Chaplin
dir. Richard Attenborough (1992)
A lengthy biopic that musters unexpected pathos in portraying the rise and fall, the brilliance and obsession, the unhappy wretchedness (some dictated by circumstances, some self-inflicted) of the man behind the tramp mask. Downey Jr. is exceptional even amongst a stellar cast.
Doctor Who: Psi-ence Fiction
by Chris Boucher (BBC, 2001)
Boucher knows how to build a story, if not how to end one; how to flesh out minor characters, if not how to distinguish them; and above all how to write for Leela… even if portraying the Doctor as a high-functioning psychotic!
Field of Dreams
dir. Phil Alden Robinson (1989)
An audacious mixture of nostalgia, yearning, and regrets made good, held together by baseball (as a national institution) and wrapped in a fantasy scenario perfectly served by its cast: Kevin Costner, yes, but notably Amy Madigan and James Earl Jones. Thoroughly entrancing!
Holmes and Moriarty
by Gareth Rubin (Simon & Schuster, 2024)
audiobook read by Michael Fenner & Gareth Armstrong (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2024)
The Holmes/Watson characterisation feels right, and Moriarty/Moran emerge as an equally absorbing duo (Watson and Moran alternating their first-person accounts), yet the titular conflux amounts to little. The plot devolves into explicated mystery where neither Holmes nor Moriarty (nor Mycroft) contribute much.
The River Bank
by Kij Johnson; ill. Kathleen Jennings (Small Beer Press, 2017)
Johnson’s Wind in the Willows sequel captures the characters and setting of Grahame’s original while adding two new principals: Beryl the Mole lady (an authoress) and her flighty female companion Rabbit, who joins Toad on a misadventure and proves rather more capable.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1926); audiobook read by Hugh Fraser (Lamplight, 2014)
A much-lauded work that, nearly a century after first publication, remains deserving of its reputation. Poirot nudges the reader at every crucial point but never gives the game away. Christie sticks the landing (and really does make the most of Hastings’ departure)!
La Femme Nikita
dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]
![Film poster: “La Femme Nikita” dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/La-Femme-Nikita-1990.jpg)
An influential film that remains more watchable than many of its imitators, despite the 80s vibe and a sense that Besson is making it up as he goes, favouring cinematic moments over plot. Anne Parillaud and Jean-Hughes Anglade bestow an emotional legitimacy.
You Don’t Have to Have a Dream: Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious
by Tim Minchin (Penguin, 2024)
audiobook read by Tim Minchin (Penguin Random House Australia Audio, 2024)
A short (1-hour) audiobook that sees Minchin re-read three valedictory speeches he gave in connection with his honorary doctorates. The more zestful originals are available on YouTube, but Minchin has added introductory notes, and the life lessons / underlying philosophy bear collating.
Nona the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir (Tor, 2022)
audiobook read by Moira Quirk (Recorded Books, 2022)
For a third time, Muir immerses her readers without exposition (though characters bleed through and the series backstory is given space). Nona takes up the baton and proves worthy, despite the unconscionably abrupt ending. Quirk deserves a medal for her audiobook reading.
Grace, Series 1
by Russell Lewis (ITV, 2021)
Essentially two feature-length pilot episodes where Lewis hasn’t quite decided which facet of John Simm’s character to emphasise (masterful investigator or flakey quasi-widower). The support cast looks promising and the murder scenarios are very much on the dark side—nothing cosy here.