12 Films At Christmas - 1 & 2

Not content with telling you what to read I will now pass judgement on the first dozen films I watch over the festive period. The arbitrary process by which I watch will presumably uncover some turkeys as well as gems and I will do you the favour of saving you the bother of watching the duds. 

Into which category (duds) the first film belongs. In fact rather more than that, it is a piece of egregious old bollocks of which the participants should be ashamed. I myself feel a little dirty for having watched it. This film is Anonymous - a misbegotten propounding of the old theory of Shakespeare not having written the plays attributed to him. In this version of events the Earl of Oxford gets the credit. Not content with slagging off the boy Shakespeare the film also finds time to belittle those two other pillars of Renaissance drama, Marlowe and Jonson. There is no hint of tongue in cheek about this dire little picture. It is indefensible and worthless - please on no account watch it - to do so only encourages them.

On to happier matters, our second film is Sideways. This potentially slight tale of two Californian friends making a last trip prior to the marriage of one of them manages to be funny, sad, wistful and engaging. Thomas Haden Church as Jack gives us a character of the type all men know and, despite ourselves, love. In a bizarre way he stands in direct line from Terry Collier in The Likely Lads. I give this one eight out of ten and thoroughly recommend it. It is almost as good as Anonymous is bad and that is saying something.