak that ultimately cost him the right to use his name. It's perhaps a bit slick and flashy, focussing on the glamorous highs rather than the emotional lows, and rushing through his final years. But there are a few grittier sequences, from outrageous arguments to wrenching grief, that make it resonate. (Netflix)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
A lot more like standard Marvel fare than WandaVision, this series features the usual witty banter, too-dense plotting and outrageously over-produced action. I was tempted by stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan and especially Wyatt Russell, playing against type as the new Captain America. The actors kept me watching to the end, even when the writing had me rolling my eyes with frustration. There are some intriguing plot elements, but everything is so painfully obvious, quick to violence and ludicrously momentous that it might have worked better as a spoof. And even the adjusted title at the end is wrong: clearly it should be Captain America and the White Wolf. Still, fans will eat it up. (Disney)

Girls5eva
From the makers of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, this comedy has the same absurd, lightning-fast sense of humour as it follows the four surviving members of a girl band who are making a comeback attempt at 40. This quartet is superbly written and played (by Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell), with a constant stream of riotous gags. And big-name cameos adds witty touches, including producer Tina Fey as Dolly Parton. Thankfully, the silliness is grounded in knowingly funny observations on everything from the vicious music industry to the perils of ageing, with pointed nods to themes relating to gender and sexuality. (Peacock)

Jupiter's Legacy
Based on a comic by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass/Kingsman), this darkly shaded superhero series has similarities with The Boys, but isn't quite as deliberately nasty. The central conflict is fascinating, pitting traditional rule-based morality against today's more reactionary ethics. Although the writers never really take this anywhere. And while the cast is strong across the board, no one emerges as a vivid central figure to rally around. The most interesting people (like Andrew Horton's loyal son Brandon) are oddly sidelined in favour of less nuanced characters (like Josh Duhamel's self-righteous patriarch). More adventurous writing might make this better in seasons to come. (Netflix)

Frank of Ireland 
Almost infuriatingly bonkers, this Dublin comedy starring Gleeson brothers Brian and Domhnall is far too cartoonish to properly engage with. But it's very funny as these chucklehead buddies embark on a series of crazy antics centring on family, girls and their community. Nothing much grabs hold as all of the characters are noisy, over-the-top nutcases, led by the painfully dim and self-involved Frank (Brian) and his even dopier best pal Doofus (Domhnall). Frank's mother Mary (Pom Boyd) is just as ridiculously obtuse, while the only vaguely sensible person is Aine (Greene), as she's desperately trying to escape Frank's orbit. You would too. (C4)

Invincible
With a Scooby-Doo tone and a premise similar to The Boys, this adult-aimed animated series is funny, violent and exhilarating. The animation is generic but eye-catching, while the voice cast is extraordinary, featuring the powerhouse likes of Steven Yeun, JK Simmons, Sandra Oh, Mahershala Ali, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells and Mark Hamill, for starters. They make even the smaller side characters burst with personality. The story of father-and-son superheroes has plenty of wrinkles and textures to it, bringing out much bigger themes about the nature of humanity through recognisable relationship issues. And the writers have room to get much more daring (more queerness, less blood) in future seasons. (Netflix)

Why Are You Like This
This politically incorrect comedy from Melbourne takes a few episodes to find its footing, and then it's over (there are only six half-hour instalments). The three self-absorbed 20-somethings at the centre are very difficult to like at first, but actors Naomi Higgins, Olivia Junkeer and Wil King find ways to deepen them in a series of rather pathetic attempts to get on with their lives. The main problem is that they blame everyone and everything for their own problems, causing misery everywhere they go. But their antics are also rather endearing, and the themes deepen over the course of this season. (Netflix)

Paradise City 
A bit of a mess, this cheesily written soap set in the hard-rock music industry has a wide array of characters, many of whom are superfluous, and lots of arch storytelling touches, including supernatural wackiness with camp angel and demon figures. More problematic is a strong undercurrent of misogyny in both the imagery and male-centred plot points (even when a woman is involved, it's all about the man). There isn't an unsubtle moment on the screen, but it's still watchable simply because of the intriguing premise and full-on approach. Also, the rock-n-roll vibe is strong, and the lead actors are solid even when their characters are strangely inconsistent. (Prime)

BACK FOR MORE

This Time: series 2
Alan Partridge is back for another hilarious season of painfully well-observed awkwardness. Steve Coogan plays this role so effortlessly (and so unapologetically) that he has become a part of Britain's national culture over three decades. Coogan's understanding of this character is so deep that it provides laughs at every level, from big slapstick silliness to riotously witty details (watch his field reports carefully). It's almost shocking that Alan can still be so enjoyably squirm-inducing after all these years. And this particular incarnation of him also offers a wonderfully fresh pastiche of glib TV news-chat shows. (BBC)

Everything's Gonna Be Okay: series 2 
Josh Thomas is a talented guy, but his character in this sitcom (a young guy who has become guardian of his teen sisters) is so insufferable that he's difficult to believe, especially in the self-involved way he mistreats his ridiculously gorgeous and nice boyfriend (Adam Faison). And he's only able to see problems faced by his sisters (Maeve Press and Kayla Cromer) as part of his own story. The offbeat approach makes the show watchable, especially with characters who refuse to fit into the usual boxes. But it's very difficult to engage with Nicholas on any level. (Freeform) 

The Neighbor: series 2 [El Vecino]
The goofy residents of a Madrid apartment block are back, as Javier (Quim Gutierrez) now has to share his superpowers with ex-girlfriend Lola (Clara Lago). There's also a global threat from some sort of reptilian race, and a galactic civil servant (Javier Botet) struggling to make sense of what's happening amongst these idiots. These eight brisk episodes are very easy to watch, eliciting a lot of smiles and a few solid laughs as they skewer corrupt politicians and messy relationships. But there isn't much else to it, and the broadened cast leaves the central characters feeling thinner than before. But the cliffhanger finale promises more to come. (Netflix)

Lucifer: series 5b
This nutty season wraps up with a few oddly tame episodes that are too plot-heavy to allow us to enjoy the gleefully ridiculous antics of the sexy characters. Even the murder-of-the-week storylines are part of a bigger narrative arc that pushes everyone toward a major confrontation, leaving Lucifer (the increasingly over-the-top Tom Ellis) in a whole new place. For a show that's basically just mindless fun, these episodes feel rushed and serious, and they also feature even more of this series' trademark fragmented conversations in which characters neither listen nor say what they truly think. Although any show that adds Dennis Haysbert to its cast (as God no less) is worth a look. (Netflix)

IT'S ALL OVER

Younger: series 7
This dopey sitcom (in which the situation never provided much comedy) is finally wrapping up the scrambled romantic lives of its characters. It's become increasingly saccharine season by season, while the actors look like they've been severely nipped and tucked, except star Sutton Foster, who's now styled as a 50-year-old for some reason (after pretending to be in her 20s for the years). But all of the actors are hugely watchable, including Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella, Debi Mazer and the great Miriam Shor, who sadly only occasionally skypes in this season. So I've decided to stick it out, even though the writers are clearly determined to offer the wrong happy ending. (MTV)

Shameless: series 11 
This epic comedy-drama wrapped up its run with 12 momentous episodes, as the extended Gallagher family finally faces up to the gentrifying forces in South Chicago, and Frank (the awesome William H Macy) begins to suffer alcohol-induced dementia. It's a clever way to bring things to a close, playing on the characters' quirks to push them in new directions and force some big decisions. And while the show's wilder impulses have been tamed somewhat over the years, each of these colourful characters gets to go out with a bang. And some well-earned emotion too. (Showtime)

CATCHING UP

The Queen's Gambit 
I put off watching this because, well, chess and drugs. But when I had a bit of time, I quickly realised why the whole world was caught up in the series. It's bracingly well-written and beautifully directed with some seriously clever flourishes. And it features yet another stellar performance from Anya Taylor-Joy, plus a terrific cast of fellow Brits. I particularly loved the clever way chess comes to life on-screen, without ever getting bogged down in the details. And the personal odyssey Beth takes through the narrative arc is properly epic, and very moving too. (Netflix)

I GIVE UP

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me • About 10 minutes into the first episode it's clear that this is a turkey slathered with inane dialog and awkwardly insulting slapstick. The cast (led by Jamie Foxx) is promising, but it feels like like one of those painfully unfunny SNL sketches that just won't end. (Netflix)

Cinema Toast • This anthology series starts with a great idea: re-editing public domain film footage with a new soundtrack to tell different stories. Each episode takes nuttiness to the extreme in a way that's experimental rather than entertaining. Far too indulgent. (Showtime)

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NOW WATCHING: The Underground Railroad, The Mosquito Coast, The Upshaws, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Special (2), Pose (3), The Handmaid's Tale (4), Younger (7).

LOOKING FORWARD: Blindspotting, Physical, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Dave (2), Lupin (2), Love Victor (2), The Kominsky Method (3), Master of None (3), Elite (5).

Critical Week: Time after time

I've been busy with plans surrounding the 41st London Critics' Circle Film Awards (we've all voted and are now getting ready to announce our winners). As chair of this group, there's a lot to do at the moment, so I'm keeping very busy in lockdown at the moment. Otherwise, the biggest film I watched this week was Synchronic, a surreal adventure thriller that sends two paramedics (Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie) on a mind-bending odyssey that involves cool things like time travel but is rather corny too. Ed Gathegi stars in Caged, a psychological prison thriller that's emotionally involving even if it feels archly theatrical.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Supernova • The Capote Tapes
The Dig • The Night
ALL REVIEWS >

From Mexico, the dark drama Identifying Features sends a mother in search of her missing son, a powerful story that's slightly weakened by its artsy filmmaking. Another artful maternal drama, this time from Japan, True Mothers follows an adoption from both sides of the story, beautiful to look at and vaguely mysterious too. The most audaciously inventive film, perhaps of the whole year, The Wolf House is a pitch-black and deeply haunting animated fairy tale from Chile. The documentary The Capote Tapes tells the story of the iconic writer through the eyes of his no-nonsense friends. And the short film collection The Male Gaze: Hide and Seek is another set of strongly well-made little dramas about masculinity.

This coming week will be largely taken up putting together the London Critics' Circle virtual ceremony on Sunday 7th February, but I also need to watch Owen Wilson in Bliss, Sam Neill in Rams, the British streaking comedy Running Naked, the Argentine thriller 4x4, the camp thriller X and the Paris Hilton doc This Is Paris.

Critical Week: Survival of the fittest

Awards season continues with nightly Q&As designed to focus voter attention on various films. I've been able to host a couple of these, which has been a lot of fun, chatting with actors and filmmakers around the world. Another group I vote in, the Online Film Critics, released its nominations this week. Beyond awards contenders, films I watched this week included Outside the Wire, a standard action-packed military thriller elevated by lead actors Anthony Mackie (as a robot!) and Damson Idris. From India, The White Tiger is a must-see blackly comical drama about a guy who leaves his low caste behind through sheer determination.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Are We Lost Forever
The White Tiger • Breaking Fast
PERHAPS AVOID:
The Exception • Imperial Blue
ALL REVIEWS >

It was an eclectic week of movies for me. From the US, Brothers by Blood is a growly, grim Philadelphia crime drama starring the always excellent Matthias Schoenaerts and Joel Kinnaman. From Sweden, David Fardmar's Are We Lost Forever is a gorgeously observed drama about a painful breakup. From Belarus, Persian Lessons is a fascinating true story of one man's survival during WWII, starring the terrific Nahuel Perez Biscayart. And from Denmark, The Exception is an intriguing thriller with big themes, although the filmmakers take a rather contrived approach to it.

I still need to catch up with a couple of this week's releases, including the acclaimed Mexican drama Identifying Features and the shorts collection The Male Gaze: Hide and Seek, plus the biographical documentary The Capote Tapes. And there are also some awards contenders: Radha Blank's prize-winning The Forty-Year-Old Version, the animated drama The Wolf House and the five shorts nominated in the London Film Critics' awards. 

Critical Week: The right stuff

I caught up this week with HBO's movie All the Way, recounting how, in the wake of Kennedy's assassination, President Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr (Bryan Cranston and Anthony Mackie, above) begrudgingly cooperated to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, standing up to opposition because it was the right thing to do. Reteaming Cranston with Trumbo director Jay Roach, the film has a bristling sense of humour that brings the situation to life. And the performances are full of punchy emotional undercurrents, from Cranston and Mackie to ace supporting players like Bradley Whitford, Melissa Leo, Frank Langella, Stephen Root, Ray Wise and Joe Morton. While the plot and themes are important and strongly relevant, the film feels oddly muted in tone, contained within rooms rather than encompassing the bigger picture. This is perhaps due to the script's stage origins, so thankfully it doesn't water down the story's powerful kick.

My only proper screening this past week was The Conjuring 2, the London-set sequel featuring real-life ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Like the 2013 original, the film is genuinely terrifying, even though director James Wan can't resist using every cliche available. I also caught three films in the upcoming East End Film Festival: Desire Will Set You Free is a freeform drama with documentary elements set in Berlin's sexually ambiguous club scene; Uncle Howard is a moving documentary about filmmaker Howard Brookner (Burroughs) by his nephew Aaron; and Transit Havana is a beautifully shot doc following transgendered men and women as they navigate Cuba's health care system. I'll have more on these and others when the festival kicks off on 23rd June.

Screenings this coming week include Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in Central Intelligence, the animated adventure The Secret Life of Pets, the cat-kidnapping comedy Keanu and the acclaimed doc Notes on Blindness. I've also got several more EEFF movies to watch.

Critical Week: Not to be messed with

The most unforgettable performance in a press screening this week easily belongs to Kate Winslet's fierce Russian mobster in Triple 9, John Hillcoat's urban Western, which opens next month boasting a fierce cast that also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and Gal Gadot, to name a few. (Side note: it was fun to chat with Winslet about this film at the London critics' awards on Sunday - she hadn't seen it yet.)

We also reunited with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart for the rote action-comedy sequel Ride Along 2, a sequel even worse than the lacklustre original (part 3 is pretty much guaranteed after audiences in America flocked to see it last weekend). Much more challenging were William Monahan's desert thriller Mojave, a choppy dramatic thriller starring Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund; the dark and deeply moving British drama Departure, starring the amazing Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther; and the unnerving, elusive drama Chronic, starring a terrific Tim Roth.

This coming week I have very, very late press screenings of J Blakeson's The 5th Wave with Chloe Grace Moretz and Dark Places with Charlize Theron (both open this Friday), plus Michael Bay's Benghazi thriller 13 Hours, acclaimed arthouse drama Green Room, animated adventure Capture the Flag, cycling doc Battle Mountain and shorts compilation Boys on Film 14: Worlds Collide.

On the Road: Somebody's watching you

Secret in Their Eyes

dir Billy Ray; with Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Chiwetel Ejiofor 15/US ****

This loose remake of the slick 2009 Oscar-winning Argentine thriller takes a somewhat brainier approach to its story of an FBI agent (Ejiofor) who tenaciously works on a 13-years-cold.botched murder case that has a strong personal connection, then reteams with his old colleagues (Roberts and Kidman) to finally get justice. Of course, nothing is quite as it seems, and the twisty plot holds the interest, even if the film feels a bit dry and dark. It also helps that all three lead actors give profound performances packed with telling nuances, raising the intrigue both in the case and in their complex inter-relationships. Roberts is especially remarkable, stripped of all glamour as she reveals layers of wrenching inner turmoil. And writer-director Ray fills scenes with subtly clever touches that offer telling insight into the characters, who are far more important than the case itself. Sometimes the leaping back and forth between periods can be difficult to follow (hint: watch the hair), but the story has a robustness that offers constant surprises and emotional resonance. This is a rare thriller that appeals to the mind as much as the gut, taking time to build atmosphere rather than rush from set piece to set piece. It's also distinct enough that fans of the original will find something new.

The Night Before

dir Jonathan Levine; with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie 15/US ***

There's no real reason why a stoner bromance can't also be a Christmas movie, although this holiday comedy shows that heartwarming sentiment easily drowns out gross-out antics. This is an unexpectedly warm romp about three best buddies (Gordon-Levitt, Rogen and Mackie) who have been each others' family at Christmas but find the demands of life pulling them apart. It's a fairly simple premise, packed with effortless charm, fearless physicality and lots of jokes about drugs and genitalia. But it manages to also weave in some festive magic, including a bit of commentary about the nature of growing up and how friends are our family,even when we forget that. The cast is strong, and there are some hilarious gags peppered all the way through the film, carefully placed amid vulgar jokes that fall flat, some expertly undermined sentimentality and two amusing big-name cameos that deliberately wear out their welcome. Oddly, despite all of the rude humour, the film feels rather gentle and sweet, only rarely revving up to full-speed entertainment. But it's the kind of movie that certain audiences will adopt as their very own Christmas classic.

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CRITICAL WEEK
I headed back to chilly, damp London from sunny Southern California, but slept through the on-board entertainment (mainly because I'd seen all of the films that were available, well at least those I wanted to see!). I arrived just in time for a press screening of Creed, a terrific boxing movie that carries on the Rocky saga with style. Solid filmmaking and acting lift it far above expectations. This coming week I'll catch up with the all-star financial crash drama The Big Short, the holiday horror Krampus, the British comedy Lost in Karastan and the Cannes winning Rams. And I have several others I need to catch up with as year-end awards voting deadlines loom in various groups I am a member of...

On the Road: Family time

Love the Coopers [UK title: Christmas With the Coopers]

dir Jessie Nelson; with Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Alan Arkin 15/US ***.

Marketed as a wacky holiday comedy, it's rather surprising that this film strikes a more serious tone right from the start, with Steve Martin's warm, wry narration introducing us to each member of the sprawling Cooper clan as they reluctantly approach a Christmas Eve dinner together. There are plenty of hilarious moments along the way, but the issues each of these people are dealing with are anything but flippant: this is a film about how life is only very rarely like the happy-glowing images we surround ourselves with at the holidays. And things are beefed up by the powerhouse cast swirling around the terrific Keaton and Goodman in the central roles as a couple at the end of their tether after 40 years of marriage. Olivia Wilde and Ed Helms have strong scenes as their conflicted children, Arkin finds some new nuances in his usual patriarchal role, Marisa Tomei gets the film's most complex role as Keaton's drifting sister. With the multistrand approach, the film feels eerily similar to Love Actually, except with everyone directly related to each other (plus outsiders nicely underplayed by Amanda Seyfried, Anthony Mackie and Jake Lacy). And the large cast kind of spreads the depth around between them, never quite pushing any single character too far. But there's something to engage with in each of them, and the nostalgic emotional surge is meaningful and thankfully not overly sentimental.

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CRITICAL WEEK
I'm still out in California for a few more days - hope to catch a couple of films this weekend, including Secret in Their Eyes (a remake of a favourite film, but the top-notch cast makes it look unmissable) and The Night Before (which looks like it might be mindless fun).

On the Road: Nice work if you can get it

Our Brand Is Crisis

dir David Gordon Green; with Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 15/US ***.

Despite an uneven tone, this breezy political drama touches on several important themes as it freewheels through a scruffy story of American campaign strategists working for rival candidates in an election for Bolivia's president. Based loosely on real people, the film has an authenticity to it that holds the attention, even as it veers wildly between politics, comedy and even slapstick. Of course, Bullock can bridge these gaps effortlessly, and she's terrific as the burn-out reluctantly making a comeback against her fiercest rival, played by an underused Thornton. But then all of the supporting roles are thinly written. This is Bullock's show, and her performance makes the film worth a look. As does what it says about the American political system.  

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CRITICAL WEEK
There are several other films out now in America that I'm hoping to catch up with, including The 33 and By the Sea, and also - purely for work reasons of course, as they open later in the UK - The Peanuts Movie and Love the Coopers.

Critical Week: A cry for help

Jennifer Connelly gives a storming performance in Shelter, written and directed by her husband Paul Bettany and costarring the excellent Anthony Mackie. The film tries to say too much about homelessness, but the drama is involving and the themes important. I've tried to keep this week a bit slow screening-wise, but caught the British comedy A Christmas Star, a goofy romp in the vein of the Nativity! movies - in other words, almost charming enough to make up for its silliness. And The Hallow is an Irish horror about a family that finds sludgy demons living in the woods. It's enjoyably yucky, but not very scary.

But of course the big film of the week was Spectre, the 24th James Bond movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed because it combines the darkly personal elements of Skyfall with old-style 007 storytelling. And for sheer wonder, I have binge-watched the entire first series of David Lynch and Mark Frost's 25-year-old classic gonzo mystery Twin Peaks and am now diving into the second, which I know will remember was more troublingly surreal. I hadn't seen the show since it originally aired 1990-1992, when I participated in Operation Pine Weasel to save the show from cancellation! On Wednesday evening I'm attending the London diner/bar experience The Owls Are Not What They Seem - and I'll cover it here later this week.

I'm preparing for a break in November, so have a few films to catch up with over the next week, including awards-season contenders like Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies and Tom McCarthy's Spotlight, as well as the horror comedy Scouts Guide to the Apocalypse, the South African heist movie Momentum and the drag-queen doc Queen of Ireland.