_ “‪Questioning Everything‬” _

Whilst the movie is outdated now (in terms of certain space facts and the labeling of Asperger's, it isn't used as a diagnosis anymore and more often ADD and variations of it), in a few ways, I feel it does a good job of showing the life of a certain individual with symptoms similar to his. I related lots to the character Adam. Hugh Dancy played the role amazingly, it felt truly believable. I feel as though many who watched missed the idea that this didn't represent all people with his conditions, it varies from person to person, high and low functioning variations. This was just one example of how one person diagnosed with Asperger's in the 90's may live. It's impossible for a single character to represent every individual on an ever-growing spectrum. Many people criticize the film for not having Adam "get the girl", despite her family being incapable of treating him nicely, alienating Adam for who he was and Beth being patronizing without even realizing it. I'm more happy he wasn't tied down to a family who treated him in such a way.

This film is potentially one of my all time favourites. To coin a common phrase, it is so underrated. A diamond in the rough. The story spoke to me especially, it impacted me in multiple ways, in small yet perfect ways. Le Beouf shone as Charlie Countryman, he helped me fall in love with this city and Gabi through his eyes. This film helped me grapple with my own loss and grief in a way I could never expect. Wood's performance as Gabi was stunning and beautiful, her sincerity in the role touched me deeply. This romance never once felt forced as it does so much in other films, it flowed naturally. It made me want to get lost in an unknown city at night with a soulmate I've never met. Mikkelsen's Nigel was perhaps one of my favourite parts of this brilliant film. He mastered the role of a devil in disguise perfectly. He had a charisma to his rudeness, his violence liquid. His few intense confrontations with Charlie paint a broad picture for the characters and the city. That leads me to perhaps one of my favourite things about this film. There are characters in locations. Charlies home in America, Bucharest during the day, the opera house, the youth center, the club and the city at night. The emotions conveyed in these places through bustling, bright crowds and the flashing neon lights breathes life into otherwise common places. They let you see a new world through Charlie's spontaneous, curious gaze.

My first and favourite James Bond film. I loved the performances of Eva, Daniel, Mads and Judi. It was a well paced story with beautiful visuals, setting up Craig's era of Bond brilliantly. The opening title card stuck out to me compared to the others, for the song and visuals. It may be equal to Skyfall for me. I could watch it on repeat and notice something new every time. Also congrats to the team for making a world record number of car rolls. This was a James Bond origin story, we see what exactly turns him into the man we know as James Bond and I thought that was an excellent introduction to set Craig apart from the rest.