Elizabeth Booth

I’m binge watching this at present and through to the end of season 2. I love Rita, Hjorvis and Rasmus. They are real, flawed characters working in a fairly normal school. The emotional side of things is believable and quite moving, especially as Rasmus and Rita gravitate together then apart. Erik, the teacher who ultimately leaves after being bullied by his pupils, is a gorgeous, complex person and it’s one of the truthful parts of the depiction of education : good teachers rarely get credit and are often blamed for their pupils’ misbehaviour; you can be too kind; teaching is brutal. Watch this series!!

Disappointing. Racers are fascinating people, often complex and demonstrating behaviours that go beyond the norm. Schumacher the racer was fascinating - taking amazing risks with chilly self composure, a down to earth family man who demonstrated none of the playboy behaviour of his excessively charismatic colleagues and rivals. I’m not a top fan of F1 but I do find it compelling. The film ‘Senna’ was magical and evocative, giving a sense of the character of the mysterious Brazilian - warm, playful and frighteningly serious and single minded in his pursuit of championships. ‘Schumacher’, however, is a polite little offering that tells you not much more than you already knew. It comes across as a rather reverential obituary of a minor, not terribly well-liked member of the British royal family, (only without any amusing stories about the corgis). Such a pity as a short segment of the film at the very end shows Schumi as a loving father, husband, son and brother. But you are still left with a feeling of not knowing him any better, unable to find the Michael who loved his family in the same Michael who was a ruthless competitor. What is also rather disconcerting - confusing, even, for those who haven’t followed his story since 2013, is the way the commentary puts Schumacher in the past tense, as if he has died. The circumstances of his death are obliquely referred to but not described. We don’t get to see Michael or to hear how he is doing. I’d hoped for an update, an opportunity to celebrate his amazing spirit. I hope this doesn’t indicate deteriorating health as I would like to think that this icon could have another 20+ or so years ahead of him in the bosom of his family. The film says ‘private is private’ and yes, let’s protect these individuals from the excesses of the paparazzi. But it would only have taken a few words to tell us a little more about the great man’s health and how he is enjoying life. Maybe we’ll hear more soon and all will become clear, but as a stand alone this film is simply too cold and aloof. Schumacher deserves more.

This is a very moving film about love, friendship and death and it speaks clearly and honestly about death. I found it very moving and I recommend that you watch it too. It is the kind of film that I will remember and rewatch, one with learning that will help me through my days. A slow burner.

Do go to see this film. As WW1 drifts beyond first hand memory we must try to remember the pity of War. It held me, at turns mesmerised and horrified, throughout. A strong story told with great acting, visually and emotionally all embracing. I had to hold my head in my hands for much of the film. To think that my grandfather had to experience even a small portion of what happened here. The faces of the regiment waiting to go over the top, entertained in pretty woodland by a sole voice like little boys waiting for tea time, were haunting. The kindness and wisdom of an officer who helped our hero on his way stood out as a lone voice of compassion and reason. ‘Make sure there are witnesses’, he says, as some Majors need the fight and get carried away. A commanding officer weeping uncontrollably as his men went into battle only amplified the futility and waste of this nightmare. They called it off, but not before many had already been maimed and lost in the dirt and fire. If war was unimaginable before, this film gives you enough to know its grim reality. I will go and see it again in a few days.

I never saw the musical in the theatre - and I don’t like musicals, even in film, so agreed to see this for a social. It got better as the storyline developed, and I thought it was a pity the film came to such an abrupt end. It was OK. For a musical, there were no real shivery moments of ‘ohmigosh what an amazing vocal performance’ as there were in eg Greatest Showman, and neither was the dancing spectacular. In a theatre you see the whole complex presentation on stage; in film the medium involves close up and subtle facial expression; so this staging didn’t really work on film. I got the feeling a decision had been made to film the theatre version + a few effects, for the record - it didn’t add much. You couldn’t get away from the fact that the cats were human. They just weren’t feline. This film didn’t need big names like Idris Elba and Judi Dench; they did need better physical characterisation and cat spirit. I thought James Corden was best as a lovely fat black and white long hair. Jennifer Hudson was underused. Why was her version of Memories so short? Maybe the original musical wasn’t that good. I felt the music was rather so-so. All in all the film left me feeling a bit disappointed - the cast were just about finding their feet when the film finished. If I were a producer I would want to go back and start it all again. Was it about Eliot’s poems or the dancing, or a story of street cats? Was it about amazing vocal performances? It didn’t really hit any of these sweet spots, and it could have.

It hadn’t really occurred to me before how sarcastic the title of May Alcott’s book is; the ‘little women’ are far from little; they are vibrant, strong individuals choosing their own life path despite the huge social expectations and financial constraints placed upon them. I watched this film back to back with Jane Austen’s Emma and, rest assured, feminism was alive and kicking centuries ago, and popular fiction has that fact documented more clearly than I realised. Watch this film. I love the way it is cut with the author’s life experiences and how it gives Jo centre stage. I love that Amy gets a fair shot, and isn’t depicted as a giggling clothes horse, that Beth has a character, and that Meg finds true love with her teacher husband. Honestly, watch it. This is a film about strong women that does justice to the author’s original work and pays respect to our sisters even before we had the vote.