I’m glad I’ve decided to eschew collating all these missed posts for halves of years separately – last year I watched two films in total and that’s kind of embarrassing. I’ve also started watching older films again; my boyfriend’s into the early and mid 20th century years too so I’ve someone to watch them with.

The Blues Brothers (US, 1980) – Pretty fun. Loved the cameos and also the fact that Aretha Franklin’s husband goes off to rejoin his band, the band are trying to make a lot of money, and no one suggested the woman who just belted out an effective item number with top-notch vocals join them.

Coraline (US, 2009) – My boyfriend’s a big fan of the film so I watched it but probably wouldn’t have ended up seeing it otherwise as it had never really interested me. I’m glad I saw it; I liked it a lot.

Corpse Bride (US/UK, 2005) – Very good. Nicely humorous and fun in general.

Despicable Me 4 (US, 2024) – Loved it. Can’t go wrong with this series.

Freaky Friday (US, 2003) – I’ve kept meaning to watch this over the course of my life and never got round to it. It was worth the wait; absolutely fantastically funny. I’ve heard the recent second doesn’t measure up but I want to give it a go.

The Hunchback Of Notredame (US, 1996) – Technically this isn’t my first time watching it – I watched as a child – but, having now seen it as an adult, whoa this is a bit too dark for children!

Love Again (US/UK, 2023) – This film should have been a shoo-in for me: I’m a big fan of Priyanka Chopra; I like Outlander; I like Omid Jalili; I grew up on the Celine Dion album the heavily-featured song belongs to; I could continue, you get the picture. It was unfortunately not at all good. Basically everything that wasn’t the actors themselves (there are a lot of famous actors in this) fell short and made this painful to watch.

The Magic Faraway Tree (UK, 2026) – I liked how this was adapted for the modern era and it was fun and the bad guy wasn’t a true bad guy which is still a nice novelty, but it missed the mark a bit. Or, rather, the natural progression was surely for one kid to go to the magic land, the other kids to join her on the return, and then – the bit that wasn’t included – the parents to do so too. If the forthcoming sequels are about the same family, I hope the parents are included in the magic.

Michael (US/UK, 2026) – Let’s be honest, this is an excuse to have a dance party in a cinema but it is a good film nonetheless.

The Pink Panther (US, 1963) – Fantastic. Wish I could see it for the first time again.

The Pink Panther: A Shot In The Dark (US, 1964) – Not quite as good as the first one but then that would’ve been difficult to beat.

The Producers (US, 1967) – No surprise that the woman who appreciates books that mostly remain in one place found a film that is mostly one scene very good indeed.

Rebecca (UK, 2020) – This hasn’t been given that many positive reviews but I thought it was great. Could it have been better? Yes, but we got the original ending and a love marriage that felt real. I also liked this version of Mrs Danvers as there came a point I almost believed she’d changed even when I knew she hadn’t.

Summer Wars (Japan, 2009) – I’d wanted to watch this for years during the time is was difficult to get anime films in the west but one thing I forgot to do was actually find out what it was about. I think I would’ve preferred less gaming (my holy grail is Free Guy and nothing has yet measured up) but it was good over all. Now I’ve just got to watch My Name and My Neighbor Totoro and the list of anime films I’ve wanted to watch for ages will be complete.

Super Mario Bros (US, 2023) – Did not enjoy. I’ll try the Zelda movie.

Wicked (US, 2024) – The hype affected this a bit for me in that I didn’t find it to be amazing but it was very good and I liked the casting.

A Christmas Prince (US, 2017) – Your usual not great but festive kind of film. I watched this for Rose McIver and she and the cast do well with what they’ve been given to work with.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (US, 2018) – Likewise.

Looking For Her (US, 2022) – This was obviously lower budget than some but the production did a fair job and the relationship worked.

A Very British Christmas (UK, 2019) – This could have maybe been okay but if you’re going to have a character who is a famous singer and the script goes on about the singing to the point they join a choir for an event that is shown, you’ve got to have them singing in the film.

And that’s the last couple of years accounted for.

Netflix’s Rebecca offers something that was sorely lacking in Alfred Hitchcock’s original adaptation; owing to the Code of the time, Daphne Du Maurier’s original ending was changed. I’ve been surprised that it’s taken so long for Hollywood or anyone else to produce an updated, ‘true’ version, in film – there have been TV series – but Netflix has done it.

I’ll refrain from saying what either Du Maurier’s or Hitchcock’s endings are just in case someone who doesn’t know them stumbles across this review, but I do expect most reading this will at least know one or the other.

To speak more broadly, to get this review properly in motion, this new adaptation is in many ways very different. It has proved controversial – many have not liked it – but then I’d question how many are basing their dislike with only Hitchcock for reference. (Though certainly any dislike here would be better than those who only know Lawrence Olivier’s version of Wuthering Heights and compare it to a newer adaptation, given how much more horrifying the book is compared to that film. What is it about Olivier and films that fundamentally change the book’s ending or story… yes, I know, the Code!)

At the risk of reiterating a well-known premise, our unnamed narrator is employed as a companion to a fairly wealthy woman and when they are holidaying in Monte Carlo, the narrator meets Maxim de Winter, a rich widower. When her employer falls ill, the narrator is taken on a number of dates by Max, who has taken a shine to her, and they ultimately end up suddenly marrying, much to the employer’s irritation and warnings. The couple travel back to the de Winter seat, Mandeley, but much of the house is a shrine to the first wife and the narrator starts to be drawn in by the obsessed housekeeper and Rebecca’s decorative influences everywhere she looks.

Lily James is our narrator character, not as much a narrator as the character is in the book, but the film follows her. She isn’t a bad choice for the job but I have to agree with other reviewers who say the character seems a little too… I’m going to use the word ‘confident’ for ease, and that due to this the character’s later decent into paranoia doesn’t quite pass muster. This is surely an issue of direction because it is all in the unspoken gestures and actions – the script itself is fine. This does, then, all mean the character isn’t always believable but I do wonder how I might have felt if I didn’t have both the primary and secondary source material so well known to me. It’s quite impossible to avoid comparisons and due to the differences the production has made, most particularly the overall look and to Max’s character – in comparison to Olivier’s, I’ll get on to that – I can’t help but wonder how this film would seem were it the only adaptation or, at least, if there had been none from Hitchcock.

Essentially, then, I do not think Lily James’ narrator is… wrong, but she had a lot already riding on her. As I wrote in my notebook, this film is about giving her more agency than Joan Fontaine’s had.

Armie Hammer’s Max is where it gets interesting. Pushed back a bit, as it were, to seem less of a presence, less important than even before, you get more of a sense of it being the narrator’s story here. However what you also get, which is, I’d say, the best aspect of the film, is a real sense that Max loves the narrator. Hammer’s Max still says that iconic line, ‘I’m asking you to marry me, you little fool’, but in this case, he actually really seems to love her, ‘fool’ aside. A lot of this is due to the fact more scenes are spent in Monte Carlo but whoever chose to put Hammer on the list for casting, deserves some points for a scoring system I haven’t created. I’ve never before felt that Max was really into his relationship. Watching this film, I do now. Hammer also makes Max more appealing in general – you can see why the narrator loves him. This said, the age gap is not apparent, which possibly has something to do with it. It does render ‘you little fool’ a little foolish.

Kristin Scott Thomas had big boots or high heels to fill in her Mrs Danvers but also nothing too fundamental to change – Mrs Danvers will always be Mrs Danvers, Hitchcock ending or not. Scott Thomas’ version of the character is not all that terrifying, mostly due to the cinematography doing a lot of the legwork and the character being updated in actions and direction to better fit our present day (there are no squealing strings or psychotic, film, looks, for example) but she is scary enough – more manipulative. Scoot Thomas also manages to humanise the character a bit, which is fascinating to witness.

The biggest aspect then, as said, is the reinstatement of the book’s ending. It also helps humanise Max (a lot of the film is about humanisation, really, which is something I came to realise while writing this review) and it is, as a result, a lot more interesting. It also allows the narrator to come full circle from being confident to vulnerable to confidence once more. She holds her own at last. And it gives Mrs Danvers more to do. In fact the only thing I wasn’t sure about was the very, very, end where the film finishes on Lily James breaking the fourth wall before the title on a backdrop breaks the contact – by the end things have changed, yet here is Rebecca’s name once again.

All in all, then, while, yes, there are ways it could have been better (I do hope we don’t have to wait another 82 years for another film adaptation) it is satisfactory. There is a lot to enjoy – Rebecca’s suite suits her to an ‘R’ and that cinematography is perfect.

I don’t think James and Hammer will be replacing Fontaine and Olivier in the popular culture, but it’s a bloody good attempt.

I felt a bit shameful about the idea I should – in my wish to chronicle the films I’ve watched – have to put 18 months together. Then I looked at the below list, compiled from those months, and thought it was a brilliant idea. Being an avid reader who can’t read and watch screens at the same time equals I haven’t watched very much… and actually none of the below were watched this year. I did binge-watch Bridgerton (loved the first two seasons, hated the third, am keeping Queen Charlotte for some time in the future because once it’s watched it’s all over), but beyond that there’s been little.

Barbie (USA, 2023) – I loved this right up until the end where, to me, the whole premise seemed to have been thrown out. I don’t know, I was very confused.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (USA, 2023) – Very good, though I personally thought it would have been better if it had showed the players playing the game sometimes, instead of it being fully lore-based.

Encanto (USA, 2021) – Not the best Disney’s ever made but fun. Admittedly probably a lot better if you’re in the target age group.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (USA, 2022) – I still to this day do not understand much of what went on here but it was a blooming good film regardless.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War (USA, 2016) – The first one was much better.

Maleficent (USA, 2014) – I loved the message about true love.

The Little Mermaid (USA, 2023) – I’m not too interested in the live action versions that are heavily CGI-based but I suppose you can’t really get around it for this. I did enjoy it otherwise and thank god the dog doesn’t get killed.

Plus One (USA, 2019) – Very bog standard storyline but a good cast, excellent script, and the general execution is good as well.

Shazam! (USA, 2019) – I absolutely loved this film. It was just lots of fun, not overly predictable (within the scope of a genre that is predictable), and did different things to other action films.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (USA, 2023) – I looked forward to this so much. It was awful.

Tomorrow Never Dies (UK/USA, 1997) – It starred Michelle Yeoh. I can’t remember the rest – I find I either really enjoy or just tolerate James Bond films.

The World Is Not Enough (UK/USA, 1999) – Ditto the above, minus Michelle Yeoh because she’s not in it.

I am still upset about the second Shazam!. I think if it hadn’t trodden the same plot that every bad sequel seems to tread it would’ve been great – more about the kids, less about the new ‘worse than the last one’ bad guys. Everything Everywhere All At Once was probably, objectively, the best, but my favourite would have to be that first Shazam!.

I didn’t actually watch any films in the first half of 2022, which is just as well in a way because this list is long enough and took ages to compile… and there’s me worrying last year about the fact I had gone six months without a film. I’m sill watching Cary Grant, I’m still watching cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. And I’m finding that the last few years have been stellar for superhero-in-some-way-or-form stories. (Shazam! will be on the next list I create and I loved the heck out of it.)

The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer / Bachelor Knight [UK title] (USA, 1947) – Pretty fun throughout but there are a couple of absolutely hilarious scenes about three quarters of the way in that make it a winner.

Big Hero 6 (USA, 2014) – A genius scientist child, Hiro, takes over the creation of a medical care robot his equally-genius brother had been making before he died; Hiro keeps at it, animating the robot and later teaming up with others to fight a bad guy. Pretty darn entertaining with a lot of heart.

Bill (UK, 2015) – A fictionalised comedic film about the younger years of Shakespeare created by the people who made the Horrible Histories TV series and Ghosts. Ergo it’s bonkers, makes little sense, and is hilarious.

Charming (USA, 2019) – Prince Charming bewitches every women and this will only end on his 21st birthday, but then he meets the thief, Leonore, who isn’t bewitched by him at all and that means the spell may be broken. The only problem is she isn’t interested in him. Great premise, fell to stereotypical stuff too quickly.

Crazy Rich Asians (USA, 2018) – Nick takes his girlfriend Rachel to Singapore for the wedding of his friend; this is when she learns her boyfriend is incredibly, incredibly wealthy and when his mother finds out he’s dating someone without money… One of the best films I’ve ever seen – great cinematography, soundtrack, acting, and so on; I now get the hype about the book and hope to read it at some point.

Free Guy (USA, 2021) – An NPC in the world’s biggest MMORPG goes rogue when he meets a kick-arse female character who, it turns out, is a human player’s character. No longer is his repeated daily routine enough – he wants to be with the cool guys. Loved every moment, and it was wonderful to have a woman front and centre in both the game itself and in the gamer’s chair.

GoldenEye (UK, 1995) – James Bond, enough said. I’m not the biggest fan of the films, too predictable for me, but it was interesting from a film history perspective.

Happiness Season (USA, 2020) – Harper invites her girlfriend Abby to spend Christmas with her family; it’s only once they’re on their way that Harper tells Abby she hasn’t told her family she’s gay. The premise and general atmosphere had a lot of promise, but it always seemed very possible that the family were going to be fine with Harper’s sexuality and the reality of her ‘friendship’, which made it go a bit too slowly. That said, the end was great, and Dan Levy was hilarious.

Kindergarten Cop (USA, 1990) – A cop goes undercover as a teacher to catch a drug dealer and discovers he loves teaching a heck of a lot. Fun!

Late Night (USA, 2019) – A woman whose late night show is dropping in the ratings hires a new member of staff based on their gender and race in order to hopefully freshen up her programme; Molly is her new Indian-American hire but Katherine isn’t sure it’ll work. Not particularly funny, no real effort given to showing why Molly is perfect for the job (she’s in theory a great writer), not very good.

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (USA, 1948) – The family lives in too small a home; Mr Blandings buys a home that supposedly needs a bit of fixing only to find the place is falling apart and they must work on it. Pretty unique and enjoyable; the house in the film was created by the production company to market the film and they in fact made many all over America. The buildings mostly still exist today, some are homes, others offices.

My Favourite Wife (USA, 1940) – Ellen’s ship is lost so, years later, Nick marries again, only Ellen’s not dead and she’s on her way back home. Pretty good, and the second wife is a nice person which makes it better.

The Personal History Of David Copperfield (UK, 2019) – Young David goes to stay with the Peggotty family and when he gets back and his mother is married again he ultimately ends up having to leave due to his step-father and aunt; this starts him on a course of moving between and through various situations whilst he grows up. I haven’t read the book yet so I can’t comment on that aspect but the film was okay; sometimes funny, and the actors were all brilliant, particularly Dev Patel who made a perfect Dickens hero, but overall it just missed the mark a bit.

The Secret Life Of Pets (USA, 2016) – An owner gets a second dog and the two don’t get on, but they are forced to reassess when, away from their owner, a cat takes their collars and they loose that identification. I struggled with the personification of the rabbit but other than that it was good.

The Secret Life Of Pets 2 (USA, 2019) – This time the dogs are with their owner but they’ve got to keep an eye on her new little guy and his well-being. This was much more fun.

Sense And Sensibility (UK/USA, 1995) – The Dashwoods have to change their lifestyle when their house is given to their father’s son from a previous relationship, with the daughters looking to marry to help their three-person family carry on. Not so strangely, I felt similarly about this as I did the book, which is to say I quite liked it but not overly much. It’s still the Bennets for me.

Spies In Disguise (USA, 2019) – A top spy makes some mistakes and in order to try and get himself back in the game agrees to team up with a young inventor. He’s not sure about this inventor and he is right to be so – the young man accidentally turns him into a pigeon. Deterred yet not deterred, the spy wants to continue working even if he can no longer do anything human. The trailer was hilarious, and the whole film provides; brilliant fun.

The Thomas Crown Affair (USA, 1999) – A woman joins the case of a missing artwork, not caring that the men already working on it aren’t sure about her, and goes on a date with the main suspect, a billionaire who knows all, whilst working to bring him down. Saying anything more risks spoiling it – fab film.

The Christmas Chalet (USA, 2019) – A chalet is double-booked by a single man and, then, a single mother and her daughter. They each can’t go anywhere else so they’ll have to get along. Doesn’t require all your focus.

Christmas In Evergreen (USA, 2017) – A woman wishes for a great Christmas, using what turns out to be a magic snow globe, but instead of it helping her long-distance relationship she finds love elsewhere when the daughter of a single father, both making a short stopover in the town, makes a wish with the snow globe too. Not great chemistry, but it ‘did’.

Christmas Wishes And Mistletoe Kisses (USA, 2019) – Abby helps decorate a regular Christmas tree and the owner of the business sees it as reason to suggest Abby tries for the job of decorating for a businessman’s party. Nick isn’t sure she’s right for the job… and I agree with him as very little effort is put into showing that she’s a good decorator, both in terms of the tree and the party. Which completely spoils the whole thing.

I’ve said enough here, I’ll leave it there. Let me know any recent films you’ve watched that you’d recommend.

I’m in a mini rut this year with films; I’ve spent a lot of evenings socialising digitally and time spent in front of the TV has been for comedy shows. Having noticed it I’m planning more Cary Grant film nights for this second half of the year.

Emma (UK/USA, 1996) – Of Jane Austen fame; Emma, thrilled with her past success in matchmaking attempts to find a match for her lower-born friend amongst Emma’s higher society at any cost. This one’s okay, though if I can compare, I preferred the latest one from 2020.

Maggie’s Christmas Miracle (USA, 2017) – A single mother with a demanding career finds luck when her son befriends a man who can be his tutor. Pretty average story however the two leads are two of the better actors in Hallmark/Lifetime/etc Christmas movie land so that makes it a lot better.

The Greatest Showman (USA, 2017) – A man works his way from a regular background to become famed for his circus. the plot is very so-so – it’s the music that’s good.

The Importance Of Being Earnest (UK/USA, 2002) – As per Oscar Wilde, two men pretend to be each other in order to better themselves and everyone is confused. Lots of fun.

Apart from the Cary Grant films, and the latest David Copperfield which was added to Amazon later than I’d thought it would be (thus I forgot to keep an eye on it) I’m not making any plans. I think this year that would be best.