Falling for Christmas, 2022 - ★★
There should be a special star rating system for Christmas films. This one was actually better than I expected.
Beauty, 2022 - ★★
I liked the style of this film, including the decision not to let us hear Beauty sing. Ultimately it’s a tragedy and felt reminiscent of what I know about Whitney Houston’s life, which left me wondering whether the character of Beauty was based on her.
Overall, I felt the filmmaker was trying a bit too hard and failed to create any connection for me with either the characters or story.
Inside Out, 2015 - ★★★★
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Pixar at its best.
… slightly concerned the guiding emotions in my head behave a little like those in Dad’s head though.
2022: A year in books
Here are the books I finished reading in 2022. I didn’t set myself a goal, it’s not helpful for me. Instead I prefer to aim to read a little every day. The final count of 18 feels about average for me over the course of a year.
Of these titles, the standouts were:
- The Name of the Wind
- Treacle Walker
- The Vanishing Half
- Spring Cannot be Cancelled
- Great Circle
Joker, 2019 - ★★★
I don’t know what to make of Joker. It made me feel supremely uncomfortable and I don’t know if that’s a result of its brilliance or because it vastly missed the mark. What I do know is Joaquin Phoenix is always intriguing.
This rating could have been a 2 and could have been a 4, so I split the difference.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, 2022 - ★★★★
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film and glad I left my judgments aside when invited to see it.
Finished reading in 2022: Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake 📚
Finishing up the Gormenghast trilogy. I was really surprised just how much I enjoyed it and how long the characters have stayed with me. Really want to re-watch the BBC TV adaptation.
Finished reading in 2022: The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz 📚
Finished reading in 2022: Roseanna (The Martin Beck series, Book 1) by Maj Sjöwall 📚
It’s difficult to tell whether the functional language of this was due to the author’s style or the translation to English. Either way, I found it’s starkness compelling and a good addition to the atmosphere of the story.
Finished reading in 2022: Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver 📚
I’ve read a couple of other books by Kingsolver which, while I enjoyed I found overly descriptive. This was both an easy and enjoyable read.
Making Yorkshire puddings tonight with a new recipe and a new tin. What could possibly go wrong 🤞
Finished reading: Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Level 6 by John le Carré 📚
This might have been my first le Carré but it won’t be my last.
Wondered why I was seeing a flurry of finished book posts. Thought it might be that reading is a microbloggers main activity during twixtmas, but now reassessing as I realise there’s books I need to log in order to add them to my 2022 reading list 😆