Charlotte Sometimes

You’re probably here because you’ve been here before. For the first timers amongst you, once a week I recommend a bunch of films across various popular streaming platforms in the hope you helping you beat the ‘Well, what should we watch now?’ slump. Here’s volumes 1 and 2.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (2019 – SkyGo/NOW – 109 mins)

If I were to start a prescription service, offering films to cure various alignments, I’d suggest this one to the world-weary and jaded. This is an immensely cathartic watch restores my faith in humanity and the wonder of people, a partly-inspired by true story of a journalist’s (Matthew Rhys) encounter with children’s tv host Fred Rodgers (Tom Hanks). Make sure you’ve got your tissues, then dig out the companion documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbour? and the 1998 article that inspired it all. You can thank me later.

While You Were Sleeping (1995 – Disney+ – 103 min )

I call myself a romcom fan, but this was a first watch for me when I finally watched it 6 weeks ago – there’s few things better than finding a film that is very much your jam. This one is very much my jam, and then some. Sandra Bullock is a hopelessly romantic Chicago Transit Authority token collector who is mistaken for the fiancée of a coma patient (Peter Gallagher). Bill Pullman plays his plait-wearing, grumpy, carpenter cynic of a brother (aka my type in a nutshell…) Really sweet, romantic and very funny.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005 – Amazon Prime – 103 mins)

Without this movie, there’s a strong possibility the MCU as we know it may not exist – as it let to the return of Robert Downey Jr. and showcased his charismatic brilliance so wonderfully. A murder mystery brings together his thief-disguising-as-an-actor, Val Kilmer‘s Private Detective and Michelle Monaghan‘s struggling actress. Sublimely written and directed by Shane Black, this is a brilliantly dark comedy that needs to be seen!

This Is Where I Leave You (2014 – Amazon Prime – 103 mins)

Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard and Ben Schwartz star in this immensely underseen indie drama about four children returning home as adults when their father dies. This one is such a gem!

Tucked (2018 – Netflix – 80 mins)

A small indie that is so charming and darkly funny. Jackie(Derren Nesbitt) is an 80-year-old drag queen, Faith (Jordan Stephens) is just starting out – both desperately alone, an unlikely yet wonderful friendship forms as they support each other and in turn themselves.

Arrival (2016 – Netflix – 116 mins)

One of the finest, if not the finest, science fiction movie of the 21st Century. An immensely profound and gripping look at what it really means to be human. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is the linguist called in to work with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world. Go in knowing nothing else and leave forever changed.

Tina (2021 – Sky/NOW – 118 mins)

An honest and harrowing profile of one of the most iconic and recognizable voices in music. With a wealth of never-before seen footage, photos and accounts – this is an immensely personal and unvarnished account. Essential viewing.

Palm Springs (2021 – Amazon Prime – 90 mins)

This may just be the most perfect use of 90 minutes of screentime that we’ve seen in a long time, let alone the best use of a time loop/Groundhog Day narrative. Nyles (Andy Samberg) has been stuck at the same wedding for far too long, the sole guest who is trapped there, relieving the same day again and again and again. Until Sarah (Cristin Milioti) gets stuck there too…

Stardust (2007 – Netflix – 107 mins)

Based on the 1999 fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, this is a love story like no other. Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) is set the task by the object of his affections, Victoria (Sienna Miller), to go collect the star that has fallen nearby. But nearby, in this instance is on the other side of the wall which borders the magical land of Faerie. Crossing it is prohibited as it leads to a magical realm where nothing is to be believed and no-one is to be trusted. Such a charming fantasy love story with an incredible cast and this banger of a theme song.

Rules Don’t Apply (2016 – ALL4 – 127 mins)

Written, directed and starring Warren Beatty (playing Hollywood eccentric and legendary billionaire Howard Hughes) this is a love story of sorts to the era of Golden Hollywood. A romantic-comedy-drama, it follows new-in-town Lily Collins a devout Baptist beauty queen under contract with Hughes’ film studio RKO Pictures, receiving $400 a week and living in a beautiful home with her strict mother Lucy (Annette Bening). Frank (Alden Ehrenreich) becomes Marla’s primary driver, taking her to singing and dance classes – a prohibited friendship between the pair quickly follows.

Looking for some more pics? Check out the back catalogue: #1, #2, #3 and #4.

Film: Arrival (currently £1.99 to rent on Amazon)

Great science fiction manages to reflect on the now and say so much about the human experience. Arrival isn’t just a great science fiction movie, it’s one of the finest science fiction movies in the 21^st Century. When gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations across the world, Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is called in to lead an elite team of investigators. A slow-burn thriller that is profound and beautiful. To say any more would spoil it, so go watch it!

TV: Inside No.9

An anthology of dark and twisted tales – all 31 episodes are currently free to watch on BBC iPlayer.  Each episode is stand-alone, you can pick and choose the premise that takes your fancy. Each features creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, but there’s a revolving door of incredible guests stars who need to be seen to be believed. This is a show so well written, you’ll start watching and can’t believe it took you so long…

Book: Andi Osho – Asking For A Friend (currently 99p on Amazon Kindle)

Andi Osho is a fantastic comedian I’ve loved for years, her humour is self-deprecating yet warm which works really well in his book – which is her writing debut.  It’s the story of three friends (on is in her 40s, the other in her 30s and the third in her 20s). They met at a comedy improv class ten years ago and became the very best of friends – the ride or die kind) They decide to tackle their love life disasters head on by ditching the dating apps and actually ask people out in real life…but only for each other. What could possibly go wrong? A laugh-out-loud romcom that shows that friendship is just as important as romantic love.

Music: Lady Percy by King Charles

One of the things I love most about Spotify is how I used to create a playlist that summed up my favourite tracks of each month, more often than not those songs become entwined with what was going on and how I felt at the time. This track is from my May 2012 playlist, a summer I look back on with a lot of sepia-toned warmess and nostalgia – summed up by this track.

Looking for some more pics? Check out the back catalogue: #1, #2 and #3.

Book: When The World Was Ours by Liz Kessler

This was one of the most powerful novels I’ve read in a long time. Very much inspired by a real story, we follow three young friends in 1936 Vienna. They’re 9 years old and their friendship is the most important thing in their lives, they have no idea of the darkness spreading across Europe that will cause their lives to go in drastically different directions. A masterpiece.

TV: Dead Pixels (All4)

Channel 4 just dropped all of series 2 on All4, which means you’ve now got 12 episodes of this really charming show to watch. It’s a sitcom about three gamers that’s as addictive as the game they’re playing. Although there’s a lot of poking fun at their obsessive gaming, it really does come from a place of affection as opposed to laughing at fandoms. It’s so well performed and with a script that’s as sharp & quotable as The It Crowd.

Film: Three Identical Strangers (All4)

Aged 19, Bobby Sharfran arrived for his very first day at college. Every single person he came across greeted him like an old friend, calling him by the wrong name and showing immense surprise that ‘he’d changed his mind and decided to come back for the new academic year.’ And that’s how Bobby found out he had a twin brother – the first of many incredible, shocking, and dark discoveries. An incredible documentary that has to be seen to be believed.

Song: Don’t Leave Me This Way by The Communards

The past week, I’ve really gone down a rabbit hole of 80s’ music. There’s something about that time period where the music really captured the same mood of now  – a desperation to find light within the darkness, how music can spark joy when it is most needed. That’s why I’ve gone for this banger, which I dream of once again booging away to on a dance floor – the aisles of my local Tesco really don’t count…

TV: Married at First Sight Australia Season Six (All4)

In all honesty, I think this show is the only thing getting me through Lockdown 3.0. My daily routine is watching an episode at 7.30pm on E4 and I’m not sure how I’d cope without it. The show follows 12 couples who literally met for the first time at the alter – after being paired up by ‘experts using ‘science’. There’s no way I can do what follows any justice by describing it to you, the dramas that occur are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. This is total must-see television.

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

When Graham runs into Elspeth, his first wife, after leaving her over a decade ago for Audra, his now-second wife, he finds his already overloaded life of day-to-day difficulties and delights of marriage and raising a child with Asperger’s is given another layer to worry about – How can anyone love two such different women? Did he make the right choice? Is there a right choice? Funny, feelgood and addictive reading.

End of Watch (BBC)

There are countless buddy-cop action movies, but this one really is a bit different. Longtime LAPD partners and friends, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) patrol one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. When they run afoul of a vicious Mexican cartel, their lives and those of their loved ones are under threat like never before. The really impressive thing about this one is how it’s shot, placing you firmly in the action.

Mitski – Your Best American Girl

In July 2019 I was in a pretty grim place mentally. On one walk home I had Spotify on shuffle and this track, from the soundtrack of I film I love – Hearts Beat Loud – came on. I’d not really listened to it before, but it was everything I needed to listen to in that precise moment – a song about identity, self-expectation and self-acceptance.  It builds and soars, as jagged as it is graceful, starting off indie and going into punk with synths. Musical catharsis at it’s most pure.