My feed

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 29th Via: iTunes Store Plot: Two 1990s teenage siblings find themselves in a 1950s sitcom, where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world. Rating: 8.2/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 27th Via: Netflix Plot: As the year we all want to end finally does, take a look back at 2020's mad glory in this comedic retrospective from the creators of "Black Mirror" Rating: 7.1/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 28th Via: Netflix Plot: The elite Ninevah SWAT Team fight to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul from thousands of ISIS militants. Rating: 7.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 27th Via: Netflix Plot: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play. Rating: 7.8/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 26th Via: Cinema Plot: In the 1980s, entrepreneur Maxwell Lord comes into the possession of an ancient Latin artefact with the power to grant wishes. Diana Prince instantly recognizes the dangers of this power, and seeks to stop Maxwell from taking over the world. Rating: 4.3/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 26th Via: Netflix Plot: A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. Rating: 7.1/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 26th Via: 4K Blu-ray Plot: A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic extinction-level event. Rating: 7.5/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 26th Via: Disney+ Plot: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself. Rating: 8.4/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 23rd Via: Netflix Plot: In 2018, 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappear in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family's story made headlines around the world. Rating: 7.6/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 24th Via: Amazon Prime Plot: A poor otter family risks everything for the chance to win the cash prize of a talent contest for Christmas. Rating: 8.0/10

First Viewing Plot: A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.

Phew, here's another Christmas title I can finally tick off the list after about a decade of intending to watch it. This is also the last "major" adaptation of A Christmas Carol that I hadn't seen - methinks I can live without seeing any further iterations of this story. Anyway, this musical retelling of Charles Dickens' novella is robust entertainment, peppered with terrific songs and with a mostly terrific cast (except for Alec Guinness, who's frankly awful as Jacob Marley's ghost - he would barely pass muster in a school play). Albert Finney was in his early 30s here, yet he manages to convincingly pull off the bitter old miser, while also being able to play younger versions of Scrooge. The storytelling is effective, and, even though it hits the same old familiar narrative beats, it's still compelling entertainment. However, it is inarguably long in the tooth at nearly two hours (one of the longest versions of A Christmas Carol to date), and some of the sets are clearly just sets, rather than feeling more authentic or lived-in. Nevertheless, 1970's Scrooge is a good flick.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 23rd Via: Amazon Prime Plot: A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. Rating: 7.2/10

Produced by FX and the BBC, this is a brand new rendering of the oft-adapted Charles Dickens novella of the same name which manages to actually justify its existence. Indeed, rather than slavishly following the same familiar old framework, writer Steven Knight uses the broad strokes of the story merely as a jumping-off point, and spends three hours working through loads of story material without creating something that feels unnecessarily padded out. This feels like a movie first and foremost, as it's not structured like a standard miniseries, and it feels like a missed opportunity that this didn't sneak into cinemas as a theatrical feature. The technical presentation is easily as polished and confident as a cinema release, while the cast is peppered with well-known names; not just Guy Pearce, but Andy Serkis, Stephen Graham and Jason Flemyng, among others. Plus, the performances are superb right down the line. Naturally, this adaptation does incorporate some of the more familiar scenes from the novella, but feels fresh for the most part, and this is easily the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol in decades. The tone is more grim and realistic, and Scrooge's past is full of despicable things which render him almost unredeemable. And, indeed, this version doesn't end with an optimistically cheery Scrooge laughing and showering everybody with kindness, because he understands that redemption does not come easy and there's a long road ahead. Again, this is such an interesting take on the material and I only wish that it were longer. From a narrative standpoint, my only real complaint pertains to the treatment of Ebenezer's nephew, Fred. He's introduced coming into Scrooge's workplace to invite him to Christmas dinner, but is never heard from again - he's not seen in visions of Christmas present, nor does Ebenezer go to his house to take him up on his invitation. This feels like a dangling plot thread. But this aside, 2019's A Christmas Carol is superb and definitely worth checking out. I mean, Ridley Scott and Tom Hardy produced this, so you know the pedigree is damn good. I'm also pretty sure this is the first version of A Christmas Carol to contain f-bombs.

First Viewing Plot: Bitter old miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits who seek to convince him to pursue redemption.

Produced by FX and the BBC, this is a brand new rendering of the oft-adapted Charles Dickens novella of the same name which manages to actually justify its existence. Indeed, rather than slavishly following the same familiar old framework, writer Steven Knight uses the broad strokes of the story merely as a jumping-off point, and spends three hours working through loads of story material without creating something that feels unnecessarily padded out. This feels like a movie first and foremost, as it's not structured like a standard miniseries, and it feels like a missed opportunity that this didn't sneak into cinemas as a theatrical feature. The technical presentation is easily as polished and confident as a cinema release, while the cast is peppered with well-known names; not just Guy Pearce, but Andy Serkis, Stephen Graham and Jason Flemyng, among others. Plus, the performances are superb right down the line. Naturally, this adaptation does incorporate some of the more familiar scenes from the novella, but feels fresh for the most part, and this is easily the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol in decades. The tone is more grim and realistic, and Scrooge's past is full of despicable things which render him almost unredeemable. And, indeed, this version doesn't end with an optimistically cheery Scrooge laughing and showering everybody with kindness, because he understands that redemption does not come easy and there's a long road ahead. Again, this is such an interesting take on the material and I only wish that it were longer. From a narrative standpoint, my only real complaint pertains to the treatment of Ebenezer's nephew, Fred. He's introduced coming into Scrooge's workplace to invite him to Christmas dinner, but is never heard from again - he's not seen in visions of Christmas present, nor does Ebenezer go to his house to take him up on his invitation. This feels like a dangling plot thread. But this aside, 2019's A Christmas Carol is superb and definitely worth checking out. I mean, Ridley Scott and Tom Hardy produced this, so you know the pedigree is damn good. I'm also pretty sure this is the first version of A Christmas Carol to contain f-bombs.