Netflix: The Thursday Murder Club (2025)

 

First off, I loved the book on which this movie is based.

I'm always a little leery of watching a movie based on a book I've read since they're so often disappointing and miscast.  

In this cast the casting was pretty good - not totally my vision of the characters but acceptable.  And the actors were very good - except for the character Stephen.  I don't know if it was the script or the actor but he came across as unbelievable and without any depth whatsoever.

They also changed the ending.  I know they can't follow the book exactly, I know they can't include all the subtleties of plotting from a book which is naturally much more detailed than a film.  But with a book that is as beloved as this one I think it's a big mistake to change the ending!

Richard Osman is a wonderful writer.  There's a depth and lyricism to his prose that just isn't captured at all in this movie.

The movie is fun and I guess you could call it The Thursday Murder Club Lite.

So overall I'd say yes, watch the movie, it's fine.  But:  Read the book.

Unsettled

As a senior I'm finding myself more and more often feeling unsettled in public situations.  

I have always felt a certain degree of uncomfortableness in public and social situations since I am an introvert and have never been all that comfortable with people in general.

But more and more lately I find myself uneasy when I'm out in the world.

Earlier this week I was out to dinner with friends and afterward was walking home on my own.  I live in a mixed neighbourhood- it's not terribly unsafe but it's definitely not what would be called totally safe either.  It turned dark as I was walking and I just felt uneasy and vulnerable being out on the street alone.  

I often find myself feeling uncertain and vulnerable when I'm out in the world, even in daylight hours.  I just no longer trust that other people are non-malevolent .   I just no longer trust that I'll be able to deal with situations that might arise.

Movie: Frankenstein (2015)

 

I came across this film by accident on Tubi.. I had no idea it even existed.

How many versions of Frankenstein have there been by now?  I wonder if we're most fascinated by Frankenstein or vampires or zombies.  Werewolves and mummies are far behind.

This version stars Xavier Samuel, Carrie-Anne Moss, Danny Huston and Tony Todd in the main roles.

My first reaction was that this was just another low budget flick, it surprised me that Carrie-Anne Moss had agreed to do it.  But as I watched I liked it more and more and by the end I came to feel that it was something rather special.

I haven't read the Mary Shelley original so I'm comparing it more to some sort of amalgam of the 1930s Frankenstein films and the versions that have followed.   

I liked the way things such as throwing the child in the water,  the blind friend,  Elizabeth (here as mother figure rather that fiancee/wife) were retained and reimagined.  

There was a lot of violence but it never felt gratuitous.  

There was a quality to the film that felt what we used to refer to as an "art film" back when European films were not as available in North America - I first became aware of them at campus showings when I was in university and at alternative cinemas that appeared in Toronto in the 1960s.  

The cast was solid throughout.  Especially Xavier Samuel and Carrie-Anne Moss.

I did find the voice-over spoken by the monster a bit jarring since it was obviously by someone with vocabulary and intellectual understanding and it gave the (false) impression that he somehow survived and developed.

For me a sure sign that a film is something special is that I find myself still thinking about it  or emotionally responding to it days later.  That has certainly happened in this case.

Thunk!

 

As part of growing old I have noticed that my body is not as elastic as it used to be.

Now I find if I step down and the distance is longer than I expected, or I (not a good idea!) jump down from even a small height, or try to run, that my body does not rebound a bit like it used to.  There is no softness to my landing.  My body just drops down thunk when I make contact and does not bounce back even a little bit.

It's not painful or anything but it does cause a feeling of heaviness. 

And age.

Blog Recommendation

 

Good Intentions

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