Month: November 2025

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My children are currently 10 and 13. In the not distant future, I fully expect to be asked to account for my repeated assertions that I believe in Father Christmas. I hope, when that time comes, my explanations will make sense to them.

I’ll talk a bit about card tricks and WWE; how some things shouldn’t be diminished by not being “the truth”. But, most importantly, I’ll talk about anthropomorphic personification and, therefore, the Christmas spirit, as a reminder of the importance of sharing and kindness, and being together.

And, since they’re rational and logical, I hope that having freed their minds of the mechanics of chimneys and sleigh velocities, they’ll think my version is actually a bit better.

Watched The Fall Guy (2024) by an author from letterboxd.com
Fresh off an almost career-ending accident, stuntman Colt Seavers has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job.

Never better than great or worse than average. Clearly, a great deal of love was sunken into this movie but sadly very little resurfaces on the screen. And I say that as someone who genuinely appreciates stunt work and Ryan Gosling in comedic roles. Bit of a shame, really.

Still, a long overdue Oscar for Best Stunt Design will be given out in 2028. And that, really, ain’t nothin’.

★★★½

My review

Watched Now You See Me (2013) by an author from letterboxd.com
An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

No idea when I first saw this but I’m sure it was in a cinema. Can’t believe we paid for that…

★★

My review

Today I learned a depressing new phrase: “the tyranny of the majority”. Apparently, this is how the privileged view the plebs…

How do YOU recommend films to people when what makes them worth a watch is an amazing plot twist (that you don’t want to spoil/telegraph)?

Rather than imagine the implications if it were, simply accept that is the greatest “pump and dump” scam in history and adjust accordingly.

In 2023, a woman named Nicola Bulley went missing in the UK.

While this was unfolding, an old friend from university, who emmigrated to the US (MANY years ago), visited the UK. He was amazed at how much CCTV footage was available to track this woman’s movements. He firmly believed that US citizens would go NUTS if they were under that much surveillance.

Now I hear that there is a company called that not only provides video surveillance, but automated [number] plate recognition ([ANPR]) and “gunfire locator systems”, and “supporting software to integrate the data gathered by these technologies”.

I’m just speechless. If law enforcement use ANPR in the UK, they often have to warn people in advance, and yet this is an always-on service?! Incredible.