The West Wing Season 6 (2004-5)

Bartlet tries to broker peace between Palestine and Israel - good luck with that - and fires Leo, who disagrees with the strategy - then he has a heart attack. In a surprise plot twist it's CJ who becomes the new Chief of Staff.

We also get a new diminutive press assistant played by Kristin Chenoweth.

I miss Sam, who's never mentioned, though Leo comes back, part-time.

Josh maddeningly just will not engage with Donna - so she quits and goes to work for Will, who's supporting the VP. Josh quits, to back a Texan congressman (Jimmy Smits). Bartlet is paralysed through a Chinese state visit. Alan Alda plays tough.

Bradley Whitford wrote a couple of episodes.

Great line: "It's like working our way round town holding a sick chicken."
And - "Slow down - I'll lend you some punctuation."

Good episode '365' in which Leo points out they haven't much time left to do amazing things. Then we follow the three contenders with their 5.45 wake-up calls.

Ways and Means - committee responsible for managing the budgets and finding ways to pay for everything.
Primaries - elections in which voters decide on political contestants ahead of a general election.

Focus then very much on the contestants and Alan Alda as Republican front runner. Which is a little disappointing, in a way, because we don't get as much Donna / Charlie/ President as we'd like.

John Spencer

Dulé Hill

Mary McCormack, Allison Janney

Mistress America (2015 Noah Baumbach)

So, firstly Lola Kirke was not in Girls - that was her sister Jemima. Lola was 24/5 playing 18.

Greta Gerwig and Noah's script is hilarious portraying her ultra-self-delusional character. It's like Woody Allen's descendants.

Soundtrack of OMD etc. is fun.

Tower Block (2012 James Nunn, Ronnie Thompson)

Grim, low-budget fun in James Moran's Assault on Precinct 13 homage. Some perfunctory dialogue, and could have done with a shot more humour; good moments.

Sheridan Smith, Jack O'Connell, Russell Tovey, Julie Graham, Jill Baker, Christopher Fulford (developer), Montserrat Lombard.

Shot by Ben Moulden around Canary Wharf.

The West Wing Season 5 (2003-4)

John Goodman briefly becomes the president after Zoe's been kidnapped. William Devane makes an appearance. As do John Cromwell, Stephen Tobolowsky, Glenn Close. This series had John Welles as showrunner - Sorkin has left. Allison Janney won her fourth Emmy.

'Partisan politics' = strongly support party's own policies and unwilling to compromise with the opposition.

Josh finds himself embattled after turning a Democrat senator Republican; he saves face when Republicans try to 'mug' President over budget negotiation, by first suggesting they walk to the Senate, and then when their reception is tardy, to leave; the President gets his way with the budget. Meanwhile we have our eye on Donna - it's about time she was moved up...

Good episode 'Access' looks entirely at CJ's day and that of her team, and ends up here:

There's a useful new security adviser - Mary McCormack.

And then - how did I know Donna was going to get into trouble? Because - put your characters in jeopardy. It's the tense ending in Gaza, and we still don't know if she's OK...

Josh Singer is one of the staff writers; he went on to write The Post, First Man and Spotlight.

Good Omens (2019 Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett)

Loved the episode which jumps through time and shows Aziraphale and Crowley reaching their arrangement via the Crucifixion, Shakespeare (Reece Shearsmith), French Revolution, Nazis etc.

Michael Sheen is absolutely hilarious. So when he's not on camera e.g. 'inside' Miranda Richardson, it's not as much fun. With David Tennant, Frances McDormand, Sam Taylor Buck, Daniel Mays, Adria Arjona, Jack Whitehall, Michael McKean, Bill Paterson

Sometimes it's a bit exhausting - definitely the best scenes are the byplay between the leads, and their growing friendship. Maybe there's too much going on? But it is all neatly wrapped up at the end, with a lovely, beautiful twist.

All sorts of people have turned up by then, including Anna Maxwell Martin, Elizabeth Berrington, the voices of Andy Hamilton and Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hamm, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, Steve Oram, Derek Jacobi..

Great line from Tennant with flaming Bentley: "You couldn't get that performance out of a modern car." And - "Yes. But is it the ineffable plan?" Very funny ('Ineffable' = too great to be expressed in words; too sacred to be uttered.)

6 x 60' directed by Douglas Mackinnon for Amazon. Shot by Gavin Finney,

The Beguiled (2017 Sofia Coppola & scr)

I was surprised (and a little disappointed) that Sofia did nothing new with the story - it's based on the 1971 screenplay by Albert Maltz and Irene Kamp and the source novel by Thomas Cullinan. Well, she did have one major point of departure - she had it filmed so dark (by Phillippe le Sourd) that it's no wonder Colin Farrell accidentally wanders into the wrong bedroom...

Good cast comprises Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, Addison Rieke and Emma Howard.

There's pretty much no music.

I did laugh when Farrell collapses, poisoned, and all the girls look at their plates, as though they're being told off, but otherwise it seemed a pointless exercise.

Strangers on a Train (1951 AH)

He read Patricia Highsmith's debut novel on a train - appropriately enough - and he, Alma and Whitfield Cook quickly made it their own, making significant changes, one being to convert Bruno's repugnant alcoholic into a charming and covert gay. Raymond Chandler was brought in but tried to make every action explainable, drank too much and attempted to steer the script back to Highsmith's book. It ended unhappily and his script was ignored. Then a former Ben Hecht associate Czenzi Ormonde was brought in and she wrote the scenes that were played by Marion Lorne - dotty and yet almost as mad as her son. She and Barbara Keon finished the script.

As to the film itself, not much to add to previous jottings like this one.

Robert Burks' cinematography was the only Oscar nomination - it was their first collaboration.

A Warner Brothers production.

Here's a fascinating aside from 'Hitchock et L'Art; Coincidences Fatales' from the Pompidou 2001 exhibition:

True Story (2015 Rupert Goold)

Another true story, based on Michael Finkel's account, written by Goold and David Kajganich.

Jonah Hill is good, James Franco is suspicious, Felicity Jones has a non-part. Odd film doesn't really have a pay-off, misfires and leaves barely any impression.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018 Marielle Heller)

Written by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, after Lee Israel's book. Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant are splendid as the fraudulent couple, both BAFTA and Oscar nominated, as was screenplay.

With Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone, Stephen Spinella, Jane Curtin.

The West Wing 4 (2002-3)

Amy Adams (cameo) - in the episode where they miss the convoy! Christian Slater, Matthew Modine, Jerry Adler (Toby's Murder Inc dad), Donald Moffat (CJ's Alzheimer's dad in 'The Long Goodbye', guest-written by playwright Jon Robin Baitz), Matthew Perry.

Sam has rashly promised to stand for the democratic candidate in Florida in the slim chance they will win - they do, and thus he is phased out. Joshua Melina plays Will Bailey, who takes his place.

Meanwhile Danny's digging into the assassination bit...

Less writing by Sorkin this series, less misty eye moments, perhaps not as strong as preceding series... Though ends in a spectacular way with Left Field and the kidnapping of Zoe.

Summer of Rockets (2019 Stephen Poliakoff & scr)

Typical stuff - intrigue, children (SP's alter ego), slightly mannered conversation, very long shots, photos. There's much to enjoy in Poliakoff's latest 1950s set conspiracy thriller, but under close scrutiny there's perhaps too much going on - too many themes, red herrings, story lines, confessions, coincidences, unresolved plots - like the whole disappearing son thing - and the central idea - the planned military coup - is, unlike some of his other stuff (Glorious 39), not rooted in fact.

Did enjoy the allusions to modern technology and the fabulous moment where the dog understands Russian (though it's another red herring) - shouldn't have killed the dog - it would have been cool if he'd left with it. Some great performances, especially Lily Sacofsky and Toby Woolf as the kids, and a very thin-looking Timothy Spall.

With Toby Stephens, Keeley Hawes, Linus Roache, Gary Beadle, Lucy Cohu, Mark Bonnar, Clare Bloom (The Haunting, The King's Speech), Rose Ayling-Ellis, Peter Firth, Ronald Pickup, Robert Ashe, Richard Cordery.

Scored by Adrian Johnstone as usual.

A Kind of Murder (2016 Andy Goddard)

I'm sure a faithful adaptation of the tone and spirit of the original - by Susan Boyd - of Patricia Highsmith's 1954 novel 'The Blunderer'. Patrick Wilson gets himself into trouble by lying after his wife's death, having also made matters far worse by visiting another man who's accused of murdering his wife (Eddie Marsan). Meanwhile he's having an affair with an increasingly uncomfortable Hayley Bennett.

After cursory research (yes, Wikipedia) it looks like the novel has the wife (as played by Jessica Biel) behaving much worse, making a motive for killing her the greater, and makes the police detective (Vincent Kartheiser) a possible psycho. It almost needs larger written or acted characters - a Robert Walker type (Strangers on a Train) or a real loony detective (Laird Cregar in I Wake Up Screaming)?

The acting is fine (especially Marsan) and photography and set design too (Chris Seager and Pete Zumba) with limited budget.

Satan's Triangle (1975 Sutton Roley)

TV movie has its fans - don't be lulled by their slithy inducements, though it is enjoyably bad.

Coastguard Doug McClure finds Kim Novak the lone survivor of a wrecked yacht in the Bermuda Triangle - actually its opening is one of the better things about it, and you have to admire the single shot in which we see the rescue platform being lowered by helicopter and landing on the yacht (from then on, as though cricked by that manoeuvre, the camera is almost always pointing up).

It's rather painful to see Ms Novak adrift in this nonsense (Q says it's her worst film).

I couldn't quite work out - if so much of it is filmed on a set why there's so much water on the lens for prolonged periods.

Tricked out with silly negative flashes representing spooky lightning and footage from other films (was one of the skies from Portrait of Jennie?)

McClure was perhaps best known for the TV series The Virginian - I remember him from The Land That Time Forgot from the same year. Alejandro Rey has a certain intensity as the priest; Ed Lauter was familiar from such things as Family Plot, The Mean Machine and Bad Company.

Green Book (2018 Peter Farrelly)

An enjoyable film, based on writer Nick Vallelonga's father Tony's real life tour with black virtuoso pianist Dr Donald Shirley. Vallelonga gives us the authentic Brooklyn Italian flavour and dialogue; the film's co-written by Farrelly and Brian Hayes Currie. It was criticised for winning Best Film (over Roma, for one) and is likened to Driving Miss Daisy (though I had to add echoes of Rain Man and even - especially at the end - Trains Planes and Automobiles), and mostly it's a bit guessable. Won Oscar for screenplay.

Good leads - Viggo Mortensen (with - hopefully - a fake belly) and Maharshala Ali (Treme, Moonlight, Hidden Figures) - who also won Oscar and BAFTA.

With Linda Cardellini. Shot by Sean Porter, who got the job because he'd previously made a film called Green Room, with Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots.

Footnote: Nat King Cole was attacked on stage in Alabama in 1956. The glory of Alabama shines on to this day...

Il Commissario Montalbano: In Diario del '43 (2019 Alberto Sironi)

Another film of ripe melancholy, beginning with the discovery of a war time diary, and involving visiting American Dominic Chianese (from The Sopranos).

Franco Piersanti's tracks 'Dignity' and 'Memories da Montalbano 2' are beautifully re-arranged.

It's a fabulous plot. Sceneggiatura (film script)  by Francesco Bruni, Andrea Camilleri, Salvatore de Mola, Leonardi Marini, dialogue from Valentina Alferj, from Camilleri's stories "Diario del '43" and "Being There".

The doctor's memorial with canolli is brilliant:

Il Commissario Montalbano: L'Altro Capo del Filo (2019 Alberto Sironi)

A controversial episode in Italy as it makes its feelings quite clear on the subject of the refugee crisis and the accompanying acts death, rape, loss and tragedy - really quite moving - good for you, Camilleri (he died 17 July aged 93). Then it marvellously weaves in its major story, the death of a dressmaker. Luca annoyingly doesn't seem to grow older; Franco's still writing the best music on TV.

Victoria - Series 3 (2019 Creator / lead writer Daisy Goodwin)

Main pleasure on top of continuing good work from Jenna and (in the more unsympathetic role this year) Tom, is the introduction of a feisty Palmerston, played with relish by Laurence Fox.

Faithful maid Nell Hudson dies, replaced by mouthy maid Victoria respects, Sabrina Bartlett

Vic's horrible sister Kate Fleetwood is a thorn in the side of everyone, including the audience. (Pantomime villain?)

Daft duchess Lily Travers who fancies the footman David Burnett.

Real events (cholera, Great Exhibition, Ireland) connected through personal stories.

Photographed by Andrew McDonnell.

Murder Mystery (2019 Kyle Newacheck)

Jen An, Adam Sandler, guests (Walliams, Akhtar). With Danny Boon, Terence Stamp, Luke Evans.

Somehow old-fashioned whodunit / Euro-chase thriller. Half the laughs fall flat. Quite fun.

Gemma Arterton delivers the best line.

Writer James Vanderbilt  - Zodiak, Independence Day sequel.