The year of brain rot, Gladiator 2: The Musical, Cruel Summer, About a Boy reunion, unlikeable female characters, the healing power of theatre and Switzerland's love for reggeaton.
Gladiator II and Black Doves both left me with the same impression that I was thoroughly entertained but in the end they both fell short. I loved the cinematography in both and the acting is outstanding but I just found the plot and script could have done with some fine tuning. In Gladiator II I wish they’d done one fewer fight scene and left more time for character development. The whole arch of finding out who Lucius goes by so fast and then we never really get the backstory for Macrinus to understand why gets up to what he does (no spoilers). Probably no Oscar nom because of these slip ups I think. With Black Doves it also felt rushed in places and a bit too many happy coincidences or plot twists you could see from miles away. Similarly to the first season of the Diplomat it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a bit humorous or not and kept it in here and there but never all the way. I hope it gets better season 2 as The Diplomat did.
Gladiator II goes from "here, a new guy" to "OMG you're your father's son" and it's just like WTF. To be honest, didn't watch it for the plot so all things considered it's enjoyable but I 'm with you on the lack of development of characters. Maybe that's why Denzel Washistands out so muc: he's by far the most interesting of them all and he makes the most of that privilege. And Black Doves has legs to improve, but as someone extremely partial to Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, plus my soft spot for a show that showcases London, I'm afraid I can't be objective. I started The Diplomat but reminded me of my old job so I 'very parked it for the time being.
Hi Cristina, thank you for the mention! Read the post a few days ago but had been holding off replying because there are so many recommendations to digest + add to the list with Wham! at first priority.
And wait, About a Boy is not part of the regular conversation about cinema in the UK??? What is wrong with people?
Would be curious to know your thoughts if you have any about Martha, the 2024 documentary on Netflix about Martha Stewart. I watched it last night at the recommendation (insistence!) of my brother, and it's been ticking about.
I started the Martha documentary and then forgot about it. Might be a good time to resubmit as I read a few bits here and there and I want to be able to gossip too 😅 And yes About a Boy doesn't always make an appearance when Grant foes these retrospectives of his work. I guess this may be because he's had a wonderful career renaissance in the last decade and therefore when he's doing one of those "Hugh Grant breaks out his key roles" it's always Four weddings, Nottingham Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones from that time that they ask him to comment on. About a Boy is a bit more niche in that regard. That's my guess anyway.
Ooooh what do we have here, a shoutout to my favourite movie, that useless beach song in Australia that nobody should listen more than once, and Mahmood who is awesome and FUN FACT in tuta gold he sings a phrase that's misunderstood by every-one and google search for 'cileni ripieni di zucchero' (chileans filled with sugar) reached an all times high during Sanremo when, in fact, he said 'gile neri pieni di zucchero' (black vests filled with sugar) and I think it's beautiful.
You have actually solved the mystery about that line in Tuta Gold which I kept listening to and left me a bit puzzled 😂😂😂 Although Chileans filled with sugar made for an interesting interpretation of what the song actually meant... Sorry to hear that Riptide has been tormenting you also in 2024 but think it could have been worse. Like Cruel Summer worse 😂 And which was the favourite movie by the way?
About A Boy is up there and definitely underrated. Hahahah these chileans, always up to no good XD ... now I am afraid of looking up Cruel Summer in case there's more offensive banjoes. I don't vibe with the aussie beachy 'the world is my oyster' kind of music (you know the one...)
About a Boy is criminally overlooked. Now that Hugh Grant is back on the game we need a sequel so justice can be made for the first one too. It was the first book by Nick Hornby I read years ago and I loved it, been a fan ever since. And yes, I think I know the type: beach waves, Hawaiian shirt open to their navel, nothing can bother them, little hat, shells necklace... I feel your pain!
I've enjoyed reading his books too! Such a good writer :) On my bookshelf his books are next to the Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti (I HOPE they translated some of his work into other languages, especially 'Fango')
I remember reading Io Non Ho Paura years ago and loved it! Must look more into his other books as I'm always interested in contemporary Italian writers (who are not Fabio Volo)
Wendy, this is such a lovely comment, thanks so much! One of the reasons I thought of including your piece was precisely to remind myself -and others- that there are amazing men out there and that it's important at times like these to be open to the goodness that exists in the world. Hopefully 2025 will bring more of that for everyone.
I loved @wendyvarley How I Met My Match too. Lovely to be reminded of it.
It was a very heartwarming piece and I’m glad this has reminded you of it 🙂
Gladiator II and Black Doves both left me with the same impression that I was thoroughly entertained but in the end they both fell short. I loved the cinematography in both and the acting is outstanding but I just found the plot and script could have done with some fine tuning. In Gladiator II I wish they’d done one fewer fight scene and left more time for character development. The whole arch of finding out who Lucius goes by so fast and then we never really get the backstory for Macrinus to understand why gets up to what he does (no spoilers). Probably no Oscar nom because of these slip ups I think. With Black Doves it also felt rushed in places and a bit too many happy coincidences or plot twists you could see from miles away. Similarly to the first season of the Diplomat it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a bit humorous or not and kept it in here and there but never all the way. I hope it gets better season 2 as The Diplomat did.
Otherwise, wow lots to catch up on.
Gladiator II goes from "here, a new guy" to "OMG you're your father's son" and it's just like WTF. To be honest, didn't watch it for the plot so all things considered it's enjoyable but I 'm with you on the lack of development of characters. Maybe that's why Denzel Washistands out so muc: he's by far the most interesting of them all and he makes the most of that privilege. And Black Doves has legs to improve, but as someone extremely partial to Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, plus my soft spot for a show that showcases London, I'm afraid I can't be objective. I started The Diplomat but reminded me of my old job so I 'very parked it for the time being.
Hi Cristina, thank you for the mention! Read the post a few days ago but had been holding off replying because there are so many recommendations to digest + add to the list with Wham! at first priority.
And wait, About a Boy is not part of the regular conversation about cinema in the UK??? What is wrong with people?
Would be curious to know your thoughts if you have any about Martha, the 2024 documentary on Netflix about Martha Stewart. I watched it last night at the recommendation (insistence!) of my brother, and it's been ticking about.
I started the Martha documentary and then forgot about it. Might be a good time to resubmit as I read a few bits here and there and I want to be able to gossip too 😅 And yes About a Boy doesn't always make an appearance when Grant foes these retrospectives of his work. I guess this may be because he's had a wonderful career renaissance in the last decade and therefore when he's doing one of those "Hugh Grant breaks out his key roles" it's always Four weddings, Nottingham Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones from that time that they ask him to comment on. About a Boy is a bit more niche in that regard. That's my guess anyway.
Ooooh what do we have here, a shoutout to my favourite movie, that useless beach song in Australia that nobody should listen more than once, and Mahmood who is awesome and FUN FACT in tuta gold he sings a phrase that's misunderstood by every-one and google search for 'cileni ripieni di zucchero' (chileans filled with sugar) reached an all times high during Sanremo when, in fact, he said 'gile neri pieni di zucchero' (black vests filled with sugar) and I think it's beautiful.
You have actually solved the mystery about that line in Tuta Gold which I kept listening to and left me a bit puzzled 😂😂😂 Although Chileans filled with sugar made for an interesting interpretation of what the song actually meant... Sorry to hear that Riptide has been tormenting you also in 2024 but think it could have been worse. Like Cruel Summer worse 😂 And which was the favourite movie by the way?
About A Boy is up there and definitely underrated. Hahahah these chileans, always up to no good XD ... now I am afraid of looking up Cruel Summer in case there's more offensive banjoes. I don't vibe with the aussie beachy 'the world is my oyster' kind of music (you know the one...)
About a Boy is criminally overlooked. Now that Hugh Grant is back on the game we need a sequel so justice can be made for the first one too. It was the first book by Nick Hornby I read years ago and I loved it, been a fan ever since. And yes, I think I know the type: beach waves, Hawaiian shirt open to their navel, nothing can bother them, little hat, shells necklace... I feel your pain!
I've enjoyed reading his books too! Such a good writer :) On my bookshelf his books are next to the Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti (I HOPE they translated some of his work into other languages, especially 'Fango')
I remember reading Io Non Ho Paura years ago and loved it! Must look more into his other books as I'm always interested in contemporary Italian writers (who are not Fabio Volo)
Thanks for a wonderful round-up, Cristina.
There have been some very serious sides to 2024, as you say, and there's no magic wand that will guarantee 2025 will be better.
I hope you don't let the Pelicot case put you off forever. The men in my life were as horrified by it as I was.
Very glad to be part of your "cultural sunshine", with How I Met My Match! It was a lovely surprise to see that, thank you.
I recognise some of your other tips, but will enjoy exploring those I've not come across before.
Enjoy your break, with a good book or two!
Wendy, this is such a lovely comment, thanks so much! One of the reasons I thought of including your piece was precisely to remind myself -and others- that there are amazing men out there and that it's important at times like these to be open to the goodness that exists in the world. Hopefully 2025 will bring more of that for everyone.
My gosh how packed is this newsletter. There is so much I need to go back and click through to but in a rush to catch a return flight as I read!
Safe travels! I realised it was getting out of control as I hadn’t done a round-up in a while 😅